Awake, for morning in the bowl of night has flung the stone that puts
the stars to flight.
And, lo, the hunter of the east has caught the sultan’s turret in a noose of light!

Cosas de España

The very first time I heard the name Utiel, was when my old friend and I were in Cuenca preparing to drive eastwards through the rain-sodden mountains to Castellón. It was the morning of Wednesday 30 October, the day after the initial floods in Valencia province, in which Utiel had been the first victim. Which should have set the alarm bells ringing very loudly indeed, but didn’t. This (distressing) NY Times article asks why not, and recounts the consequences of this failure in places further east later in the day. Where not a drop of rain had fallen. The regional government does not come out well from this account of both what happened and what didn’t happen that apocalyptic day, when more than 200 people died. As to who or what was at fault, about the only thing that the national and regional governments agree on is ‘Climate Change’, a charge which some say decades of statistics don’t support. But it’s plausible. And convenient. A couple of heads have since rolled, but very possibly not from the shoulders of those most guilty of criminal negligence. Not the Spanish way, some will say. But we will see.

My old friend and I didn’t head eastwards in the end, but southwards to Albacete and Almansa. These, too, hadn’t seen any rain, despite not being far from Letur, which certainly was badly hit by the DANA storm.

Cousas de Galicia

I mentioned that Sergas, responsible for the administration of this region’s public health service, has suspended its on-line operations. When I went to my health centre today, they offered me an appointment in just under 3 weeks’ time. BUT . . . Today’s papers reports that the Xunta plans to throw a lot of cash at the problem of inadequate medical resources, So, maybe things will soon improve. Just as in the UK’s NHS . . .

Incidentally, as health is a matter devolved to Spain’s 17 regional governments, salaries for the same job will vary between these. I guess this is true of the USA as well but it’s unheard of in the UK, I believe – apart perhaps, from the ‘London weighting payments’ given to NHS employees in the South East. [An AI answer: The majority of NHS staff are paid according to the Agenda for Change framework, which is a national pay system. This means that basic pay for roles is largely consistent across regions, with limited flexibility to adjust for local economic conditions.]

The UK

Buyers’ remorse? More than 2 million folk have signed an on-line petition calling for a new general election. Fat chance. Even if the USA’s self-entitled ‘First Buddy’ is supporting it.

The USA

• The various theories on why Trump has been making ‘insane’ appointments.
• An interesting counter-view – It wasn’t identity politics per se that did for the Democrats: it was its adoption by ‘the patrician class’, who pursued it in ways that are ‘shallow and entirely divorced from voters’ lives’. And Harris lost because, in fact, her campaign ‘wasn’t woke but ‘broadly right-of-centre’. I expect some/many will disagree. But the author is surely right that the broader picture is the continued neglect by the Democrat Party of its traditional voters.

English

Dysania: When you find it difficult to get out of the bed in the morning.

Spanish

• Medrar: To thrive, grow.
• Peonar: To work as a labourer. [Not apt for the mayor of Pv city, then . . .]
• Peonada: Day work. Obra que un peón o jornalero hace en un día. To be compared with . .
• Destajo: Piecework

Finally . . .

Yesterday, we had very strong winds in Pv city. As I drove down to the city’s edge, I saw in the distance a dog running in fear from what seemed to be a remotely controlled robot of some sort. As I got nearer, I realised it was a rubbish bin (contenedor) on wheels . . . Quite a few of the latter’s brethren didn’t bother to roll but just keeled over on the spot.

Finally, Finally . . .

Is this really the best slogan they could come up with for a funeral parlour?

For all your life​ . . . . !

My thanks to those readers who take the trouble to Like my posts, either after reading them 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.