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

More here on anti-tourist protests, this time in the Canary Islands. Not against tourists, they say, but against the model of tourism which ‘strips our islands bare.’ Can’t say I blame them.

Words have consequences . . . Threats of bans or tax increases, language difficulties and an uncertain fiscal regime have driven Britons to swap moving to Spain to neighbouring Portugal, it’s said. Retirees, digital nomads and families are attracted by the relaxed lifestyle and the widespread use of English.

Cousas de Galicia

It certainly looks like Galicia has something of a raw deal when it comes to train travel options. It’s only 163km from Tui on the border with Portugal to Ferrol up in the North West of the region. One site suggests it takes 24-26 hours to do this by train – involving 2 changes – but another says it can be done in as little as 5 or 6 hours.

Sitting on a terrace on the edge of the Camino in Pv city’s old quarter yesterday, I was struck – not for the first time – by the speed at which cyclists were weaving their way between pedestrians. It baffles me that nothing is done about these dangerous fools, who are moving maybe 10 times faster than the police cars which circulate there at about 2kph. I was reminded of this by reading in a UK paper this morning that campaigners there are demanding life sentences for reckless cyclists who kill people.

Portugal

So, after many years of socialist administrations, the new government will be centre-right, But the far-right Chega party gained strength and will rule in at least the Algarve. Which is said here to have implications for UK expats and tourists.

Europe

Interesting . . . London and Brussels are said to be on the verge of deal which would let Brits use European passport e-gates, significantly cutting delays.

The Latest Inanitiues of the Jester

This takes quite some believing . . .

• White South Africans are facing genocide. That’s why I have to give them express refugee processing. [Unlike, say, non-white folk from other countries where the risk is far greater.]

Trumpworld/LA LA Land

Some believe that the brouhaha of the gift of a 400m plane is a distraction from even more serious corruption. This is a relevant article.

The head of Homeland Security is calling for the imprisonment of former FBI Director James Comey because he posted the cryptic message 18 47. This is taken by the vast majority of folk to mean Let’s get rid of Trump but by MAGA nutters – including the head of the FBI – to be an incitement to assassination.

Russia v. Ukraine

Russia-Ukraine talks: a performance for the US president.

Spanish

• A lo bonzo: Self-immolation. (Used to describe the performance of the Spanish entry in the Eurovision Song Contest. Which did even worse than the UK entry.)
• Chismerío: Gossip. Nerd-vine[US?]
• Cotilleo: Gossip, tidbit
• Pandereta: Tambourine

Finally . . .

Another delightful – and rather revealing – list from The Pillow Book of Sei Shonagon, a lady-in-waiting at the court of the Japanese Emperor in the early 11th century. She certainly seems to have disliked quite a few people and things . . .

