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

Spanish politics just got even more interesting, with the announcement of the self-exiled Catalan leader, Carles Puigdemont, will stand in the upcoming Catalan elections, aiming to restore himself to the position of regional president. No sign of poverty of ambition there, then.

Something not to miss in Madrid . . . Via a blockbuster exhibition, Goya reveals how inner turmoil transformed his art . . . 200 engravings – which the artist himself never saw gathered together – plus paintings and drawings have been curated for an unprecedented exhibition.

The UK

So, Princess Kate has cancer. But this won’t stop the social media cretins, of course. As if anything would. The depths of ignorance and malice are bottomless. No wonder people believe in a god that isn’t human.

You’d have to have a heart of stone not to feel both for her and, especially, for William.

The USA

Says a well-connected columnist here: The media habit of lying when it comes to Trump explains perhaps better than anything why he, despite his many evident flaws, continues to be such a potent political force. God knows, adds the writer, the man says enough outlandish and disturbing things. And yet somehow the media crowds just can’t resist the temptation to take almost everything he says and portray it as an explicit threat to life, liberty and happiness. So consumed are they with their self-appointed role of telling us what to think that they have to make up things to illuminate it.

Russia

Understanding Putin . . .

• 1. The West has strengthened him
• 2. Why he had to contrive a ‘landslide’.

AI

Talking of evil humans . . . The inevitable abuse of the technology.

(A)GW/Energy/Net Zero

Will the UK throw away a technical lead in a key area? Very possibly, given the low standards of modern politicians.

The Way of the World

The world’s population is destined to fall for first time since the Black Death. The global fertility rates have hit an historic tipping point and are unlikely to recover, experts say

Finally . . .

Needless to say, YouTube’s algorithm came up with this intro from Martin Scorsese to The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp.

Maybe this post should be edged in black . . .

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. And this is something on the so-called Beckham Rule, which is beneficial – tax-wise – for folk who want to work here.