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

Here’s Lenox Napier on the Catalan saga/farce.

Just in case you’re a millionaire . . .

Life in (endearingly loveable)Spain . . .

• Yesterday I watched in astonishment – well, not really – as 2 drivers from the Airbnb house 3 doors away parked their cars in front of my house with a total lack of consideration for others. Rather than fume silently, I pointed out to them that, if they parked close to the car in front and not leave 2m both in front and behind them, then there’d be more space for the residents to park in. As ever when you point out to a Spaniard that they’re doing something inconsiderate, the guy apologised and then moved moved his car. And an hour or two later, I saw both of them had been moved to in front of the Airbnb place.
• I’ve claimed over the years that the Spanish take a different attitude to risk than in Anglo countries. Which might well explain the death-at-work statistics. And the idiots who slalom through pedestrianised areas on bikes and e-scooters. One reason for this might be the famous ‘Spanish individualism’, or it might be because there are fewer lawyers here than elsewhere. But, anyway, my grandson and I were walking below a high granite-block wall yesterday when I realised someone was welding metal on top of the wall. Why? Because sparks were raining down on us . . .
• We had a wine-tasting at my house last night The official time was 8pm but I told folks they could come earlier if they wanted. Three people said they would – 2 Spaniards and a guiri. Only the latter turned up before 8 . . . .
• After I dropped off my daughter at the bins with bags of rubbish this morning, I drove back 60m to my house to get my forgotten phone. For the minute it took me to get this from the hall table, I left my 5 year old grandson in the car, with all the windows down. As I got back into the car, it struck me that, if a local cop had seen this, he’d have shown no discretion whatsoever and would have issued me with a huge fine for endangering the life of a child. They are that officious.
• I took a brief look at Pv city’s Sunday’s flea market – el rastrillo. There was an even larger proportion than ever of gypsy vendors offering tat from the houses of the deceased.

The UK

There are reasons to be cheerful – Britain is overwhelmingly decent. The rioters are the type of louts who disgrace the UK when following football. But they are a diminishing tribe

The new government and a sceptical car industry clash over ‘impossible’ EV targets for 2030. Nice to read that a chassis can be ‘agnostic’.

NHS X-ray operators have been told to ask men if they are pregnant before conducting scans. Radiographers at multiple hospitals have been told they must check whether all patients aged 12 to 55 are pregnant, regardless of their sex, as part of inclusivity guidance. Why not ask: Are you transgender?

France

Possibly stretching things too far, prominent members of the French Left are reported to have praised Imane Khelif, the gold-medal-winning boxer at the centre of a gender identity row, for overcoming “fascist criticism”. One of them boasted of enjoying drinking “fascist tears” over her triumph. And I thought the Spanish concept of a ‘fascist’ – anyone who disagrees with you – was highly questionable!

The USA

From a satirical novel I cite below . . . Whatever you think of Trump’s policies, the big galoot has radically transformed the template for high office in the United States. It’s now taken as a given that for any candidate to be seriously considered for either major party’s presidential nomination next year, he or she will necessarily be badly educated, uninformed, poorly spoken, crass, oblivious to the rest of the world, unattractive and preferably fat, unsolicitous of advice from the more experienced, suspicious of expertise, inclined to violate constitutional due process if only from perfect ignorance of the Constitution, self-regarding without justification, and boastful about what once would have been perceived as his or her shortcomings.

The Way of the World

Why accusing someone of a phobia is so toxic.

Social Media

A pertinent post . .

Quote of the Day

The tactic of the International Olympics Committee this time was to tell journalists not to use “harmful” (aka factual) terms, such as “biological male” when referring to trans or DSD athletes. Yes, far more important to prevent harmful words than harmful punches!  . . . All you need to know about the IOC is that it gave medals to biological males for punching a bunch of women in the face.

For a good understanding of the issues at play in that Olympics row over men defeating weaker women at boxing, listen to this podcast.

English

More new-to-me words from Lionel Shriver’s highly recommended satirical novel Mania:-

• Passel: A large group of people or things of indeterminate number; a pack. Its origin is the 19th century [US] pronunciation of parcel’.
• Conniption: A fit of rage or hysterics.
• Foofaraw: 1. A great deal of fuss or attention given to a minor matter. 2. Showy frills added unnecessarily.
• Roller bag: A bag on wheels.
• Boofhead: An Australian comic strip character in a strip of the same name between 1941 and 1970.

Spanish

My neighbour came round before the wine-tasting last night, asking me if I had a pajarita. When I looked confused at her talking about a little bird, she repeated the word smoh-keeng several times and then did a gesture at her neck. At which point I realised she was asking for a bow-tie and I recalled that un smoh-keeng is un smoking – a DJ or tuxedo, in proper English . . . Written, it transpires, as both un smoking and un esmoquín . . .

BTW . . . If you’re going to use a little creature’s name for a bow tie, I would have thought butterfly was a better option than little bird . . .?

Finally . . .

The 2 most popular white wines in last night’s wine-tasting were from Ribadavia, up in the hills near Ourense, in the Ribeiro DOC area. But I wonder if this is because for the same money – say 6 or 9 euros – you can get a better quality Ribeiro than (premium-priced) Albariño. Anyway, this was the winner and I will now try a few more bottles, though not right now . . .

Finally, Finally . .

I now realise why the sucker branches on my bougainvillea are even more numerous than ever: if you cut one, the plant retaliates by sending out 2 or 3 more from the stump. Ramas and sus ramitas. A bloody nuisance.

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.