HATEFUL THINGS

• One is just about to be told some interesting piece of news when a baby starts crying.
• A flight of crows circle about with loud caws.
• An admirer has come on a clandestine visit, but a dog catches sight of him and starts barking. One feels like killing the beast.
• One has been foolish enough to invite a man to spend the night in an unsuitable place – and then he starts snoring.
• A gentleman has visited one secretly. Though he is wearing a tall, lacquered hat, he nevertheless wants no one to see him. He is so flurried, in fact, that upon leaving he bangs into some thing with his hat. It is annoying too when he lifts up the lyo blind that hangs at the entrance of the room, then lets it fall with a great rattle. If it is a head-blind, things are still worse, for being more solid it makes a terrible noise when it is dropped. There is no excuse for such carelessness.
• One has gone to bed and is about to doze off when a mosquito appears, announcing himself in a reedy voice. One can actually feel the wind made by his wings and, slight though it is, one finds it hateful in the extreme.
• A carriage passes with a nasty, creaking noise. Annoying to think that the passengers may not even be aware of this! If I am travelling in someone’s carriage and I hear it creaking, I dislike not only the noise but also the owner of the carriage.
• One is in the middle of a story when someone butts in and tries to show that he is the only clever person in the room. Such a person is hateful, and so, indeed, is anyone, child or adult, who tries to push himself forward.
• One is telling a story about old times when someone breaks in with a little detail that he happens to know, implying that one’s own version is inaccurate – disgusting behaviour!
• Very hateful is a mouse that scurries all over the place.
• Some children have called at one’s house. One makes a great fuss of them and gives them toys to play with. The children become accustomed to this treatment and start to come regularly, forcing their way into one’s inner rooms and scattering one’s furnishings and possessions.
• A certain gentleman whom one does not want to see visits one at home or in the Palace, and one pretends to be asleep. But a maid comes to tell one and shakes one awake, with a look on her face that says, “What a sleepyhead!”
• A newcomer pushes ahead of the other members in a group; with a knowing look, this person starts laying down the law and forcing advice upon everyone.
• A man with whom one is having an affair keeps singing the praises of some woman he used to know. Even if it is a thing of the past, this can be very annoying. How much more so if he is still seeing the woman! (Yet sometimes I find that it is not as unpleasant as all that.)
• A person who recites a spell himself after sneezing. I detest anyone who sneezes, except the master of the house.
• Fleas, too, are very hateful. When they dance about under someone’s clothes, they really seem to be lifting them up.
• The sound of dogs when they bark for a long time in chorus is ominous and hateful.
• I cannot stand people who leave without closing the panel behind them.
• How I detest the husbands of nurse-maids! It is not so bad if the child in the maid’s charge is a girl, because then the man will keep his distance. But, if it is a boy, he will behave as though he were the father. Never letting the boy out of his sight, he insists on managing everything. He regards the other attendants in the house as less than human, and, if anyone tries to scold the child, he slanders him to the master. Despite this disgraceful behaviour, no one dare accuse the husband; so he strides about the house with a proud, self-important look, giving all the orders.
• I hate people whose letters show that they lack respect for worldly civilities, whether by discourtesy in the phrasing or by extreme politeness to someone who does not deserve it. This sort of thing is, of course, most odious if the letter is for oneself, but it is bad enough even if it is addressed to someone else.
• As a matter of fact, most people are too casual, not only in their letters but in their direct conversation. Sometimes I am quite disgusted at noting how little decorum people observe when talking to each other. It is particularly unpleasant to hear some foolish man or woman omit the proper marks of respect when addressing a person of quality; and, when servants fail to use honorific forms of speech in referring to their masters, it is very bad indeed.
• No less odious, however, are those masters who, in addressing their servants, use such phrases as “When you were good enough to do such-and-such” or “As you so kindly remarked”. No doubt there are some masters who, in describing their own actions to a servant, say, “I presumed to do so-and so”!
• Sometimes a person who is utterly devoid of charm will try to create a good impression by using very elegant language; yet he only succeeds in being ridiculous. No doubt he believes this refined language to be just what the occasion demands, but, when it goes so far that everyone bursts out laughing, surely something must be wrong.
• It is most improper to address high-ranking courtiers, Imperial Advisers, and the like simply by using their names without any titles or marks of respect.
• When speaking to young noblemen and courtiers of high rank, one should always (unless Their Majesties are present) refer to them by their official posts. Incidentally, I have been very shocked to hear important people use the word “I” while conversing in Their Majesties’ presence. Such a breach of etiquette is really distressing, and I fail to see why people cannot avoid it.
• A man who has nothing in particular to recommend him but who speaks in an affected tone and poses as being elegant.
• An inkstone with such a hard, smooth surface that the stick glides over it without leaving any deposit of ink.
• Ladies-in-waiting who want to know everything that is going on.
• Sometimes one greatly dislikes a person for no particular reason – and then that person goes and does something hateful.
• A gentleman who travels alone in his carriage to see a procession or some other spectacle. What sort of a man is he? Even though he may not be a person of the greatest quality, surely he should have taken along a few of the many young men who are anxious to see the sights. But no, there he sits by himself (one can see his silhouette through the blinds), with a proud look on his face, keeping all his impressions to himself.
• A lover who is leaving at dawn announces that he has to find his fan and his paper. “I know I put them somewhere last night,” he says. Since it is pitch dark, he gropes about the room, bumping into the furniture and muttering, “Strange! Where on earth can they be?” Finally he discovers the objects. He thrusts the paper into the breast of his robe with a great rustling sound; then he snaps open his fan and busily fans away with it. Only now is he ready to take his leave. What charmless behaviour! “Hateful” is an understatement.
• Equally disagreeable is the man who, when leaving in the middle of the night, takes care to fasten the cord of his headdress. This is quite unnecessary; he could perfectly well put it gently on his head without tying the cord. And why must he spend time adjusting his cloak or hunting costume? Does he really think someone might see him at this time of night and criticize him for not being impeccably dressed?”

More anon . . .

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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.