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 Galicia/España

More here – from Lenox Napier of Business Over Tapas – on the very far-right Alvise Pérez, who came to prominence in the recent EU elections.

Spain’s ‘vibrant’ summer festivals. Well, some of them, anyway.

The UK

Richard North today at his caustic best, on the run-up to the General Election: Such is the febrile mood in the media that anything approaching good sense or rationality has been jettisoned in favour of lurid headlines that border on the irresponsible and show up the British media at its puerile worst. It has abandoned any idea of objective reporting and is now indulging in comic book fantasies. More here. Where RN returns to the issue of Muslim block voting and cites this Prospect article, headed Can the Muslim Vote campaign succeed? With the sub-heading: By backing alternative candidates, the movement is seeking to eat into Starmer’s majority—and transform British politics.

Rod Liddle amusingly explains here why there’s little, if any, respect for today’s ‘managerial’ MPs.

The Way of the World

Modern marketing madness . . . The coffee I drank this morning came in a packet with the claim Lazy Sunday blend on it. WTF does that mean?

English:

Fraggle:

• 1. A made-up word that describes a feeling of giddy and glee, an abundance of happiness, or an unnatural or fantastical pleasant feeling.
• 2. A slang term for someone who likes to do crazy dance moves and play video games after smoking marijuana at.

Did you know?

There’s a gizmo which will make a 10 quid bottle of wine tastes a lot better. Allegedly. Details here.

Finally . .

After an overnight stay in The Midlands, I’m off to Plymouth today for an evening ferry to Santander. Weather-wise, the errant Gulf Stream and consequent winds from the North Pole are making it more like March than June in the UK. But I don’t mind that, of course. Tomorrow, I’ll be somewhere warmer, though rain can never be ruled out in Northern (‘Green’) Spain. Vamos a ver.

I might or might not be able to post a blog from the boat. If not, very late at night from lovely Pontevedra.

Finally, finally . . .

As I set off from (Royal) Leamington Spa, the sun is shining brilliantly and it’s hot. I’d actually prefer cloud to drive in. Buen camino to me . . .