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

Well, the Spanish PM has gone even further and said he will propose a complete ban on non-EU residents buying property in Spain. As I’ve said, this is very unlikely to happen and will be easily circumvented if it does. But I wonder if he has any idea of what the British gutter press can do with such an announcement. Folk who depend on Brits must be pulling their hair out.

Anyway, here’s Lenox Napier’s take on developments and here’s that of the (Leftish) Guardian.

Another surprise – I think . . . The government has taken over Telefónica under the pretext of safeguarding the “Spanishness” of a strategic company in light of the entry of Saudi STC, which controls 5% with an option on another 5%. :

Ahead of a trip to Extremadura I’m reading “Manual de supervivencia para viajar por España” by Raquel Piñeiro and Beatriz Lozano Bárez. I was intrigued to see that the Galician Pontevedra/Vigo enmity is mirrored down there between Badajoz and Mérida. For much the same jealousy-based reasons.

I appreciated getting in the book a translation into Castellano of local words and phrases, added at the end of this post, in case anyone else is going there.

Cousas de Galicia

As you might expect, the percentage of foreigners-bought properties in Galicia is very low. The national average is 4 times higher and that of the popular coasts at least 10 times higher. Though things are changing. And might continue to change if the laws are not passed in parliament.

Reader María explains here, with passion, why she hasn’t posted for quite some time on her lovely blog – Spanish Views from a Small Town. I am sure she’s right to remain optimistic about the USA. This ís hard for all of us but surely it’s especially so for one born and raised there and now looking at it from a distance.

The USA

Could there be a worse sight this week than that of Republican politicians rising to their feet en masse to applaud Trump’s ‘insane’ statements yesterday? BTW – If you were depressed by his inauguration speech, don’t view the one he made shortly afterwards to his fans. It could make you suicidal.

Should you want to hear about something truly appalling, an event that Trump did nothing to stop and which he later described, madly, as ‘A day of love’, here’s a relevant – and frightening – podcast, where there are several episodes about this. Available on other platforms, of course. Such as AntennaPod.

Thanks to President Unity’s first time round, Dr Fauci has a permanent bodyguard of 6 men.

I suppose this could be true . . . Al ser interrogado por países de la OTAN con gasto militar bajo, el nuevo presidente estadounidense incluyó a España en el grupo de países aliados de China y Rusia. As if we needed to be given more evidence of his monumental ignorance.

Quotes of the Day

1. Sardonic

• A touching moment of reconciliation … that lasted all of 3 minutes.
• In a humble and nuanced address, Trump pledged to reunite the United States and bring peace to the world. He also promised to smash his opponents and retake the Panama Canal. Politics: it’s all about trade-offs.
• Inaugurations are usually held outdoors and are boring; this broke tradition on both counts. It was a gathering of DC elites and tech giants on one side of the room – and people who believe those folks are bloodthirsty lizards on the other.

2. Non-sardonic . .

• From a right-of-centre columnist who is no fan of Trump . . . Donald Trump has a new mission: to be America’s messiah.
• From someone on the (far?) right who thinks Trump needs to do at least some of the things promised/threatened. Smug liberals still don’t get it: Trump is on the side of the people. But even Maga 2.0 may not be enough to save America from a cycle of decline. [Nothing crazy] should detract from the fact that a second major attempt by populists to sweep away an ossified, sclerotic – and ultimately terminal – liberal order is underway. . . As the New York Times said: “Mr Trump, however imperfect, has grasped something important by suggesting that the country needs to fundamentally rethink some of its embedded ways of doing things.” The article is worth reading in full for its widest observations.

Funnily enough, many hours before I read that last article, I was wondering how the USA’s decline resembled that of Rome. But I decided not to go to the lengths of reading Gibbon..

China

See the article I just cited.

English

Hanky: ‘A word that is used positively or negatively to describe a situation.’ [Beats me]

Spanish

• Vislumbar: Glimpse, envision, discern, catch a glimpse of, foresee, envisage, make out, visualise, distinguish, surmise.
• Acequia: Ditch, canal, irrigation ditch, irrigation channel, water channel, stream, gutter
• Tieso: Stiff, rigid, straight, broke, wiry, erect, stuffy, taut, firm, stubborn, hard.
• Baño de masas: Sea of people. Walkabout

Did you know?

The upside-down face emoji is commonly used to convey irony and sarcasm.

This is an interesting looking site, kindly recommended to me by Lenox Napier of Business Over Tapas.

You Have to Laugh

The estimable Michael Deacon on Prince Harry.

Finally . . .

EXTREMADURAN SPANISH

A hecho. Hacer las cosas rápido y bien.

Afechar. Cerrar la puerta bien, o con llave.

Agila. Date prisa.

Alvillas. Guisantes.

Añugarse. Atragantarse.

Atrochar. Atajar.

Berrinchoncho. Excitado sexualmente.

Bochinches. Hacer bochinches es beber agua y no tragarla de forma inmediata.

Bolindre. Canica.

Boyao. Atontado.

Breas. Regalices. Por regaliz entienden regaliz de palo, de la que chupaban los abuelos.

Calzonas. Pantalones cortos.

Cancela. Verja, cerrojo.

Cancho. Roca grande.

Changao. Roto, estropeado.

Chinostra. Cabeza.

Chispenear. Chispear.

Chocones. Coches de choque.

Chupa. Chaqueta, cazadora.

Cochera. Garaje.

Coila. Expresión que se usa para todo.

Esbaratao. Estropeado. Viene de desbaratado, sí.

Excusao. Cotilla, preguntón.

Farraguas. Desaliñado, descuidado. Va hecho un farraguas.

Furriona. Juerga, reunión de amigos. Palabra empleada en la provincia de Cáceres.

Guarro. Cerdo.

Guisar la ensalada. Aliñar la ensalada.

Jarapal. Faldones de la camisa que pueden meterse en el pantalón. Métete el jarapal por dentro. Jodiura. Chorrada, tontería, cosa sin importancia.

Jondeao. Objeto que está tirado en el suelo.

Lambuzo. Amante del dulce, glotón.

Me vaga. Me apetece o me da tiempo a algo.

Mijina. Un poquito o una mijinirrina.

Morrúo. Enfadado, enfurruñado.

Pando. Llano, poco profundo. Dame un plato pando.

Pañaletas. La parte final de la camisa o camiseta que puede meterse dentro de un pantalón, o si no, vas hecho un farraguas.

Pejiguera. Persona que protesta y pone pegas a todo. También se usa en otras regiones.

Pelete. Desnudo.

Pitera. Brecha en la cabeza.

Prenda. Saludo para todo. Hola, prenda.

Pui essu? En castúo, ¿y eso?

Pujiede. Quejica.

Ruche. Arruinado.

Tupa. Mucho, gran cantidad de algo. Tupa de gente.

Zacatúa o facatúa. Travesura.

Zalear. Sacudir, pegar.

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.