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

Not everyone wants the new Guggenheim planned for Guernica.

One view on the latest Spanish corruption scandal.

This morning’s news is that the Koldo investigation has been widened to pull in more politicos.

Talking of low ethics . . . I had my umbrella stolen again this morning, ironically after it had stopped raining for a while. But, rather than steal someone else’s, I left the café with the aim of returning later to see if an innocent mistake had been made. And, folks, one had been: my umbrella was back in the bucket. So, I didn’t have to reconsider my decision not to retaliate in the usual way. And went on my way singing this to myself:-

The rain it raineth on the just
And also on the unjust fella;
But chiefly on the just, because
The unjust hath the just’s umbrella.”

Attributed not to me but to Charles Bowen, who was a British judge and politician in the late 19th century.

Not a great foto of a spider in a rain-sodden web outside my bedroom window, woven among the bougainvillea branches:-

The UK

An enterprising Brit takes a step too far. For now.

Poland

Not so long ago, Poland replaced Spain as the biggest beneficiary of EU largess. And now Poles are increasingly buying properties in Spain. Still well behind (non-EU) Brits, though.

A propos . . . Poland’s stunning success should be discomforting for Britain

Germany

Shooting itself in the foot?? Quote:  Too often Berlin has been an obstacle to [EU]progress, bowing to domestic vested interests. The irony is that the biggest victim has been the German economy itself, which is now at the epicentre of Europe’s stagnation crisis.

The EU

This writer believes that the EU is coming round to the same view as that of the (ex Conservative) government, viz. that international human rights laws from another era are the key barrier to resolution of today’s problem of overwhelming numbers of would-be immigrants.

The USA

Arnold Palmer’s tackle. . . Can the Orange Loon get any loonier?

And yet the stock market has risen on a prediction he’ll win next month. But I guess that’s logical, given what he did for high-earners last time round. About the only thing we really know about what he’ll do is that he’ll help his friends again.

What a country.

Russia

Russians seem to either very careless or very unlucky near windows, especially those near to the top – of society, as well as of buildings. Perhaps Russian windows are of such low quality that they fall out if you lean on them. But it’s strange that no one seems to fall out of ground floor or even first floor windows. Anyway, here’s the latest example. Perhaps the widow keeps her property and her pension if an ‘accident’ happens to her husband, as opposed to him being executed as a criminal. Or just a nuisance. Meaning that Russian killers are, at heart, quite decent people.

Putin is unlikely to regard this development with equanimity. Question is – What will he do about it?

English

Tines: The prongs of a fork. Possibly one most folk know,

Spanish

Defraudar: Defraud; Disappoint; Let down: Cheat; Betray: Dash; Bilk.

Finally . . .

It’s still raining . . . Yesterday, I noticed there was mould on the leather arms of chairs I’d brought back from Iran. Inside the house . . . Reader David up in La Coruña tells me the weekend saw the only 2 dry days of October so far up there. I suspect the number is zero down here on the Atlantic coast. Bloody global warming!

Finally, Finally . . .

I noted this morning that the birds weren’t eating from a feeder. The reason turned out to be grass growth blocking access to the sodden germinating seeds . . .

And there are mushrooms in my lawn, of course.

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.