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

It might have taken 2,000 years but it was inevitable that the 21st century would witness the appearance of a homoerotic JC. Which has led to a lot of feather-ruffling in the famously non-prudish Spanish dovecot. My own view of the portrait is that it represents Him as what He definitely wasn’t – whiter than white. Surely a bigger crime these days than hinting that an unmarried 33 year old was a homosexual. But, as I say, this was something just waiting to happen in these times. I’m now re-evaluating my relationships with all my male friends, apart from those I know to be gay.

So sorry I missed this . . .

The UK

So, the pretty pointless 1p coin is probably going to go. About time, in my opinion. But, then, I no longer use it. In fact, I routinely throw it away.

Back to the issue of massive expansion of university education, driven by Tony Blair 2 decades ago . . I think it’s time to accept that the wild expansion of higher education was a reckless mistake. There was never any need to send quite so many young people to university. We were better off when the sector was smaller. More here.

France

French farmers fire up tractors for the ‘siege of Paris’. Revolting folk, farmers.

Quote of the Day

The Spanish pride themselves on a lack of prudery. I’ll say.

Iran

The podcast series Empire has several episodes – here – on The Persian Renaissance of centuries ago. In rather sharp contrast, a columnist writes this morning that: The decline of Iran is among the most extraordinary stories of modern times. It was one of the great ancient civilisations but a fossilised and inept theocracy has reduced it to a dumpster fire of a country. Its infrastructure is comparable with that of a war-torn state, half of the population lives in poverty. . . . As the scale of the mullahs’ national mutilation becomes impossible to conceal, and protest movements grow, the embattled regime has sought to deflect from its failings by doubling down on long-standing ambitions to establish itself as a regional hegemon, creating a “Shia Crescent” that can function both as a defensive sectarian shield against the Sunni and Western infidels and as a focus of imperialistic pride. Becoming a nuclear power is, of course, crucial, to such a vision.

Is the world doing enough about stopping this?Can it ever do so? If not, what??

The Way of the World

This columnist asks whether it isn’t time to shut down the UN’s Relief and Works Agency. It’s hard to argue with the comment that: The UN was founded after the Second World War to promote global peace and justice. It has not quite worked out that way, precisely because it consists of most countries in the world.

Spanish

Words of the moment:-

• Un mojigato: A prude
• Un gazmoño: Ditto
• Remilgado: Prudish

Finally . . .

After several – interrupted – years, I finally got to the last episode of Breaking Bad last night. So, now on to Better Call Saul, who presumably makes it back to his bizarre office. Or maybe not . .

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.