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!

BUT . . . The Bard also wrote:-

A red morn, that ever yet betokened
wreck to the seaman, tempest to the field,
sorrow to shepherds.

Spanish life is not always likeable but it is compellingly loveable – Christopher Howse: ‘A Pilgrim in Spain’

Cosas de España

The outgoing governor of the Bank Of Spain warns that little more than 10% of Spaniards trust the government. Possible more than in the UK. But, along with France, the lowest in the EU.

The games Catalans play . . . On the campaign trail with Catalonia’s exiled leader. Crowds gather [in southern France] to support Carles Puigdemont, who aims to win a regional election on Sunday.

Why Catalans can’t be beaten for food..

Here’s Lenox Napier on an interesting new book he’s editing.

Jeremy Clarkson is reported to have said Madrid’s Barajas airport is the stupidest in the
world, ‘by miles’. A reference to how far one has to walk in it to get to your next port of call. I have considerable sympathy with that view.

Argentina  . . .

A glimpse here into daily life In BA right now. But, hang on . . .Argentina’s lithium triangle bonanza hands Javier Milei a trump card. Things might just get better.

The UK

A positive take on the UK. Up to a point . . . The UK has been hugely successful at integration, but mass immigration elites have abused our openness. Uncontrolled migration is turning the British dream into a nightmare.

Relatedly . . . The BBC and the problems of a national broadcaster charged with being impartial.

The USA

So, how’s she doing in that trial? Pretty well, it seems.

Quote of the Day

Councils scrapping apostrophes is just another sorry sign of Britain’s decline. If we’re now dropping the punctuation mark from traffic markings, the road ahead does not look good.

Russia

Putin accuses the ‘arrogant’ west of risking global conflict and says his forces are at ‘combat readiness. If I were dumb enough – and, of course, ‘qualified’ enough – to be the US president, I think I’d be seriously considering nuking Russia out of existence. A sort of ‘runaway trolley’ (or USA-Japan 1945) dilemma. End a few million lives to avoid the ending of many, many more.

Net Zero

Demand for electric cars has dried up. It’s time for a rethink. The notion of a quick transition away from petrol was always barmy – but we have options.

Do You Know?

I confess that I find anchovies impossible to eat. But this article – A Toast to Anchovies – is making me re-think my attitude. And I really must try Angler’s Relish.

Did You know

The CEO of one of the UK’s major supermarket chains says that: The era of cheap food is over. As if we didn’t know. Except for the insect variety, I guess.

Finally . . . .

My daughter and I walk for an hour every morning and, usually, again in the evening. We agree that we’ve only needed an umbrella thrice in more than 4 months. Which certainly wouldn’t be the case in Galicia. As I’ve said, rain certainly does fall in England but seemingly mostly at night. The ‘weather problem’ in the UK is less rain, than cloud. The island, as you can see when you fly from the USA or the continent, is nearly always covered in a dense white cloud. So, not a lot of sun.

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.

If you’re thinking of moving to Spain, go to one of my early April posts to see a link to an excellent guide on this.