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

The oldest British church in Spain appeals to the motherland for aid. This is the church of St George, built in the 16th century by sherry[Jerez] merchants next to the port in Sanlúcar de Barrameda, and now in need of urgent restoration.

Surprised not to see Galicia’s seafood featured in this list of Spain’s best food towns.

Cousas de Galicia

I’ve mentioned being astonished at the number of now-shows at the GP surgery and in the (public) hospitals. According to the VdG, there were almost a million of these in Galicia last year. Logically. the percentage rises in line with the length of delay before your appointment. The longer this is, the greater chance you have of forgetting it. Or getting better. Or dying.

I paid quite a large sum to have my roof repaired last November, so I wasn’t pleased to see the damage done to it by yesterday’s storm. This was called Herminia, by the way, though I’d thought it was the tail end of the one that hit Ireland and the UK at the end of last week. Anyway, the insurance claim has gone in.

I see that the storm blew down the marquee erected for the Feroz film awards do in Pv city at the weekend, attended by Almadóvar. Thankfully this happened after everyone had gone home. I see that: Pedro Almodóvar ha obtenido este sábado el premio Feroz a Mejor Dirección por su película ‘La habitación de al lado’, en una gala celebrada por primera vez en el Pazo da Cultura de Pontevedra. So, it didn’t rain on his parade.

The UK

It’s some way off but this article suggests that the Labour party is heading for a defeat at the next general election. My impression is that this statement is that of a sub-editor, not the columnist himself.

Europe/The EU

Europe is in trouble. Multiple, long-simmering external and internal challenges are coming to the boil. Taken together, they comprise the modern EU’s biggest existential test since its creation in the early 1990s. But strong, united leadership is lacking, says this columnist who, despite that, remains an optimist.

The Project’s bad boy is at it again. Viktor Orban has threatened to collapse the EU’s sanctions regime against Moscow if Ukraine doesn’tt allow the transit of Russian gas through pipelines in its territory. A couple of nice phrases: It’s hard to imagine the members of the Hungarian government do not have some personal economic interest in the flow of Russian gas. And: For some reason Orban is really keen on Russian gas when there are other resources available from Norway and other countries. Bottom line: There are signs that Europe is starting to wake up to the dangers posed by pro-Kremlin leaders in Budapest[Hungary] and Bratislava [Slovakia]

The USA

The Guardian today on developments across the pond:-

• ‘We’re watching mass delusion happen’: Trump’s return to White House brings a cascade of lies.
• Trump’s inauguration was a glimpse of what’s to come.

As of today, I will try to stick to a decision not to use any adjectives in respect of Trump, as I think we’ve seen them all by now and have full measure of the man. But some of his more egregious actions might be noted.

An old mystery solved?

At a more mundane level . . . Seven sneaky ways the USA squeezes tourists for every cent. If you head there you can expect to encounter a barrage of charges, fees and tricks that even Trump would consider a little excessive.

Quotes of the Day

• Ideology is always a bad idea.
• As a convicted felon, Trump – who inveighs against his enemies’ “crookedness” – engages in open hypocrisy. It doesn’t matter, because everything he does is still “true” to the personality he has constructed. Meanwhile, more decent statesmen come off as pathetic dissemblers for making relatively light missteps.
• Trump – The great normaliser of the abnormal.

AI

I am a happy user of the Perplexity AI search engine but there’s no doubting that AI can get things wrong, as in France.

English

Karma . . . This is a column on the modern meaning I cited recently.

Did you know?

• Everyone with blue eyes can trace their ancestors to an East European coastal region.
• Some time ago the Church of Laughter(Ecclesia Risorum) was founded in Prague. Its avowed aim is to allow smiling on ID cards, which is forbidden under current legislation. Not successful so far.

Finally . . . You Have to Laugh

A joke? it seems that Elon Musk has come up with a new name for The English Channel – The George Washington Channel. Can’t see it catching on.

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.