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

A good article here on the housing-shortage challenge – and relevant government plans – from a Spanish columnist in the (left wing) Guardian. She, too, thinks the 200% transfer tax is pointless. And damaging to Spain’s image among Brits.

Not surprising to see this appear today in The Times: So Spain doesn’t want you? Here are the overseas places to buy a home in 2025. Our neighbour Portugal figures, of course. [Actually. I think the tax is aimed at rich South Americans, especially Venezuelans. A million South Americans have moved to Madrid in the last 5 years or so, particularly to the barrio of Salamanca.]

Cousas de Galicia

Good to know that the security services have made their first capture of a 6-member drug clan which is entirely Albanian. And impounded their speedboat. These criminals have clearly decided to diversify from their base activities in Madrid. So, it surely won’t be the last time.

Pv city has a ‘Mila de Oro*, featuring many of the Inditex(Zara) group. As stores close, they’re increasingly snapped up by perfumeries, of which there are now 6 in the street. These, along with opticians and high-street dental surgeries, seem to be the places most in demand in the city. Which surely says something about its residents. I wonder if the same is true of other Galician cities.

*Nowhere near a mile long, of course.

I take my coffee – and often my midday wine – in a place that’s both comfortable and quiet. And which provides me with all the newspapers I want to read of a morning. Over Xmas and New Year, it’s become popular with young mothers with babies. Much as I love kids, I’m hoping this is temporary, because one of said bairns is clearly not a ‘happy camper‘, as s/he cries constantly. Like all parents, I developed filters years ago but, despite these, I’m a bit disturbed by this. As well as being sympathetic towards the young mother, of course.

Yesterday, I was asked by a friend to accompany her for a hospital check-up, as she would be taking a tranquilliser and a companion was compulsory. Plus her Spanish isn’t great. After entering the appropriate room, we were ushered behind some screens, to await the nurse. On entering, the latter looked at me and told me to take off my shoes, socks, trousers and underpants. As I stood there inwardly asking WTF?, my (female) friend said I’m the patient. This the gynaecological ward, no? To which I added Clearly a very modern one but I’m not trans. Cue a violently blushing nurse and a lot of laughter. I should add that I have a very obvious beard . . From what I’ve read, this might happen quite often in the UK’s NHS . . .

BTW . . . My friend told me that she was asking me to go with her in my capacity as an ‘honorary woman’. I’m not sure what this means but have decided to see it as a compliment.

As with my GP visits, I was astonished at the number of no-shows when the nurse read out the names of women with appointments. Something that certainly does happen in the NHS, I believe. I think some free national health systems charge you for failure to turn up. Which seems right to me.

The EU

AEP – no lover of the EU – thinks/fears/hopes that Germany’s AfD is becoming a serious threat to the European project.

The USA

Having read a recent post of mine, outgoing president Biden, in his farewell speech, has warned that the country is sliding towards oligarchy.

Meanwhile, here’s The Guardian on what the very likely confirmation of Trump’s Attorney General nominee really means. Depressing.

The US correspondent of The Times – not of the Left – addresses here the controversial issue of responsibility for the LA fires. While some claims may be overblown, the truth is California’s governor has prioritised green policies over human safety. But politics is changing, he claims.

Russia

An axis of evil? A present for Trump? . . . Russia and Iran sign a partnership treaty to deepen their ties in the face of Western sanctions.

How EU shipyards are helping Russia.

Quote of the Day

Starship experienced a rapid unscheduled disassembly during its ascent.  [= Starship exploded]

AGW/Net Zero

Is London actually getting colder in winter, as well as hotter in summer?

The case against the UK’s ‘zealot’.

In reality . . . The UK’s draconian net zero rules are being rolled back by stealth. Politicians are nothing if not dishonest. Both coming and going.

English

In the early 18th century, English still used capitals for the initial letter of non-proper nouns, as is still the case with German. This practice died out gradually during that century and the early part of the 19th century, a tad earlier in the USA than in the UK. Oddly enough, this happened in handwriting before printing, as the latter involved casting new type and redesigning printers’ cases. I wonder why the Germans keep this complication. Just one of many, of course. Per Mark Twain in this famous article.

Spanish

• Tesón: Tenacity, determination, perseverance, persistence, grit, endurance, stamina, firmness, insistence, etc.
• Deshacerse de: To get rid of.
• Florero: Vase, flowerpot. Florist.
• Jerga: Slang, jargon, etc.
• Pichichi: Top scorer. [The nickname of a prolific goal scorer of Atlético Bilbao in the 1950s. As if often the case with football, his low stature of 154cm was no barrier to his profligate scoring. Think George Best, Maradona and, above all, Messi]
• Perroflauta: Busker. Unkempt person. Hobo. Leftie. [Jerga. So, not in the prissy RAE dictionary. On line: Originalmente designó a una persona, generalmente joven y de aspecto desaliñado, que tocaba la flauta como medio de subsistencia y solíair acompañada de un perro]
• Desaliñado: Scruffy, dishevelled, unkempt, slovenly, sloppy, messy, etc.

You Have to Laugh

Finally . . .

A request . . . Will the (admirably keen) reader who regularly asks me No post today? please wait until 8pm. It’s a tad irritating to get this when – between 6.30 and 7.30 – I’m struggling to get my draft in Word into WordPress’s format.

Which reminds me . . .

• Apologies for the failed Otto link yesterday. No idea what happened. I corrected it but that was too late for Subscribers, whose posts can’t be corrected after publication.
• WordPress yesterday introduced an ‘improved’ way of presenting data about my posts to me. Needless to say, I don’t regard it as such but will doubtless get used to a new way of doing things. Until some clever carallo decides to do this again.

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.