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 lights are back on in the Iberian peninsula, but its residents remain — in the metaphorical sense — in the dark. They still do not know what caused the worst power cut in Europe for 20 years. . . . If nothing else, this week’s events were a reminder of the sheer complexity of engineering that goes into keeping the lights on. Basically, it’s all to do with spinning wheels – or the absence thereof – and the inertia which exists or doesn’t exist in the system. This is said to make the system robust by buffering sudden losses. BUT . . . The higher the renewable penetration, the lower the inertia and the lower the robustness of the grid. So, one breakdown can result in a rapid series of additional breakdowns, before humans can intervene.

All of which might or might not fit with this explanation, considered by reader Perry to be as good as any.

Whatever the cause, I guess it’s true to say that the nationwide blackouts in Spain and Portugal underscore the extreme fragility of our modern systems.

As of now, 2 things seem certain: 1. There were warnings of such a chain of events, and 2. They will very likely happen again – somewhere, sometime.

Cousas de Galicia

One town in Galicia got its power back within just an hour of the 12.30 blackout on Monday. At the other end of the spectrum was a town which had to wait 13 hours. As, indeed, I think we had to in Pv city.

As feared . . . Police in Galicia are investigating the death of 3 people who might have died from inhaling carbon dioxide that stemmed from a malfunctioning domestic generator or a fuel appliance.

A woman also died in a fire caused by a candle in her flat in Madrid.

LA LA Land

In case you’ve been living in a cave, here’s a full review the achievements of Trump’s first 100 days. Quite a list. Trump has wasted no time in trying to remake the US in his image – with results that are sweeping, vengeful and chaotic. And all born of Trump’s delusions of monarchy and his ineptitude.

In like vein . . . The theme that unites Trump’s inept handling of deportations, his trampling on human and civil rights, his rejection of the rule of law, his dictatorial centralization of power, and his utterly inept handling of the economy is the ineptness itself. In his first term, not only did his advisers and cabinet officials put guardrails around his crazier tendencies, but they also provided his first administration a degree of stability and focus. Now, it’s mayhem. Chapter and verse follow. Grim reading.

BTW . . . I already had Delusional and Inept in my profile of Trump before reading those 2 articles yesterday. Only the magnitude of these traits is new(ish).

An amusing take on things, from Seth Myers.

And here’s something else to laugh at . . .The king of bling. The Mar-a-Lago-ified Oval Office more closely resembles a king’s chamber than the command post of a modern democracy.

Russia v. Ukraine

It’s claimed here that Russian forces are trying to create a “buffer zone” in Ukraine’s northeastern Sumy region.

Trump v Zelensky in Rome, courtesy of reader James . . .

Quote of the Day

Via his tariffs, Trump is the first president in history to immediately set about screwing the people who put him into power.

Net Zero

If you didn’t read this article above, you might like to read it under this heading.

Finally . . .

When the bell tolls . . . Lenox Napier ends on a happy note . .

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.