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 new US ambassador will try to make Spain understand “It’s a great mistake” in not raising defence spending to 5%. Good luck with that. At least when the PSOE is in power.

The Xunta and Aena plan to have a big meeting in early 2026 to decide how to stop Galician airports declining. I could tell them in 5 seconds . . .

I continue to be astonished that 25% of the properties in Pv city are unoccupied, or 8,000. And that nationally, it’s 3 million, I’m told. Numerous reasons they say, Including co-ownership where the family members can’t agree on a sale. Hardly surprising that rental increases in Pv city are 5 times higher than in Vigo and 3 times those in La Coruna.

Not having a car at the moment, I’m using taxis a lot. Talking last night with a Spanish friend about the difficulty of getting one on some days and at some times, he proffered the view that they work the hours convenient to them, not to customers. And that their cartel restricts competition, eg from Uber-type services. In a local paper this morning, a local taxi driver was complaining that, if there’s no taxi around, customers indulge in the disgraceful behaviour of availing themselves of private operators.

Talking of local papers . . . Both the DdeP and the VdG today had several pages inserted by the Pv council and the Xunta, plus – in one of them – a Pets Special, full of ads for vets. This is the ‘institutional advertising’ that Lenox Napier writes about, Which probably keeps the papers afloat. And compliant.

Wild boars are a real nuisance and a menace in Galicia. But the hunting season is now on and there is no restriction on how many you can kill, so long as you have a licence.

Perhaps not even the gypsies will pick this up . . .

The UK

There’s currently a ´plague’ of octopuses in British waters. As there’s a shortage here in Galicia, lots are being shipped here. They should be cheaper in our restaurants but probably aren’t.

Mad MAGAworld

• I love the sound of construction* in progress It reminds me of money. [In this case, demolition. Of the East Wing]
• I don’t know who he is even though I pardoned him. It was recommended to me*. I do a lot of pardons. [* Very possibly on the golf course.]

Trump sinks to a new low and takes the US to turning point.

A fascinating podcast on 5 previous ‘evil’ presidents who tried to take advantage of the Constitution. Interesting to hear that before it was signed one person recognised that this would be an inevitable consequence of a poorly constructed document. And encouraging to hear that the people have always fought back. And will do so again.

The Way of the World

Returnees . . . A trend?

• After only 12 months here, Richard Gere and his Gallega wife are quitting Spain and going back to the USA
• .A digital nomad goes back home, leaving Spain for the UK.

Social Media

• From that article . . . There’s a danger in online trends like #QuitTok, “lazy girl jobs” and the “soft life”, which glamorise quitting without a plan.
• Thanks to visibility on the internet, barber shops are always full. Really?

Spanish

• Eructar: To belch, burp
• Arreglar la garganta[?]: To hawk
• Slim: Slim-fit
• Ventosa: Suction cup, sucker
• Cisjordania: The West Bank
• Flechazo: Crush. Love at first sight. Think Cupid and his bow.

English

A trap for Americans speaking to Brits . . . ‘Randy’:

• US: Rude and aggressive. (Allegedly Scottish in origin)
• UK: Sexually aroused; lustful; lecherous.

You Have to Laugh

In 1971, the city planning board of Greensboro, N.C., proposed the name ‘Forkover Place’ for the downtown street on which the regional office of the IRS was located.. The IRS objected, and the street was named ‘Federal Place’.

Finally . . .

My phone is smart enough to recognise that I live in Spain but not that I’m an English speaker. So, the ads that litter the podcasts I favour are in Spanish. Which leads me to this question . . . Is there anything odder than hearing an actor playing Ethan Hawke promoting a film, in Spanish? Yes, there is. It’s a Spanish speaker listing to NH speaking in English and exclaiming ‘That’s not his real voice!’.

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