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

A case study in Spain’s housing tensions. This unusual story combines 2 of Spain’s most charged housing issues: “vulnerable” families unable to access affordable rentals, and owners left powerless in the face of squatters. In this case, a British buyer with good intentions finds herself caught in the cross fire.

New to me . . Branded residences . . . These combine the privacy of a home with the services of a 5-star hotel, from concierge and spa facilities to security and fine dining. Spain has firmly established itself as Europe’s leader in these, with more than 2,000 units already on the market and many more in the pipeline.

Cousas de Galiza

This ad was presumably OKd by Media Markt’s Marketing Director`s ‘English-speaking’ cousin . .

HT to David In La Coruña for that.

Speaking of that city . . I read that Jeremy Clarkson once said La Coruña was one of the worst cities he’d ever visited, though no one knows why. Perhaps he had the very frustrating experience I had many years ago of being unable to discover how to drive out of the place . . .

And speaking of the return to school . . . The annual number for the average layout on this in Galicia is €338 per pupil. Which seems high to me.

Again, one is left wondering why official numbers show that more than half of Santiago de Compostela´s illegal tourist flats are still on the market.

THE USA and THE MAGA REALITY TV SHOW

The controversial immigration detention centre, nicknamed “Alligator Alcatraz” faces an uncertain future after a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction to halt its expansion and begin its closure.

Some great one-liners here, on Trump’s appeal to every imaginable niche voter.

Not long after watching that this morning, I read this about the Nazis in the late 1920/early 1930s:- The Nazi Party had become a formidable organization, its regional, district and local levels staffed with loyal and energetic functionaries and its propaganda appeal channelled through a network of specialist institutions directed at particular constituents of the electorate. . . . The elaborate organization of its subdivisions recognized the growing divisions of German society into competing interest-groups in the course of the Depression and tailored their message to their particular constituency. Antisemitic slogans would be used when addressing groups to whom they might have an appeal; where they were clearly not working, they were abandoned. The Nazis adapted according to the response they received; they paid close attention to their audiences, producing a whole range of posters and leaflets designed to win over different parts of the electorate. They put on film shows, rallies, songs, brass bands, demonstrations and parades. Goebbels propaganda headquarters sent out a constant stream of directives to local and regional Party sections, often providing fresh slogans and fresh material for the campaign. As the campaign reached its climax, the Nazis, driven by a degree of commitment that exceeded even that of the Communists, outdid all other parties in their constant, frenetic activism and the intensity of their propaganda effort.

One could be forgiven for thinking that the Trump and the people behind him had read Richard Evans’ The Coming of the Third Reich: How the Nazis Destroyed Democracy and Seized Power in Germany.

Spanish

• Con el corazón en un puño = With your heart in your mouth.
• Dar cabida a: Accommodate, include.
• Empapelado: Wallpaper. Placarded/pasted.
• Tildar: Check, tick. Label.
• Irrisorío: Derisory, laughable

Did you know?/You Have to Laugh

The first computerised dating service was in the 1960s. It needed urgent early tweaking, after one chap was paired with his – doubtless very compatible – sister.

Finally . . .

One problem with having guests – as everyone knows – is that they put things in the wrong place. Especially in the kitchen. So it was that I found the floor cleaner – bright green – among the bottles of gaseosa, water and beer.

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.