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 article from The Corner tells us of massive increases in public spending in recent years, which is what you’d expect from a socialist government. What surprises me is that this has happened during years when the PM has struggled to get his budget passed. As one AI engine puts it: Sánchez has struggled with budget approvals at various points during his tenure. His most notable failure occurred in 2019 when his proposed budget was rejected by parliament, forcing him to call early elections. Since then, Sánchez managed to secure budget approvals in subsequent years, including for 2023, but faced challenges again in 2024 and 2025. The 2024 budget was not approved due to timing issues following his re-election in late 2023. For 2025, Sánchez has indicated that the likelihood of passing a new budget is minimal, and his government is considering rolling over the 2023 budget for a second year. The factors behind this are: 1. Dependence on fragile alliances: with Catalan and Basque nationalist parties, 2. [Possibly the same thing] Conflicts with pro-independence groups, and 3. Opposition from Right-Wing parties.

Reading this, I wondered if the author – Douglas Adams – had lived in Spain . . . .Bistromathics is a revolutionary new way of understanding the behaviour of numbers. Just as Einstein observed that time was not an absolute but depended on the observer’s movement in space, and that space was not an absolute but depended on the observer’s movement in time, so it is now realized that numbers are not absolute, but depend on the observer’s movement in restaurants. The first non-absolute number is the number of people for whom the table is reserved. This will vary during the course of the first 3 calls to the restaurant, and then bear no apparent relation to the number of people who actually turn up, or to the number of people who subsequently join. The second non-absolute number is the given time of arrival, which is now known to be one of those most bizarre of concepts, a recipriversexcluson, a number whose existence can only be defined as being anything other than itself. In other words, the given time of arrival is the one moment of time at which it is impossible that any member of the party will arrive.  Except, perhaps. An occasional anally retentive Brit . . .

Cousas de Galicia

They are, admittedly local but I was surprised to note these International Page stats in these papers today:

• The Diary de Pontevedra: 2 out of 56, or 3.6%
• The Voz de Galicia: 3 out of 59, or 5.1%

But the national papers are very different.

Talking of things local but international . . . you’ll all be wanting to know that Pontevedra is set to host what promises to be the most spectacular edition of the World Triathlon Multisport Championships from 20 to 29 June, once again become the global epicentre of multisport, welcoming athletes from 6 disciplines:- Duathlon, Cross Triathlon, Cross Duathlon, Aquathlon, Aquabike and Long-Distance Triathlon. All races will be staged in and around Pontevedra, with routes taking in the city’s stadium, the iconic Los Tirantes Bridge, and the picturesque Lérez River. The Cross Triathlon and Cross Duathlon events will be held at the Pontillón do Castro reservoir in Verducido—an area celebrated for its natural beauty and optimal race conditions. Beyond the action on course, athletes and visitors will enjoy a rich program of cultural, culinary, and recreational experiences that will cement Pontevedra’s status as a leading international triathlon destination. Across ten days, Pontevedra will transform into a vibrant celebration of sport and community.

My house is available at an astronomic price.

The USA

A brilliant address to the oligarchs and MAGAs from a woman who, for one thing, doesn’t feel the need to wear hair extensions down to her waist.

María writes that, on the one hand, Trump isn’t Hitler but, on the other . . . .

Signal failure occurs when tribalism trumps all. Pete Hegseth is ill-suited to high office but this national security fiasco is down to politicians putting party above principle . . . When you place loyalty to party, to leader, above all other considerations — for jobs, policy positions and execution — you will inevitably degrade the quality of the outcome. Tribalism eradicates accountability.

By the way . . . You can tell how different most Americans are very different from the rest of us by the way they whoop and clap wildly at every single joke of the (admittedly excellent and funny) hosts on the later-night TV shows. Or maybe this is only Liberals . . .

Spanish

• Masmorra: Dungeon, hellhole. You can guess where.
• Impericia: Incompetnce, malpractice.
• Duelo: Duel. Mourning, grief.
• Matar a leches: To kill with blows(!)
• Marquesina: Marquee, carport, canopy

Did You Know

I hate the changing the clocks for what it does to my sleep patterns. So, this article naturally interested me . . . Changing your clock? Scientists are only just beginning to understand what this does to us.

You Have to Laugh

How an English gentleman used to be . . . A gentleman walked up to another gentleman, who was standing before the fire in a Coffee Room, and immediately said, ‘I beg your pardon, Sir, but may I ask your name?’ ‘I am not in the habit, Sir,’ said the other man, ‘of giving my name to strangers, but, as you are so pertinacious, Sir, my name is Thompson, Sir.’ ‘Then, Mr. Thompson, Sir,’ said the first speaker, ‘now I know your name, I beg, Sir, to inform you that your coat tails are on fire.’

Finally . .

Remarkable names of real people, collected in the 1980s:-

• Mac Aroni
• Cigar Stubbs
• Legitimate Jones
• Halibut Justa Fish
• Daphne Reader’s Digest Taione
• Halloween Buggage [He had a daughter named Easter]
• Eucalyptus Yoho
• Solomon Gemorah
• Asa Miner
• Carlos Restrepo Restrepo Restrepo de Restrep
• Cranberry Turkey Breckenridge Jr.
• Demetrius Plick
• F.G. Vereneseneckockkrockoff
• Rev. Fountain Wetmore Rainwater
• Grecian T. Snooze
• July August September
• Lobelia Rugtwit Hildebiddle
• Tarantula Turner
• Theanderblast Mischgedeigle Sump
• Theodolphus J. Poontang
• Vile Albert
• Welcome Baby Darling

None of these could have happened in Spain, where – until recently – your name had to be that of a saint.

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.