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

Spanish per capital income. Highest, of course, in the Basque country and Madrid.

The impact of excessive tourism on Tenerife.

Mark Stücklin of Spanish Property Insight here stresses the need for [expensive] battery back-up if you’ve installed solar panels on your property.

ThinkSpain tells you here where you can buy cheap properties in Spain.

Cosas de Galicia

There was protest this weekend at a beauty spot which will be affected by the construction of the next stage of the A-57 bypass of Pv city. This (rather pointless) new road currently runs from the middle of nowhere to the middle of nowhere else. As I can see from my salón window, it carries very close to nil traffic in the hills on the eastern side of the city. I bet I’m not the only person to wonder if any further stages will be (expensively) constructed, en route to its planned destination in Estrada.

Trumpworld/LA LA Land

Stephen Miller looks and sounds rather odd. And pretty damn evil. Rumours are swirling that his wife has left both him and the White House not only to work for Elon Musk but to also help him populate his rockets. I doubt the rumour is true – though it might explain Musk’s black eye – but, if it is, there’ll be many who’ll think being cuckolded couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy.

Quotes of the Day

• Trump’s bullying may work on Republican party lawmakers who fear he’ll ruin their careers, but it is quite another thing to make demands of foreign diplomats in countries where Trump is considered either an irritant or a joke.
• An interesting view, possibly not universally shared by the writer’s compatriots . . . The extremists that gathered together to write Project 2025 will not vanish with a change of administration. Further, this is not an aberration. It is part of our history come back to haunt us. We are seeing the resurgence of that collection of ignorant supporters and powerful oligarchs that controlled the federal government during the first half of the 19th century, known to their opponents as the Slave Power, but really a reflection of feudalism and manorialism. Resisting them led to the Civil War. That divide did not start with, and will not end with, Trump. America is not a centre-right nation. It is several nations with quite different values. The America that saved Europe was the America of the North – industrial, freedom-loving, civilly-engaged, generous. America today is the America of the South and all that brings to mind for those who know our history.
• Arguably, the 2024 US presidential election was won by someone with sincerely held terrible ideas. But he did a better job of persuading voters of his authenticity than the candidate with smarter ideas who gave voters the impression that she was a scripted, polished politician. If performance of authenticity was a shortcut to success, we need a way to understand what we should truly view as authentic. Because, if we can’t communicate authenticity ourselves, companies such as Meta will try to make machines do it for us.
• The Big Beautiful Bill – I would say it sounds like something that a 4th grader came up with, but that would be insulting to 4th graders.

Russia v. Ukraine

We await the reaction to Ukraine’s astonishing (and very clever) destruction of much of Russia’s bomber fleet. ‘Safely’ parked in Siberia.

Spanish

• Trilero: Shell game, 3-card monte, thimblerig. Con artist
• Menudo: What a . . . ! [Lit. Often]
• Cateto: 1. Cada uno de los dos lados que forman el ángulo recto en un triángulo rectángulo. 2. Peasant, rustic, ignoramus. 3. Vulgar

English

Some examples of Incel* jargon . . .

• Shitposting: Posting absurd or offensive comments.
• Shitlording: Posting bigoted contents to provoke a reaction, eg trolling female gamers and camgirls (young women who pose for porn webcams) and lurking on extremist forums that offer anonymity and minimal moderation.
• Folds: Short for “female humanoids”, because the word “woman” connotes too much humanity.

*Involuntary celibate.

You Have to Laugh. Or at least Smile . . . .

It’s hard to parody Trump but Private Eye has a go here . . .

Angry scenes at the Conclave

There was delight from observers as white smoke billowed out of the famous Vatican chimney, showing that the conclave of Cardinals had finally made its decision and elected a new pope.

But, within minutes of the result, there was uproar as their selection was challenged in Gospel Truth Social. A furious Donald Trump denounced the result as fake pews, claiming that the election had been stolen by Crooked Cardinals. “This is the biggest fraud in the history of pope voting. The election was rigged! As it was last time when I was robbed by sleepy Francis, the worst pope on record. Ever. Fact!”

