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

Ayuso’s star is falling from the firmament, says Lenox Napier here. The side effect of her partner’s – and possibly her brother’s – shenanigans.

Talking of Spanish women . . . The name Carmen recently merited a mention here. Hot on its heels comes this claim in The Times: Why we’re all dancing to Carmen’s tune. You can’t get away from Carmen this year — and now Bizet’s heroine is conquering the dance stage too. Carlos Acosta and Johan Inger talk to Debra Craine about their new takes on the gypsy libertine. Is one allowed to say gypsy these days?

The real Spain. This epic region of Spain has vineyards, castles and mountains – but hardly any tourists. Something about the place pulls you in. But not very many of us, it seems. Its villages are rugged and authentic and virtually untouched by tourism.

The UK

Richard North returns today to the theme of the degradation of the UK media and – justifiably – comments that: Although it’s hard to believe from the torrent of coverage on the princess of Wales, it is possible to cover the latest revelations – and to express sympathy and concern for a human being afflicted by a serious and potentially fatal illness – without turning the media into a 3-ring circus. I wonder what he’d say if he witnessed the Spanish media in action.

Anyway, should you want to read about the collapse of standards in British political life, this new book is for you – A fearless examination of the decline in ethical standards before, during and after the Johnson government.

Europe

Is the continent A victim of its success and now fighting a losing battle?

The USA

Is the degradation of political life and media coverage even worse in the US than in the UK. Certainly seems to be. As evidenced by the increasing chances of Trump becoming president again. Should that happen, there’ll be nothing left to say. Until he’s assassinated. Or committed.

Russia

It looks like the Special Operation has been re-labelled a ‘war’, justifying massive post-election mobilisation. They’ll be even more worried in Moldavia now, I guess.

Russia v Ukraine

Richard North adds this to his above comment/complaint about the media’s obsession with trivia: First and foremost, if the defeat of Ukraine militarily is even a strong possibility, we should be entertaining, as of now, a national conversation on the implications of that event – to Ukraine, to continental Europe, global stability and to the safety and the standing of the UK. Micturating against the wind?

Social Media

Lenox here complains about FB’s treatment of a foto which appeared in an article by The Corner and which I, too, thought totally inappropriate for the text.

English

Doodle: A dog resulting from crossing a poodle with another breed. They’re currently the most popular dog in the UK and cost up to £5,000. The latest example is the Bernedoodle. I leave you to guess at the latest (mad?) combination.

Did you know? . . .

In the UK, book titles on the spines always face the same way, without exception. Which made it easy for me to rattle through over 100 books available on the shelves of this café. In Spain, I wouldn’t even think of trying this, knowing that the lack of a standard approach would be – literally – a pain in the neck. I wonder what the explanation for the Spanish approach is. Also seen on the camino de Santiago. Where the traditional scallop shell signs in Galicia and Asturias point in opposite directions, despite having had more than 1,000 years to sort this out.

Finally . . .

If you’re a fellow Blues Brother fan, you might well enjoy the book reviewed here. Think I’ll wait for the prices to come down.

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.