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

This link might have been missing from yesterday’s post – on Drake and Tambo Island.

Mark Stücklin reports here on the claim that architects and developers lay the blame on bureaucracy for stifling home building and raising housing costs. No one would be surprised if this were true. I recently cited it as a factor in the very slow conversion of locales into ground floor flats in Pv city, where they are sorely needed.

A famous Madrid feature is facing an uncertain future, it seems.

But news here of a development that’s very welcome to me, even as merely a (regular) visitor to Madrid.

I’ve mentioned more than once that numbers are often cited in Spain to one, two or even 3 decimal points. Even where rounding up or down would make obvious sense. But the measurement of blood pressure goes in the opposite way from superfluity. So 126/85 becomes 13/10 and 114/76 becomes 11/8. etc., etc. I’ve often wondered why.

As I’ve reported, last Friday’s spectacular acrobatic show in PV city’s main square was rained off after only 10 minutes. The huge stage for it had been mantled over several days but, in contrast, was dismantled overnight, so that the medieval stalls could be set up there on Saturday morning. Amazing. As I keep saying, the Spanish take their fun very seriously.

If you’ve every wondered what the famous incense-burner (el botofumeiro) of SdC’s cathedral looks like, here it is. Though I think the perspective exaggerates its size, at least a bit.

The September scene . . .

The only exotic creatures on the streets of Pv city’s old quarter now are those ‘pilgrims’– virtually all foreign retired folk – who’ve arrived in time for lunch.

The USA

• As feared, the orange clown has bounced back . . .Quote: Nearly a third of Americans feel they need to learn more about Harris and where she stands on the issues that matter to voters. Only 9% felt that way about Trump. Well, if you’re satisfied with Trump’s statements so far, I suspect you’re rather unlikely to be interested in digging deeper. Especially, as the evidence shows, as regards his policy for childcare. Which, apparently, is ‘To treat it seriously, as it’s important’.
• Another concern for the Democrats: Only 33% of voters feel that Trump is “too far to the right”, while 48% believe that Harris is “too liberal”. The fat lady has yet to sing.

Ukraine v Russia

A whiff of peace??? Maybe, but . . . In the meantime, the more sinister development is the expansion of the war against civilian targets, apparently triggered by Ukrainian long-rage attacks on targets inside Russia. 

I guess, that whatever happens, Putin will spin his reckless gamble as a victory. But can anyone sane think it was worth it? As the quote cited yesterday put it: “As on too many occasions throughout history, it was the subjects who paid for the foolish obstinacy of their king.”

Transgenderism

• Quote: If transwomen really were women, they’d understand exactly why real women don’t want them in their spaces. But, of course, they aren’t and they don’t.
• The beginning of the end of the madness?

Quote of the Day

Yoga is an Indian practice that flourished globally once it was introduced to the west. New inventions such as ‘hot yoga’ or ‘goat yoga’ have been created for which there are no Indian counterparts. Indeed, today most of modern ‘yoga’ is nothing but a fitness regime of physical exercise quite divorced from its Indic religious and philosophical context and with only the most tenuous links to its ancient Indian practice: William Dalrymple,’The Golden Road: How Ancient India Transformed the World’.

AI

The VdG today: La ciberdelincuencia se compincha con la IA: Las suplantaciones de identidad con el uso de la Inteligencia Artificial crece en Galicia y la Fiscalía advierte sobre organizaciones que se hacen pasar por bancos, instituciones or familiares para timar a quienes entren en sus redes. Los ciberdelitos han crecido en la comunidad un 900 % desde el 2011, y solo en el último año se interpusieron casi 22.000 denuncias por estafas de estas características. Una de las últimas tretas de estos delincuentes es el envío de SMS a los móviles, simulando proceder de la Dirección General de Tráfico, con falsas multas que se pueden pagar al instante, cuando el realidad el objetivo es robar los datos bancarios del incauto.

You Have to Laugh

A limerick . . .

We’ve got a new maid called Chrysanthemum
Who said, “I have just come from Grantham, m’m.
I lost my last place
In the sorest disgrace‘ Cos I snored through the National Anthem, m’m.

Finally . .

Having not seen any greenfinches since my return in June – never mind the greedy horde which drives away the sparrows – I asked an AI engine ‘Do greenfinches fly north for the summer’ and got the not-terribly-useful reply ”Some do, some don’t”. Perhaps there’ve been enough insects around this year. No need for my seeds.

My thanks to those readers who take the trouble to Like my posts, either after reading on line or in my FB group Thoughts from Galicia.

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. If you do this but don’t read the posts, I will delete your subscription. So perhaps don’t bother if you have other reasons for subscribing . . .
• 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.