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

Here’s Mark Stücklin of Spanish Property Insight on developments in Congress on how to tackle the housing shortage. For example, by discriminating against non-EU foreigners.

Spain threatens to get tough on Gibraltar.

Cousas de Galicia

Possibly more evidence of a ‘low ethics’ society . . . Illegal tourist flats in Galicia’s 4 provinces – which total 9,600:-

• La Coruña 3,538. Percentage of total: 60
• Lugo 1,135. Percentage of total: 59
• Ourense: 414. Percentage of total: 56
• Pontevedra: 4.560. Percentage of total: 64

Quite a few folk seem rather unconcerned about being heavily fined. Especially in Pv province.

Weather forecasts can be very exact these days. At 6.30 I looked at one for Poio, as I’d woken to the winter temperatures of only 17 in my salón and 9 outside. What fascinated me was the prediction that the rain would be ending in precisely 19 minutes. Which it did.

The UK

The PM on the thorny issue of immigration. Where, as I keep saying, the UK experience is very different from Spain’s. And the situation is worrying.

A decidedly ‘right-wing’ response to the PM’s dissertation on this subject. It is the work of decades to repair the damage excess immigration has done to our nation, and the longer it’s postponed the uglier the reckoning will be.

As an American, I wish the British would stop apologising for everything. According to a recent survey, the average Briton says ‘sorry’ more than 3,000 times a year. I’m surprised it’s not higher. [Interesting to read that: In the US, over-apologising is a workplace bête noire – an instant credibility underminer that will do nothing to win friends nor advance your career.]

The Latest Mad Pronouncements of the Jester

Habeas corpus can be suspended by me because the USA is experiencing an invasion and is involved in a war. That’s what my brilliant lawyers tell me anyway. Are you sure you want to argue?

Trumpworld/LA LA Land

Why the [US] mainstream media has a “weird reluctance” to criticize Trump. And to highlight his mental decline. Essentially, it’s down to fear, not just of the use of power but its abuse. Which has been pretty obvious for some time. The media outside the US is less constrained. As I am.

A relevant video.

Quotes of the Day

• MAGA influencers have turned the White House briefing room into a playground.
• The daily media circus at the White House is best covered by [just] a camera and an intern. We need experienced reporters digging up real news, not regurgitating lies from Trump and Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.
• Life is the art of drawing sufficient conclusions from insufficient premises: Samuel Butler

Spanish

• Costura: Stitch, seam.
• Cotejar: Collate, compare, check.
• Remiendo: Patch, patching.
• A sus anchas: At ease, at home. ‘To their heart’s content’.
• Redimido: Redeemed. Believer.
• Abrir el melón: “To bring up or start discussing a topic that is often controversial, complex, or has been avoided – usually because addressing it could lead to unpredictable or uncomfortable consequences”.
• Fachapobre: A poor person with right-wing views (HT to Lenox Napier for this one).

English

• Pocketbook: Seems to be US English for ‘wallet’. Which Trump is said to be hitting.
• Purse: Seems to be US English for ‘handbag’. In British English a ‘purse’ is the thing containing money etc. inside a handbag.

Did You Know?

Dubai is possibly the weirdest city in the world.

Finally . . . .

Spleen-venting that can probably be ignored . . . When my HP laptop stopped working in the UK exactly a year ago, I bought a discounted ASUS machine as a temporary backup, having resolved to get the HP fixed in Spain. The latter hasn’t happened – because the cost (via a monopolistic agent) would be higher than a new laptop – and so I’ve carried on with the ASUS machine. A frustrating experience, as it freezes frequently, albeit for only 2 or 4 seconds at a time. I’ve sought advice and tried several things to stop this, including an external fan to cool the temperature of the CPU. But, yesterday, I read a sentence in a review of laptops which made it clear there’s really nothing to do but live with this problem until I buy a better laptop. The sentence was to the effect that RAM of 4Gb is just enough to cope with Windows 11, even if usage is light. So, I was really sold an obsolete machine in the UK, in a store with a good reputation. Shame I’m not there to go and make a fuss about this. Caveat emptor, I guess. Maybe I’ll write them a nasty letter . . .

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.
• This post of mine contains several relevant articles from ThinkSpain.
• 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.