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

This is truly shocking news. Can it really be true?

This article has the headline: Why US citizens should NOT retire to Spain. But that’s not the way I read the Forbes article it cites. Where Spain is referred to as one of the world’s top expat havens

Worse . . . The Olive News article has a link to another in which Spain comes very far down the list of retirement options. And where the top 10 are Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Luxemburg, Australia, Germany, Denmark and New Zealand. I can think of several reasons for not retiring to several/most of these.

BTW . . . The 26th of December is a bank holiday in the UK but not in Spain, except in Cataluña and Palma de Mallorca, where it’s know as La Diada de Sant Esteve. When the tradition it to eat cannelloni and with your family. This is said to date back to the 9th century, when Cataluña was part of the Carolingian empire. [Those bloody Franks again!]

Cousas de Galicia

Here’s some headlines from this morning’s papers, to give you some idea of what’s important locally at the end of this year . . . .

A bit more on the last 2 . . The VdG today: Gallegos en todas las narcorrutas: Los narcotraficantes gallegos no descansan ni en Navidad. En plena Nochebuena, una de las organizaciones planeó la descarga de coca en la zona de Vilanova de Arousa, aunque algo salió mal, porque abandonaron una planeadora y el tractor que la tenía que arrastrar. Y es que los traficantes gallegos cada vez están más integrados en las grandes redes de dentro y fuera de Galicia, y prueba de ello es el récord de decomisos de este año: 12 toneladas de droga en distintas operaciones. Hay aprehensiones, pero no se ha logrado desarticular ninguno de los grandes grupos de narcos.

The UK

• This might well be (provocatively) true, though few will agree with it, at least publicly. But, anyway, worth a read . . . It’s time to become the 51st state of the US. One sentence in this is certainly true: The farce of the special relationship is kept alive more out of the good-natured humour of American diplomats thana any recognition of equal alliance. 
• A positive take on UK Inc. Britain’s integration miracle is a beacon of hope amid instability.

The USA

Is Trump certifiable? His Xmas Day tweets certainly suggest he is. Especially if he’s ringing his own bells, not those of insane MAGA/QAnon ‘influencers’. He’s certainly making Marjorie Taylor Greene look almost normal.

Net Zero

In his robust fashion, Richard North explains here why UK plans are a fantasy and predicts a complete collapse of the government’s energy policy. The only certainty appears to be that UK electricity prices, among the highest in the world, will remain that way until, if ever, the government succeeds in achieving 100% clean energy. And who would bet on them coming down then?

Spanish

Pagarés: Promissory note: IOU

Did you know?

A (British) level gin is ‘better’ for you that other alcoholic drinks. A single shot of gin contains zero grams of sugar, as well as no carbohydrates. 

You Have to Laugh

The USB cartoon of yesterday somehow lost an element on its way to you. Here’s how it should have been . . .

Finally . . .

I expect many readers do already know that next year’s date, 2025, is remarkable. Because:-

• It’s a square (45²).
• It’s a product of squares (9² × 5²).
• It’s the sum of three squares (40²+ 20² + 5²).
• It’s the sum of the cubes of the first nine positive integers (1³+ 2³ + 3³+ 4³ + 5³ + 6³ + 7³ + 8³+ 9³).
• Equivalently, it’s the square of the sum of those integers (1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 + 6 + 7 + 8 + 9)².
• It’s the second in a trio of square numbers in arithmetic progression (81, 2025, 3969).
• It’s one of only three four-digit numbers whose halves can be split, summed, and squared to produce the original number: (20 + 25)² = 2025.
• It’s the smallest square starting with 20 and the smallest number with exactly 15 odd factors (1, 3, 5, 9, 15, 25, 27, 45, 75, 81, 135, 225, 405, 675, 2025).
• It’s the sum of the entries in a 9×9 multiplication table.
• July 24, 7/24/25, will be a “Pythagorean day,” because 7² + 24² = 25².

So, now you know. And can impress your friends when there’s a lull in the New Year’s Eve chat.

Finally . . .Finally . .

The night before last, I slept 7 hours – one more than my normal 6. So, when this happened again last night, I was quite thrilled. Until I saw an hour later that I had mistaken 5.45 for 6.45. And suddenly felt de-elated. Should have gone to Specsavers . . .

My thanks to those readers who take the trouble to Like my posts.

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.