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

Thanks to immigration – legal and illegal, I guess – Spain’s population has increased by 4.5% in the last 8 years.

Nuns are a dying breed in Spain. Literally. And, if a convent’s complement falls to less that 6, the Vatican dictates closure. This has happened to at least 2 convents in Pv city in the last 20 years and it’s now happening in Ronda, down South. As there, this usually releases a fine building for other uses.

If it were April 1 or December 28. I’d be tempted to put this down as a joke. Paella in a tin. But it’s said to be flying off the shelves. But should that be ‘rolling’? I wonder if it will eventually be offered to Hello Fresh customers around the world. My younger daughter, for example.

Another surprising report, this time from Galicia – The PP party might lose one of its fiefdoms to the Galician Nationalist Block – to say the least, a rather wide church. Reader David in La Coruña has remarked that only (Gallego) Alberto Feijoo – current leader of the PP – could snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

Having recently suffered from it, David would be the first to nod in recognition at the report that Madrid’s airport is the worst in Europe at losing your luggage. Or should that be ‘best’. Barcelona’s was second worst/best.

Russia

Some are claiming that the death of Navaly was propitious for Putin ahead of the presidential election. Given that Hell would have to freeze over before Putin would fail to win a gigantic percentage of the vote, one has to wonder how true this is. Plausible, of course. But true? On the other hand, is it really possible to successfully read the machinations of Putin’s mind? And, yes, no one would be at all surprised by the death. Only by the fact he died on the ground floor.

A propos . . . This list of fatal accidents just came up in my Spain feed . . .

The Way of the World

It had to happen. I guess. Adopting a diet that advocates eating cheese, bread, rice, potatoes and pork — washed down with a glass of red wine — could be a good move for your long-term health. A study found that a diet based on the eating habits of people of northwestern Spain[i.e. Galicia] and Portugal — known as the Atlantic diet — can reduce belly fat, high blood pressure and cholesterol levels. The risk of heart disease and diabetes is also lowered. Increasingly, there’s a buzz around the diet among nutritionists and scientists. Other studies have suggested that it may even reduce depression and increase longevity.

English

Over time, words can flip their meaning. So . . .

• Amusing was once synonymous with amazing
• Awful with awe-inspiring, and
• Artificial with artistic

One expert suggests that this can be put down to onomatopoeia – People feeling what the word ought to mean by the sound it makes.

Did you know? . . .

I mentioned Heald Green yesterday. Rather like Bilbao, the place boasts a statue of an everyday creature. While the Basque one, in front of the Guggenheim, is of a puppy, HG’s is of a frog. Well, 2 frogs, one on top of the other. Possibly a female and an amorous – much smaller – male.

Of course, it’s nowhere near the size of the statue in Barcelona but it’s more informative, bearing paintings of local buildings on all sides. Plus the inevitable rainbow. As to why it’s there, I got this from an AI search: The statue of 2 frogs is part of a larger art project in the Stockport area. The 17 ‘One Stockport’ Giant Frog sculptures were created to celebrate each area’s uniqueness and to serve as a reminder of community unity. They’ve also been used to raise more than £35,000 for charitable causes.

Finally . . .

The wit of Samuel Johnson 1: It’s strange that there should be so little reading in the world, and so much writing. People in general don’t willingly read, if they can have anything else to amuse them.

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.