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

Tourist rentals . . . A landmark decision of the Supreme Court has empowered Homeowners’ Associations to ban tourist rentals in their communities, says Mark Stücklin here. This ruling [in respect of the Horizontal Property Law] is anticipated to have a substantial impact on the landscape of tourist rentals in Spain. But it leaves open the question of retroactive effects, meaning its applicability to past disputes remains unclear. I’m most interested in the question of whether it applies to communities like mine, which doesn’t have blocks of flats but terraces of 4 houses each. If the whole community doesn’t classify, do the blocks of 4 houses(chalets), which are both connected to each other and horizontal. Will I be able to stop my neighbours letting out their house to noisy tourists for 2 months every summer?

Housing . . . ‘The VdG today: Buscar a 700.000 trabajadores: Los constructores de viviendas en España creen que el país necesita más de 150.000 nuevos pisos cada año. Pero para construirlos, no solo piden fondos, sino también mano de obra: hacen falta 700,000 trabajadores. Y, a pesar del crudo debate sobre la inmigración, la patronal ha pedido que se regularice la situación de los sinpapeles e incluso que se reduzcan los trámites para traer personal de otros países para reforzar las plantillas. Mientras, cada vez más las viviendas de alquiler ingresan el catálogo de pisos turísticos: en once grandes ciudades españolas ya hay más plazas de este tipo para turistas que hoteles.

The estimable Guy Hedgecoe writes for the BBC here on the issue of immigration.

Well, it’s official . . . There’s going to be a total of at least 500,000 ‘pilgrims who’ve reached Santiago de Compostela by the end of the year, of whom 150,000 will have passed through Pv city. Compared, in the latter case, with just, 5,000 in 2009. And about 10 in 1955. The overall increase over last year is 12%, raising the question When will it stop? And also Why didn’t I make money from it over at least the last 10 years‘?

The EU

As pro-Russian parties gain ground and economies falter, the survival of the EU is more than just a talking point. But . . . How do we ‘reset’ with a Europe in crisis? Meanwhile, Oban cops it from Ursula.

Stuff like this naturally does nothing to change my view of the long-term prospects for The Project. [By Jove . . . President Macron warned last week the EU could die in 3 years without radical reforms to make it more competitive.]

As the writer stresses, there’s absolutely no cause for gloating by anyone. Least of all me, of course.

Germany

The bloody awful bad news keeps on coming . . .

France

Odd goings-on in Paris, including M Macron’s ‘skulking’ around, impotently.

Quotes of the Day

• A gin-and-tonic is gin, tonic and a slice of lemon; the rest is salad: says a producer of gin and a man after my heart. Many is the time I’ve had to stop a waiter putting pepper corns, sprigs of green stuff and other items into my glass of ice, followed by an attempt to pour the gin down the stem of a long spoon. Madness.
• I don’t have expectations. I only have hopes. Expectations hurt.

The USA

Talking of the temptation to hope . . . Will a disturbing scoop about Trump and Putin affect Trump’s electoral chances?

You Have to Laugh

Not new but always makes me smile . . .

Finally . . .

Thanks to warm weather and copious rain, the weed growth in my garden is phenomenal, both in the borders and in the lawns. One particular problem is with something called Lawnleaf. I will probably use weedkiller in the borders but, as for the lawn, I might go with this strategy from the net: In the past, because of its low maintenance requirements, it was sometimes recommended as a grass substitute in lawns. It is green, after all. And very possibly prettier than Buffalo Grass.

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.