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 . .

Javier Cercas is a Spanish author who’s gained international fame with his book ‘Soldiers of Salamis’. A life-long socialist, he’s said to be the PM’s favourite novelist. That’s as maybe, but he dismisses the latter’s ‘incredibly cynical’ Catalan deal as ‘despicable’.

Corruption and justice  . . . The above article has this astonishing comment: Jordi Pujol, a nationalist figurehead who ran the Catalan region between 1980 and 2003 faces corruption charges and has admitted hiding a multimillion-euro fortune abroad to avoid taxes. He has been awaiting trial for 6 years. Cercas characterises Catalan nationalism as an ideology in the service of “a patronage-based kleptocracy” run by a handful of wealthy families and managed by the regional government. All the reports that have come out of the region in the last decade suggest this is pretty accurate.

This article suggests the the upcoming Catalan election is key to Spain’s political stability. Probably true

The Spanish economy surprises even the most optimistic, it says here. So, the top-line growth continues to be impressive, even as life for those at the wrong end of the economic spectrum continues to get more difficult – because of food inflation, for example.

The EU

Isn’t politics a funny business? The EU is turning into Remainer nightmare, it’s claimed here. As the EU parliament trends Right, while the UK’s is about go Left in a big way.

The UK

Politics: No party is a broader church than the Greens, an alliance between “mangos” (orange on the inside, like Lib Dems), “watermelons” (green and red socialists) and “figs” (green, red and black anarcho-activists). For decades the 3 Green tribes have coexisted. But since the Labour Party leader consolidated his centrist mission, Labour’s hard left, like a parasitic worm leaving one host body for another, has entered the Greens. But they are now in serious trouble after an apparent Islamist was elected – as a member of this motley, protest-vote party – to a council position in Leeds. And after the Muslim Vote group issued 18 outrageous demands to the leader of the Labour Party, expected to win the next general election later this year. Which surely have to be rejected out-of-hand.

Less seriously . . . Given than some British men – at least here in the North West – were wearing shorts in January when the temperature was near zero, it’s less than surprising that many/most of them are sporting shorts this weekend’s ‘mini heat wave’ . Of 25 degrees. The women are yet to succumb to this sartorial dictate.

Ukraine v Russia

Even more seriously . . . .Says Richard North today:- It’s a measure of just how far down the news agenda Ukraine has slipped that events in Kharkiv yesterday merited only perfunctory attention in the Western media. Yet, even by Ukrainian standards, it was an exceptional day. When the citizens of Kharkiv finally emerged from their shelters after the longest overnight bombardment of the war to date, they learned that the Russians had launched a major ground offensive on their northern border, only 40km away.

The Way of the World

The tale of an odd couple.

English

Doula: 1. A woman, typically without formal obstetric training, who provides guidance and support either to a woman during her labour or to the mother of a newborn baby:

Finally . . . .

For aficionados of Eurovision, The Times here ranks the 26 finalists, from the deranged to the fabulous. A very subjective approach, I’m sure. History suggests that placing the UK entry in the middle of the pack is somewhat optimistic. Spain comes in as 3rd favourite with this comment: Zorra by Nebulossa: “My past is gobbling you up”, sings Mery Bas in this uber-camp anthem-to-be about a lover who can’t handle her colourful dating history. This is defiant electro-disco in the grand tradition of Donna Summer. ‘Zorra’, by the way, means vixen. Yes, it does. But also whore, slut, etc. Of the favourite from Croatia, the columnist writes: Such bonkers genius will take some beating.

Welcome to the insanity of Eurovision. Does one cry with laughter? Or just weep? Need I add that, inevitably, the UK entry features a singer surrounded by gay male dancers? I predict a max of 10 points.

Finally, Finally . . . 

My daughter is renewing her son’s passport. The local Post Office claims – reliably? – that this can only be done online these days. At the end of the process she’s run into problems with the email address of the person who must confirm the identity of both her and her son. And, as of now, it’s not clear how she can correct a capitalised-letter-error in an email address and get the passport. I’d advise anyone applying for a passport to allocate at least half a day to the challenge, and to be absolutely sure there are no errors on the form.

BTW . . . The reappearance of different fotos at the top of my blog doesn’t mean I have my laptop back. After 3 weeks(!), it’s still in the shop and I’m still waiting to know whether or not it needs a new motherboard – after only 2.5 years of use. It just means I found one of my own fotos on the net and downloaded it to my daughter’s Mac. And then uploaded some more from my backup hard disk. 

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.