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

Pamplona is the latest city to move against tourist rental apartments.

Life in Spain:-

• I’ve had a water and mould problem in my basement for over 2 years now and, on returning from the UK in June, asked the insurance company to send someone to look at the latest manifestation of it. Which they did in late June. July. Having not heard since, 3 days ago I asked the company which administers our community where we were. They sent me a copy of reply to them from the insurance company dated 4 August, 5 weeks ago . . . Which is why I’d waited until September before bothering to seek information.
• I arrived at my house after lunch just as the daughter of a neighbour was parking her car, right in the middle of enough space for 4 cars. I tried to show her what she should have done by passing her and parking right behind the car at the far end. And, fair enough, she then backed up her car towards the one at the other end. Though still left a gap of 2 metres. But at least some progress has been made. Maybe

As some readers will recall, one of the young girls who said they saw the Virgin Mary in Fatima became a nun and lived out her last years in Pontevedra. And here she again saw not only the Virgin Mary but also Jesus, in a chapel in what is now the Rúa das Aparicións, though it must have been named something else before that. Anyway, it struck me this morning as ironic that Mary and Jesus had appeared in a building on the site of the city’s synagogue. But, then I recalled that both of them were, of course, Jewish . .

We have a new beggar Pv city – an unprepossessing chap who says he’s Portuguese and doesn’t speak Spanish, though I’ve heard him do so. He’s taking a while to learn that he’s wasting his time with me.

Germany

The worst case scenario? Mass migration is tearing the EU to pieces. Germany’s decision to impose new controls at its borders is seismic, and may be just the beginning

Meanwhile . . . .Germans are ditching Mallorca for a major resort in Turkey this autumn. Possibly a tad upset by Spanish insults.

From left field, here’s the Guardian’s take on this important development for the EU: Germany’s new border controls put EU unity at risk.

I seem to recall that ‘far right doomsayers’ predicted this outcome some years ago, as a result of unsupportable large-scale migration.

The USA

It seems that Trump couldn’t stop being Trump last night, which was surely the expectation of just about everybody. His advisers must be pulling out what hair they have left.

English

I’ve long thought that the word ‘ginger’ came from the Chinese Jiāng. But I now Iearn that:-

• ‘Ginger has its origins in the mid-14th century from the Old English term gingifer, which evolved from the Medieval Latin gingiber and the French gingibre.
• The Latin term can be traced back to the Greek zingiberis
• and further to the Prakrit siṅgabera,
• ultimately deriving from the Sanskrit śṛṅgavera . Which is thought to describe the shape of the ginger root, combining śṛṅgam (horn) and vera (body) 

I’ve seen the word ‘gotten’ in a few articles recently, mostly from US columnists but at least one from a British writer. Having become obsolete in the UK since the 16th century, maybe this past participle is sneaking back into British English, care of our Yankee cousins. [I don’t know about the Canadians].

Spanish

The Spanish for ginger is jengibre. Which fits with the Sanskrit origin and its sequelae,

Did you know?

Rheumatism and arthritis are terms often used interchangeably by the public, but they refer to different concepts. . . .

• Rheumatism is an outdated term that covered a variety of conditions characterized by pain and inflammation in the muscles and joints. It is not a specific medical diagnosis and is no longer used by healthcare professionals. Instead, it has been largely replaced by more precise terms that describe specific diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and gout.
• Arthritis is a medical term that refers to inflammation of the joints and is used as an umbrella term for over 100 different conditions that affect the joints, bones, and connective tissues. The most common types of arthritis include osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.

You Have to Laugh

Finally . . .

If you’ve ever bought pheromone based products for your pets, you need to know a few things:-

• 1. The pet product market is not regulated like the human drug market
• 2. No manufacturer identifies what pheromone is at work
• 3. There is no pheromone known to ‘calm’ animals
• 4. The alleged scientific proof is BS, and
• 5. You’re wasting your money

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.