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

House prices continue to outstrip inflation and earnings increases. So, the dilemma is whether to hurry and buy now or wait until prices fall when – as in 2007 – the bubble bursts. Trouble is – the bubble might not burst this time around. Especially if a belief that it won’t fuels increasing demand.

Talking of price rises . . . For one reason and another, food prices in Spain have far outstripped the boost in wages over the last 6 years. Filling a shopping basket has become 39% more expensive since 2019, while wages have inched up by less than a third of that, leaving everyone poorer. Time for me to mention again the difference between the macro and micro economies, via which the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. Something not exclusive to Spain, of course.

There’s said to be a ‘ferocious matador feud that’s reviving fortunes of bullfighting’. And that, although opposition to the bloodsport has been growing in Spain, this rivalry between 2 very different characters – both gored in the past week – is captivating audiences.

Talking of bulls . . . . This one was was ‘pardoned’ (indultado) last night in the Pontevedra ring, possibly for the first time ever:-

Because it gave a good performance, it was allowed to leave the ring with as much dignity as a bull with 2 or 3 painful banderillas in its shoulders can muster. As it’ll never be allowed to fight again, it might go to stud. On the other hand it might have ended up on the same butcher’s slab as its 5 companions.

Still on bulls . . . The proposal to build a huge metal statue of one seems to be going nowhere. Burgos was said to be interested a while ago – though perhaps only among the members of one political party – but the latest candidate is said to be a place – El Molar – 50km north of Madrid and c.200km south of Burgos.

Ahead of my 2nd attempt to visit Valencia, later this year, I was interested to see this virtual tour of the city.

Cousas de Galiza and Portugal

Spain has 14 serious fires raging at the moment but this total is dwarfed by Portugal’s 37. It’s saddening to read that the majority of fires are said to have been deliberately started. One hopes this isn’t actually true, though arrests have certainly been made.

THE USA and THE MAGA REALITY TV SHOW

Trumpisms

We’re spreading wealth all over the world.

That (non)Summit

It seems that the summit was even more of a disaster than was feared. At least for Trump and the USA. For Putin, though, it was the expected triumph. He even managed to plant in Russian minds a claim for the return of Alaska.

So, will we now see the ‘very severe consequences’ that Trump said only a few days ago would happen if there were no deal? I wouldn’t bet on it. But who knows, with an unstable non-genius?

Some negative headlines, from the many there will have been today . . .

• Putin got everything he wanted from Trump
• Putin will be laughing all the way back to the Kremlin.
• Donald Trump’s ‘hangdog’ face screams ‘disappointment’, says expert.
• Trump discovers he’s not as powerful as he thought he was.
• No deal, and no answers, after brief Trump-Putin talks on Ukraine in Alaska.
• What the f— was that? My 9 hours at Trump’s bewildering summit. After travelling 2,000 miles to a remote town in hope of witnessing history, we were left asking: Is that all?

And the New York Times view: It would be hard to imagine an event that could have gone better from the point of view of the Russian leader, who made no public commitment to stop his assault on Ukraine and yet was treated as a valued friend. Mr. Trump did not fault Mr. Putin for starting the brutal war and left without mentioning the sanctions that just hours earlier he had threatened to impose if there were no deal.

I look forward to hearing the White House Spin, though not from Katherine Leavitt, whom I can no longer stomach. In truth, I’d like to strangle her with one of her crucifix necklaces . . .

Meanwhile, it’s reported that Trump has suggested that it’s now up to Zelenskyy to “get it done” and that a meeting would be set up between the Ukrainian president and Putin, which Trump might attend. Fleeing from failure and setting up Zelensky to be blamed?

I wonder if any US politician in the early 1940s would have warmly welcomed Adolf Hitler to a meeting and referred to him using a diminutive of his forename. Or even as ‘Adolf’ . . . .

Did you know?

It appears that processing information in a foreign language makes us less prone to emotional thinking and more focused on efficient results. We become less moralistic and more utilitarian.

You Have to Laugh

At 11.45 last night I was reading in my armchair, patiently awaiting the 2nd midnight fireworks display of the week. The next thing – at 12-20 – I was being asked by my younger daughter if I’d watched the ‘very loud’ fireworks. Sadly, I’d dozed through them. Ah well, there’s always the 3rd display tomorrow night. . . .

Finally . . .

I read that fig trees are perfect for the lazy gardener. I bought and planted one a few years ago and it grew well for a few years. Before promptly dying. As did the holly tree planted where the fig tree used to be. Perhaps there’s something wrong with the subsoil. . . Too much granite??

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.

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.

If you´re thinking of moving to Spain, this link should be useful to you.