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 on Spain’s ‘deepening’ housing crisis.

I’ve more than once written about the gap between Spain’s macro economic performance and micro-level experience. This article pertains to this gap.

Strong aspersions are cast here on the Spanish government, as regards its role in and its (defensive, dishonest) explanations for the recent nationwide blackout. Will these really be as consequential as predicted?

The strange affair of the PM’s brother. Everyone prominent in Spanish politics seems to have a corrupt relative or two . . . .

Cousas de Galicia

Another of those odd headlines: This is how a boss in Lugo greeted his employee upon returning from sick leave: with insults and a kick in the testicles.

This a foto of the (mythical) founder of Pv city – the Greek warrior Teucro, who – after being injured in the Trojan wars – was brought here in a boat by angels. Or so they say.

Anyway, when I noticed it from a café terrace, I wondered how many Pv city residents could identify my location from the foto. Actually, I wonder how many residents would be able to identify Teucro. Btw: Although depicted as an archer, he lacks a bow. This fell down a couple of years ago, nearly killing someone.

Less harmful to the city’s residents is a new café – Frosty Bubble – dedicated to ‘bubble tea’.

This is also known as pearl milk tea, boba tea, or tapioca milk tea. It typically consists of a tea base (commonly black, green, or oolong tea) mixed with milk or fruit flavorings and sweeteners, served cold or hot. Its defining feature is chewy tapioca pearls, also called boba, made from tapioca starch derived from the cassava plant.

This is a sight I hoped never to see in Pv city – someone holding aloft a pennant and guiding a group of 30+ tourists through the narrow streets of the old quarter.

I guess it was inevitable. And can only get worse.

The Latest Insane Pronouncements of the Jester

As you probably know, Trump’s claim that the EU was set up decades ago to cheat/destroy the USA is spectacularly untrue. His latest specious claim – issued to cover his failure to do a deal with Brussels – is that the EU wasn’t ‘playing ball’, ie succumbing to his demands. So, he will inflict an across-the- board tariff of 50%, hitting trade and raising prices for American consumers. The EU has said it has prepared appropriate retaliatory action. A very pointless war, with no ultimate winners. Launched by an ignorant imbecile with unimaginable power to destroy all around him.

Trumpworld/LA LA Land

Tellingly, the White House has stopped publishing transcripts of Trump’s speeches – ’the weave’, as he laughingly calls his ramblings.

This is a video which, it’s claimed, exposes Trump’s blatant corruption.

It’ll be very interesting to see where this goes . . . Someone who should know claims that Trump having ‘private time’ puts some of his activities outside the immunity shield given to him by the Supreme Court.

Also interesting is the claim that 40% of Americans consult astrology or Tarot cards Which might explain a lot.

Quotes of the Day

• This day would not have ben possible without the leadership of arguably the most powerful and the most respected American president in the modern era of the United States: Speaker, Mike Johnson. Who might now keep his job.
• Is Trump inadequate? [Let me count the ways. Assuming you have the time].

Net Zero

Whatever you think of the man, this provocative article should be contested rationally and with conflicting evidence, not on the basis of an unshakeable belief that the end of the world is nigh.

Spanish

• Chapapote: Tar
• Biombo: Screen
• Ualabí: Wallaby
• Mayorista: Wholesaler
• Menorista: Retailer
• Pedidos al por mayor: Wholesale orders

Did You Know?

It’s compulsory in Spain to carry 2 warning triangles in your car. At the moment, it’s permissible to use, instead, a flashing light device – a V-16 – placed on the highest part of the vehicle. This transition period ends 31 December this year, after which the V-16 with geolocation will be the sole permitted device. They cost €45-50. [I bought a device last year but only recently discovered it lacks the GPS element, explaining why it cost only €14, I guess.]

You Have to Laugh

The brief life of the pride of the North Korean navy . . .

Finally . . .

Welcome to new subscriber John of Juansys.

Finally, Finally . . .

A single item from The Pillow Book:–

TIMES WHEN ONE SHOULD BE ON ONE’S GUARD

When one meets people who have a bad reputation.

Such people often give a more sincere impression than those of good repute.

When one travels by boat. I remember one such excursion. It was a beautiful clear day and the sea was so calm that its surface looked like a sheet of light green, glossy silk. I was travelling with a group of young women, and none of us had the slightest sense of danger.

Dressed in our short jackets, we helped the boat men at the oars, singing song after song as we rowed. It was a most delightful trip, and I only wished that someone of high rank were there to see us gliding across the water.

Then, all of a sudden, a violent wind blew up and the sea became terribly rough. We were beside ourselves with fear. As we rowed back to the shore, the waves leapt over the boat, and I could not believe that this was the same sea that a little while ago had been so smooth.

When one thinks of it, sailors are the bravest people in the world. Even in reasonably shallow water their vessels are far too flimsy to be safe. Yet they do not hesitate to embark on a sea of any depth – perhaps even a thousand fathoms – entrusting their lives to a boat so heavily loaded that the water comes up almost to the edge.

The common people who man the boat run up and down, never giving a thought to the danger; and, though it looks as if the slightest rocking would capsize it, one sees them banging down into the hold half a dozen great pine logs two or three feet in circumference. Amazing!

People of quality travel in boats with cabins. These, of course, seem far safer, especially if one is in the rear; but if one is near the side one gets very dizzy.

The ropes that keep the oars in place— the “fast cords” as they are called – look extraordinarily weak. What if one of them were to snap? Surely the rower would be plunged into the sea. Yet I have never seen anyone using heavy ropes. I remember one journey on such a boat. We had a charming cabin, fitted with head-blinds, double doors, and lattices. Though the boat did not seem quite as sturdy as most of its kind, I felt as if I were in a snug little house. But when I looked out and saw the other boats, I was really frightened. Those in the distance looked as frail as bamboo leaves that have been made into toy boats and scattered across the water.

When we finally returned to the harbour, lights were shining in all the boats, which was a delightful sight.

On the following morning I was very moved to observe people rowing out to sea in those tiny vessels known as sampans; as they moved slowly into the distance, the white waves behind the boats did in fact “disappear without a trace”.

When all is said and done, only common people should go in boats. There are dangers enough when one travels by land, but then at least one has the firm ground under one’s feet and that is a great comfort. The sea is a frightening thing at the best of times. How much more terrifying must it be for those poor women divers who have to plunge into its depths for their livelihood. One wonders what would happen to them if the cord round their waist were to break. I can imagine men doing this sort of work, but for a woman it must take remarkable courage. After the woman has been lowered into the water, the men sit comfortably in their boats, heartily singing songs as they keep an eye on the mulberry-bark cord that floats on the surface. It is an amazing sight, for they do not show the slightest concern about the risks the woman is taking.

When finally she wants to come up, she gives a tug on her cord and the men haul her out of the water with a speed that I can well understand. Soon she is clinging to the side of the boat, her breath coming in painful gasps. The sight is enough to make even an outsider feel the brine dripping. I can hardly imagine this is a job that anyone would covet.

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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.