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 – possibly particular – Spanish problem is growing.

New property builds now have an even greater premium over 2nd hand homes. Probably not unique to Spain but I don’t think this is a feature of the UK market. Where other things count for more. Like distance from your neighbours . . .

Reflecting domestic difficulties which the he is having with his fractious ‘hard left’ parties, the PM is being criticised by other EU leaders for dragging his feet on increases in (already low GDP percentage) defence spending. One of these parties is Sumar, which was established by one of his VPs. The lady is always very elegantly turned out but does have a large nose, if not quite as big as this cartoon has it . . .

BTW . . . OTAN is NATO

Cousas de Galicia

Not what you want when you’re waiting for a bus. Or on one arriving thus, at Pv city’s bus station . . .

I object to paying for the(heavy) stalk bit of the broccoli I buy in the supermarkets and sometimes cut them off. Yesterday morning, the check-out lady looked at my purchase, noticed the truncation and asked if I’d done it. But I’ve been in Spain long enough to be able to say, indignantly and without blushing “Me, no!”. Which she had no choice to accept, not being able to see into my trolley.

Trump

In his inauguration speech in January, Trump promised to “immediately stop censorship and bring back free speech in America”. Now academics across the United States are accusing him of doing precisely the opposite.

Good to see that only a minority of Americans are mad as they were last November . . .Recent polls show that Trump’s ratings are currently in the net approval range of -2 to -5, compared with an even split of 50%-50% in January and February. The latest ratings make him one of the least popular presidents in recent history, being the only president to consistently have a negative net approval rating at this point in his term. I’d be happy to bet it’ll fall further.

Other Nutters

If you’ve been asking yourself If Vance a deep thinker of a pugnacious bully, this is the article for you. [Where you will meet this nice phrase –  tangerine liege lord.] This comment chimes with my own stated view of him: Vance has become a bogeyman because he represents a threat that Trumpism is not going to go away with Trump,

Trump’s envoy to Ukraine: I don’t regard Putin as a bad guy. He’s super smart. But is he at the stable genius level of said envoy’s boss? [his tangerine liege lord]

The USA

Those graphic deportations of gang members. . . Can this be true? These rely on tattoos but It turns out that tattoos inspired by a reggaeton artist who endorsed Trump are also a marker of gang involvement. One such tattoo says Real until I die, which relates to the Real Madrid football team, not to an infamous gang. But I guess you can’t expect an ICE officer just doing his (illegal) job to understand this. Or accept is an excuse.

The Way of the World/Social Media/Quotes of the Day

An insight into Meta. . . . We non-American outsiders bang on about US gun laws and how unspeakable it seems to us to raise children in a world of active shooter drills and school massacres. But all western countries and plenty beyond have failed to protect children from the known iniquities and poison of social media.

And a review of the book cited therein.

The film ‘Adolescence’ reveals a terrifying truth: smartphones are poison for boys’ minds.

Spanish

• Pasmado: Stunned, shocked , flabbergasted, gobsmacked.
• En ciernes: Building, in the making, fledgling.
• Pataleo: Kicking, stamping.

You Have to Laugh

Schadenfreude . . . Seventeen years ago Musk sued me for defamation after I’d given his Tesla a bad review. He lost the case and the appeal. I really should have sued him back but I feared he’d call me a paedo. So, instead, I just waited on the river bank for his body to float past. And now it has: Jeremy Clarkson, of ‘Top Gear.

Finally . . .

A reminder . . . This City Is Ours [set in Liverpool] starts on BBC One tonight at 9pm, with all episodes available on BBC iPlayer. The story revolves around Michael Kavanagh, a man deeply entrenched in organized crime, who finds himself in love with Diana Williams. As his criminal empire faces challenges, Michael must navigate his new life while dealing with the threats to his illegal activities

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 . . .
• I can also be read on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/colin.davies.752861 or on Substack at https://doncolin.substack.com/
• 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. But see here on this. 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.
• Getting a mortgage in Spain: Some advice on this challenge.