There was pandemonium as Trump supporters stormed the Vatican, smashing stained glass windows and taking selfies of themselves sitting on the papal thrown. One wore a Cardinal’s hat with bison horns and charged at the Swiss guards, another stole the pulpit and one, on a very tall ladder, painted a MAGA hat on Michelangelo’s God.

However, Donald Trump then changed his mind and announced that, in fact, he had personally secured the election of an American Pope and that it was all down to him that the Vatican was now the 51st state of the USA.

Asked about his previous postings, he said “I’m not infallible”.

Finally . . .

Nostalgia time . . . Seen in a flea market yesterday . . .

This is exactly like the little portable typewriter I took on VSO with me when I was 18. I learnt to touch-type on it in the evenings, when I had nothing else to do – little knowing how useful this would prove when personal computers came along several years later. Bought somewhere in Liverpool, as I recall.

And here is the exact machine I had, bearing the name Olympia, not Triumph.

Incidentally, As the latter’s logo looks very much like that of Triumph motor bikes, I checked on whether the company had diversified into typewriters and got this info: In the early 20th century, there were 2 companies sharing the Triumph name, both founded by the same man. The one in the UK started with bikes and progressed to motorbikes. The one in Germany made these too but also later made typewriters. After a merger, it became Triumph-Adler. Both Olympia and Triumph-Adler were German companies and fierce competitors. Fascinating, no??

Finally, finally . . .

Some more extracts from The Pillar Book . . .

During the long rains in the Fifth Month, there is something very moving about a place with a pond. Between the dense irises, water-Oats, and other plants one can see the green of the water; and the entire garden seems to be the same green colour. One stays there all day long, gazing in contemplation at the clouded sky – oh, how moving it is! I am always moved and delighted by places that have ponds – not only in the winter (when I love waking up to find that the water has frozen over) but at every time of the year. The ponds I like best are not those in which everything is carefully laid out; I much prefer one that has been left to itself so that it is wild and covered with weeds. At night in the green spaces of water one can see nothing but the pale glow of the moonlight. At any time and in any place I find moonlight very moving

Things That Give a Hot Feeling

• The hunting costume of the head of a Guard’s escort.
• A patchwork surplice.
• The Captain in attendance at the Imperial Games.
• An extremely fat person with a lot of hair.
• A zither bag.
• A Holy Teacher performing a rite of incantation at noon in the Sixth or Seventh Month.
• Or, at the same time of the year, a copper-smith working in his foundry.

Shameful Things

• A thief has crept into a house and is now hiding in some well-chosen nook where he can secretly observe what is going on. Someone else comes into the dark room and, taking an object that lies there, slips it into his sleeve. It must be amusing for the thief to see a person who shares his own nature.
• Priests on night duty are often confronted with shameful things, especially if they are light sleepers. For they are liable to overhear groups of young women joking about other people, abusing them,

Things That Have Lost Their Power

• A large boat which is high and dry in a creek at ebb-tide.
• A woman who has taken off her false locks to comb the short hair that remains” 

Awkward Things

One has gone to a house and asked to see someone; but the wrong person appears, thinking that it is he who is wanted; this is especially awkward if one has

Things Without Merit

• An ugly person with a bad character.
• Rice starch that has become mixed with water… I know that this is a very vulgar item and everyone will dislike my mentioning it. But that should not stop me. In fact I must feel free to include anything, even tongs used for the parting-fires. After all, these objects do exist in our world and people all know about them. I admit they do not belong to a list that others will see. But I never thought that these notes would be read by anyone else, and so I included everything that came into my head, however strange or unpleasant.

Outstandingly Splendid Things

• What can possibly equal the ceremonies performed in His Majesty’s presence on the occasion of the Special Festivals?
• The rehearsal is also delightful . . .
• A bright sun shone in the peaceful spring sky, and in the garden in front of Seiryo Palace mats had been spread out by men of the Housekeeping Office. The Imperial messengers sat facing north, while the dancers faced the Emperor.

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.
• And here’s a personal guide to moving to Spain – to work, not to retire.