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/Galicia

Politics: With friends like this . . . The PSOE government has lost votes on 2 key issues because its Catalan ‘partner’ – Junts – is playing hardball, in joining the 2 right-of-centre parties to vote against them. One was on the Preamble to this year’s Budget and the other was on the placement of illegal immigrants – mostly minors – around the country. Tribal stuff, as usual.

The government took the first step today towards ending the Golden Visa scheme, introduced during the financial crisis of 2008, in a bid to attract wealthy investors. Is it any surprise that the scheme was being used by rich Russians and money-launderers from all over the world?

Lenox Napier writes of insufferably hot nights here. Only 26 in my bedroom this hot-for-Galicia week.

Fascinating Spain brings is here Galicia’s ‘best natural treasures’.

An unusual experience this morning . . . Driving to my normal parking spot near O Burgo bridge, I came upon a group of 10+ male teenagers, one of whom was carrying a large Union Jack on a thin pole. As they were walking away from the main camino route, I asked them where they were heading, to be told Santiago de Compostela. The leader of the group said that, guided by Google, they were heading for Poio. I replied that this only made sense if they were going to take the (boring) main road route via Poio to Combarro but this seemed not to bother him. So, I left them to it. I think I’ll stop trying to be a Good Samaritan. Though I did yesterday persuade 2 women on O Burgo bridge to take the alternative deviation I write on below.

I now get 5-10 spam calls a day. Interestingly, there’s never a ringing tone, just a ping to tell me they’ve happened. This might be because, usefully, Android phones can warn you about such calls. Just search ’caller’ in Settings and switch on the facility.

The Camino de Santiago . . . Below, there’s some advice for pilgrims leaving Pv city across O Burgo bridge.

The UK

For those with an interest in Scottish developments, here’s an article entitled ‘The unanswered question of Scottish independence.

The USA

A conwoman has been sentenced to 15 years in prison after siphoning off $109 million of government money to fund a 7-year shopping spree, involving 32 homes, 82 prestige vehicles, 1,500 items of jewellery and hundreds of designer handbags and shoes. Two questions: 1. Did no one notice for 7 years?, and 2. Does this sort of thing happen more in the US than elsewhere, where people in normal jobs – not politicians, as in Spain – suddenly become extraordinarily rich​​ but where wealth seems admired, however its genesis?

The Way of the World

Airbnb – Not what it once was?

Quotes of the Day

• Asks one columnist: What if there were no internet? . . . If there were no social network, would all the people with incredibly stupid opinions be out on the streets, shouting one incredibly stupid thing after another? What would below-the-line commentators do? Would they come to my door and, if I don’t open it, shout through the letterbox: “I can’t believe you get paid for this!”
• As everyone is aware, the [North}American Right is running at “98% crazy”. This can easily be verified by going on social media and seeing just how many Republicans genuinely believe that [North] America is secretly run by a group of celebrity paedophile cannibals, one of whom, apparently, is Oprah Winfrey, and that the only person who can stop this is Donald Trump. Who – and this is a punchy plot reveal – has been sent by God.

AI

The way things are going . . . The article cites a page called Metafilter, a general-interest community weblog featuring links to content that users have discovered on the web. It includes the popular question-and-answer subsite -Ask MetaFilter-. It hosts healthy human conversations and has a lively discussion board – aided by moderation and a one-time $5 account creation fee that seems to radically cut down on spam.

Net Zero

Richard North returns here to the theme of the folly of throwing humongous sums of money at schemes that have little, if any, chance of success – In a land of make-believe, governed by fools. Or the UK, as it’s more commonly known.

Did you know?

Pickleball is a sport in which 2 or 4 players use a smooth-faced paddle to hit a perforated, hollow plastic ball over a 34-inches. All about it here. There was a recent tournament in my barrio of Poio. The first time I’d ever heard of it.

Finally . .

Gardening Note: I’ve said the bougainvillea might well be confused by the weather of this spring and early summer. So, too, the only one of 3 plants I brought from the UK 5 years ago – the Thalictrum/Aquilegiifolium/French Meadow Rue. This is supposed to grow to a height of up to 100cm(3 feet) and to display ‘rich rosey-lilac’ flowers. This year, the vertical growth is minimal and the blooms conspicuous by their absence. Same thing with the wisteria. But I live in hope.

Finally, Finally . . .

I’ve cancelled what I believe are not genuine subscribers to this blog but I might have been a tad over-zealous. If this has happened to you and you’re finding out here why you no longer get an email, please re-subscribe. And accept my apologies.

Advice for pilgrims leaving Pv city via O Burgo bridge.

At the moment, the main route up through the barrio of Lérez is closed and you’re advised to turn left and take the first right, just after the petrol/gas station. My advice is not to do this but to keep walking a minute or two until you arrive at a zebra crossing, where you’ll see a path to your right, alongside a tributary of the main river. This is flat and far more shaded. After a few hundred metres, you’ll arrive at a tarmac road, with a small, narrow bridge to your left. Here you can either carry straight on across the road or turn right onto the road and then join the main route after 200m. If you take the first option – my recommendation – you’ll follow a path as it bends to the right and comes out on the main route, further along than with the 2nd option.

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.
• 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. Finally, some advice on getting a mortgage. And this article ‘debunks claims re wealth and residency taxes’. Probably only relevant if you’re a HNWI. In which case, you’ll surely know what that stands for.