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!

Spanish life is not always likeable but it is compellingly loveable – Christopher Howse: ‘A Pilgrim in Spain’

Cosas de España

I confess I find it hard to tell if the left-of-centre PSOE government is mired in corruption or merely in accusations of it from the leaders of the right-of-centre opposition PP party. But I do know that the latter know a thing or two about corruption.

Excellent news . . . Spanish researchers discover a possible way to enhance immunotherapy cancer treatment.

A very Spanish tale . . . I lost my car keys in the museum last Sunday. When I went there to reclaim them, not just one but three (bored?) security guards came to the front desk, one of them bearing the keys in a plastic bag. Having asked me about the make of my car and telling me they’d identified me as the probable owner from CCTV footage, they gave me the keys. I thanked them and started to walk away. But I was called back to, of course, give them my ID number and to sign the inevitable (unread) form. Which possibly gave them the right to sell my details to, say, car companies other than Honda

Cousas de Galicia

Good news . . . Galicia’s grape harvest this year was the best ever, at 74m kilos.

Bad news . . . The wheels of justice still turn slowly, Efforts to reduce the number of outstanding cases haven’t succeeded and the total still stands at 200,000. You’d have to be desperate to go to court here.

Which reminds me . . . There was a dispute recently between 2 property owners over the height of the other’s house. This ended up in court and I confess I couldn’t suppress a smile when I read that this has resulted in each of them being ordered to demolish their (illegal) property . . . As they say: People in glass houses . .

It’s possibly only on Spanish TV at the moment but Part 2 of the documentary Narcogallegos will debut on December 10.

Which reminds me . . . I recently read that Galician narcolanchas – high-speed launches – are now turning up on the west coast of Africa. Apparently. Colombian cocaine smugglers are facing competition from there. And ours don’t care who they deal with.

Spanish friends at dinner last night told me that, as I know, Pv and Vigo are cities of very different characters but also that shop assistants are much more friendly in Vigo than here in Pv. I can’t say I’ve never noticed any unfriendliness but, as I’ve said, they almost sigh and smile with relief when an obvious guiri addresses them in Spanish. So, maybe my experience isn’t representative.

The UK

A UK government minister has resigned on a relatively minor matter of her integrity, showing Spanish politicians how it’s done. [I was going to predict this evening but events during the day overtook me]. I have nil confidence that said Spanish politicians will take any notice.

The USA

• The latest on Trump’s tariff plans and their alleged rationale.
• Undoubtedly bad news . . .The US far-right has been emboldened by Trump’s return.

The Way of the [Anglo] World

Mark Zuckerberg can see that the DEI game is up. Corporate America is showing that its liberalism was only ever skin deep. 

But . . .

Sorry, but woke isn’t dead – and the BBC has just proved it. Pious, poisonous progressivism is now ingrained in our major institutions.

Quote of the Day

Dating apps promised millennials access to every fish in the sea, without ever leaving the sofa. The possibilities seemed endless. They are, indeed, endless – just not all good.

Very far from it, it seems. And women are leaving them in their thousands.

AI

From utter amazement to the trough of disillusionment.

Personally, I find AI engines useful on factual matters – especially if you cross-check them – but not on subjective questions. And their replies don’t start with sponsored data of no interest to you. But they are certainly far from perfect.

English

Vanlifer: Someone who lives in a car, van or other motor vehicle, on a full or part-time basis. Also called a van/car/vehicle dweller. Under any name, said to be facing huge fines in parts of Spain, if they move away from (time-limited) designated areas.

Did you know?

• You’re unlikely to believe this is you are a JW . . . Two ancient human species walked the same path together 1.5 million years ago.
• More usefully . . . A glass of vinegar will attract pesky fruit flies. And kill them. But I guess they die intoxicated and happy.

You Have to Laugh

If you want to bring olive oil to my dinner party instead of wine, do it – but you’ll be drinking it.

Finally . . .

Are 200 quid candles worth it? Or even 50 quid ones? Probably not. Unless you have money to burn, of course.

Finally, Finally . . .

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.