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/Galiza

The housing problem and its sharply differential solutions. [You need to know that VPOs are ‘ ‘officially protected housing, promoted or subsidized by the public administration’.]

Lenox Napier returns here to the case of the persecution of the PM’s wife.

This is an article on the scallop shell – not ‘conch’ – so prominent on the Camino de Santiago. BTW . . . This faces different ways in Asturias from Galicia, despite having had a thousand years to standardise this. Very Spanish.

Since the signs have disappeared, I had thought the Pv city mayor had scrapped his 10kph (6mph) speed limit for cars but apparently not. It was cited in an article on the street down which I used to drive home from the supermarket in Lérez, before they began the roadworks there many, many months ago. This was the ancient road north to Santiago de Compostela and is now the main Camino route out of town. It used to be the only one but now there are 4. Times change. Anyway, according to our mayor, the main purpose of the road works – and the 10kph limit now being imposed – is to stop some of the thousands of Caminoers being mown down by cars doing more than this. Fair enough, but it’d be good if the mayor could turn his attention to cyclists and skaters careering through the old quarter at far higher speeds than this, at risk to both adults and, in particular, to kids blithely running around there.

Anyway . . . Organising files on my laptop this morning, I came across a very early blog post of mine – of 10 February 2002. It’s in a document labelled OOS but I can’t recall what this stood for . . . This is the week of ‘Carnival’ in Pontevedra, and in nearly every other town in Spain. Here things end next Friday with the ceremonial burning of a large stuffed parrot, after a long, colourful and raucous parade which is effectively a mock cortège. Why it is a parrot is hard to explain. In other towns near here they burn effigies of a sardine. Anyway, between the start and end of Carnival – or entroido as it appears to be called in Galicia – there are a number of events. Yesterday there was a carnival parade, a la Rio de Janeiro or New Orleans. On Friday there was the official opening of the ceremonies down in the old town – the arrival and welcoming of King Urcai, or somebody like that. I decided to go but it didn’t help that the two leaflets giving out the time and the place differed in respect of each. As I’ve said, there’s not a great reverence for precision or accuracy in Spain. So, I went down for the earlier of the two times and found the town quite full of people in fancy dress. But I couldn’t find the place where the king was being received. Eventually, following the sound of music, I came across a little square I’ve never seen before. Here there was stage on which a group was belting out live music at the neighbour-deafening levels which are quite normal in Spain, though not usually as early as 9pm. I had clearly missed the official opening ceremonies but the compensation was that there was a newly restored ‘pazo’, or mansion, in the square, which I was able to take a look at. Very impressive, if sombre, in solid granite. At one time, the inhabitants must have had a wonderful view down to and across the river up into the mountains but whatever is left of this is about to be obliterated by a riverside development of apartments.

ALICE IN MAGAWORLD

Query: Can it be that Trump’s success is based on these 3 factors:-

• His father’s money,
• An early conviction that he could succeed via outrageous lies, constantly repeated. First in the property business in New York, then in reality TV and, finally, in politics,

and

• Taking legal action against everyone who crossed him in any way at all. At huge expense to them.

If so, what does it tell us about the USA? But I think we know the answer to that.

Very telling . . . The 2 psychologists behind Shrinking Trump have published their last episode, for fear of being persecuted and prosecuted by Trump’s Department of Justice.

Is it true that Google is blocking searches on Trump and dementia?

The Way of the World

An interesting (short) video, where these bones are fleshed out: Why, oh why do poor white people [in the USA] vote against themselves time and time again? They vote for Trump and other MAGA politicians only to have every promise broken, prices go up, and social support evaporate. The reasons:-

• 1. They believe in the psychological wage of whiteness.
• 2. They are convinced that the lesser people are the big threat to them.
• 3. The politicians promise to keep “them” in their place.
• 4. They vote for the punishment, not the policies.

This is by Kellie Snider, who says she is an artist, author, and unapologetic truth-teller, who uses history, behavior science and storytelling to expose the roots of racism and white supremacy.

Spanish

• Peregrinos: Pilgrims.
• Turigrinos: Walkers on the Camino who aren’t doing it for religious reasons.
• Palabrería: Verbiage, wordiness.

English

Receipt: The currently fashionable word for ‘evidence’ or ‘proof’.

Did you know?

I can’t think of a way to introduce this other than with the Latin words Paruria Erratica.

Finally . . .

I’ve been listening to 2 clever guys talk on a podcast about the origins of socialism and its various forms. Given that there’s frequent use of the words fuck, shit, shitty, bitch and bastard, I’m guessing that the target audience is Gen Z. I have no problem with the words but doubt they do anything to help the discourse. I can’t imagine a university lecturer using them but I might well be wrong these days. Maybe they, too, feel they have to get down with the kids.

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.