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.

Thousands protest against overtourism in Spain as Brits face a summer of fury.

An advance warning . . . From January 1, 2030, all Spanish homes for sale or rent must have a minimum energy rating of E. It’s stimated that 85% of Spanish buildings will fall foul of this EU directive, requiring an immense amount of conversion.

The cars most favoured by car thieves in Spain are the Seat Ibiza and the VW Golf – taken out of Spain and broken up for parts.

The USA

• The ridiculous story behind the tariffs.
• A nice Saturday Night Live sketch from last night.
• Trump and the White House show their true colours. Yet again.
• The truth behind Trump’s body language.
• Cutting his own Achilles heel.

Quotes of this Tumultuous Week

• What happened this week was worse than the Worst Case expectation. [Which is rare, I believe.]
• Trump saw the iceberg and sailed straight for it.
• It’s hard to see what could be achieved by these measures that would compensate for the damage they’ve already done.
• The job of trying to make sense of what is happening and to come up with some ordered predictions as to the outcome of the tumultuous changes being set in train is probably beyond the capability of any sentient being. It is as if a giant wooden spoon had been used to stir the existing order and there is no knowing what will be the shape of things by the time it settles. [Economically and politically].
• Like Napoleon, Trump’s impulses are having an outsized impact on history. We thought the 19th-century theory that one man could reshape the world had been debunked.  Never in my lifetime can I remember the whims and impulses of one man so profoundly affecting every other person on the planet. For a decade now, ever since he came down the golden escalator at Trump Tower, the system has sought to contain this man’s irrepressible id. He has now all but broken free of these constraints. 
• Trump is not like you or me. He is crazy and that’s frightening. All bets are off. We’ll still be working out what happened 100 years from now. More entertaining comments here.
• History will see Trump – inter alia – as the The Great Orange Disruptor.
• Given my time again, I wouldn’t spend my youth practising the bassoon.

Net Zero

I think we can expect to see this much reduced in priority, even in the UK which has hitherto seen itself as a pioneer/example-setter in this area. Especially under the current Labour government and its zealous Energy Secretary.

Spanish

• Estraperlo: Black market, illegal trade
• Abrecartas: Letter opener . . .

English

• British English: If I’d gone, I’d have seen him.
• American English: If I would have gone, I would have seen him.

Unfortunately, both Irish folk and most Continentals use the American(very possibly originally Irish) form. I assume the Continentals are taught either by Americans or non-native speakers in their own country. It’s the one ‘mistake’ that all my Dutch friends make. Not to mention my French ex-partner. And my old German friend in Hamburg. I‘m inured to it now. Honest.

Did You Know?

1815, saw the founding of the London sherry-importing firm Ruskin, Telford & Domecq, the Ruskin partner being the father of the famous English writer, lecturer, art historian, art critic, draughtsman and philanthropist of the Victorian era. Pedro Domecq was of the famous Spanish sherry (jerez) family of that name

Today Through the Ages

Courtesy of the Autodidact Professor.

Finally . . .

In Douglas Adams “The Ultimate Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”, published 1979, there’s a brief mention of a dog called Know-Nothing Bozo – because the way its hair stands up on its head reminds people of the US President. There would be other reasons these days

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.