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

The price of coalition party support – Large companies in Spain will soon have to offer customer service in Catalan and other co-official languages when requested. The change comes after the Junts per Catalunya party reached an agreement with the government to include the measure in a customer service law.. BUT . . . The obligation will only apply where co-official languages are recognised – Cataluña, Galicia, and the Basque Country. More details here.

I read years ago that Spanish kids were second only to Maltese kids in Europe when it came to being overweight or obese. The current order . worse first – is said to me Malta, Greece, Italy, Spain and Cyprus. Or some other combination of these. So much for the Mediterranean diet . .

Gesture politics?

Spain suspended arms sales to Israel in late 2023 but still exports them to the unlovely regimes of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Venezuela, and Iraq. But is not alone in this, of course.

Cousas de Galiza

Galicians have long been very unhappy about having one of the most expensive autopistas in Spain and have been trying for years to get it handed over to the Xunta and to be Smade free, as has happened elsewhere around Spain. But high hopes that the EU would order this have been dashed. And the Spanish government gives every indication of continuing to do nothing about the (possibly illegal) enrichment of the Audasa company which has the concession. As usual, one wonders why.

So, whither our weather? There was a high of 30 today and autumn in Galicia is forecast to be ‘warmer and drier’ than usual. But the national forecast is that the September heatwave is about to come to an abrupt and brutal end, with temperatures forecast to collapse by as much as 20 degrees this weekend. At least inland, up in the mountains. Of which Spain has an awful lot.

The UK

Amusing to see the man who would be king being treated as if he already were one. Just to stroke his ego. A reality which he seems to be too dumb and/or narcissistic to see through.

And good to see the non-involvement of the oleaginous Peter Mandelson. Who shared a very close friend with Trump. And the domestically-exiled prince Andrew. Also not appearing in the ugly festival of flattery.

THE USA

Trumpisms.

• During the construction of the Panama canal, 38,000 Americans died. [¨c.5,600 people died from disease, accidents, and other causes. However, the vast majority of these workers were not American but Caribbean laborers, mostly Black migrants from islands like Barbados and Jamaica. The number of American-born workers who died in the project was likely around 300.]
• Those funding Antifa should be thoroughly investigated in accordance with the highest legal standards and practices. [As if he knows anything about these, other than as a ‘victim’ of them.]
• The UK TV station Channel 4 last night showed 4 hours of Trump’s lies since be came back to power, each time fact-checked. See a review of it here.

I recently bluntly/arrogantly warned Americans that things would get worse before they got better. Here’s some evidence of the validity of that . . .

The latest suppression of free speech . .

As expected . . . Even as Trump in the UK has been ‘extolling the value of free speech’, it’s reported that the White House is preparing ‘an executive order on political violence and hate speech’. In response: Scores of left-leaning non-profits have rejected what they described as efforts to undermine their work. “We reject attempts to exploit political violence to mischaracterise our good work or restrict our fundamental freedoms, like freedom of speech and the freedom to give”,

And then there’s this . . .

A view on Trump’s nonsensical legal action against the New York Times.

Finally . . . This is almost funny . . .

I wonder how many Americans know the old English kids’ rhyme: I’m the king of the castle. Get down you dirty rascal. Traditionally sung in the garden from the top of a midden. Seems appropriate.

Quotes of the Day

• Remember the luxury of when American politics were boring.
• Now we have a president who is an unavoidable joke but the joke becomes darker and darker as the microphones are turned off.
• While Trump might dream of being a dictator, he`s really just a dick.[Jimmy Kimmel, I think]

The Way of the World

According to an AI engine: The largest and deadliest conflicts shaping global security concerns in 2025 are: 1. In the Middle East (Israel/Palestine/Lebanon), 2. Russia v. Ukraine, 3. In the Sahel, and 4. in Sudan. In the West these days, we hear little about the second and close to nothing about the third and fourth. Oh and, as I’ve said, nothing at all about Muslim violence against both Muslims and Christians. This seems odd to me. Especially has the 4th one is said to have included genocide. But maybe X, Tik Tok and Instagram are full of angry comments that I never see. . .

Spanish

• Reticente: Reluctant.
• Cal y canto: Lime and stone = Under lock and key/Shut tight/Closed firmly. 

Finally . . . Did you know?

• Despite sailing West 4 times, Columbus (Colón) never got to the South America mainland, which he always insisted was China’.
• The first Spanish settlement on the mainland was in 1510 at Santa María la Antigua, along the Darién coast. Then – as now – Darién was a foetid swamp and possibly the most unsuitable place on the entire continent to do this. The settlement became less permanent over the following decades and the region turned into a frontier zone with a sparse Spanish presence due to inhospitable geography, hostile native groups, and violently angry escaped slaves.
• An indication of what was like can be gained from the opening scenes in the ‘widely acclaimed’ film, Aguirre, the Wrath of God.
• The most famous Scottish settlement attempt was the Darién Scheme (1698–1700) on the Isthmus of Panama. The venture ended disastrously due to disease, famine, lack of support, and Spanish opposition, leading to high mortality and abandonment. The cost of this failure almost bankrupted the country and led to the Union with (much richer) England in 1707.

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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.

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