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

Starting on a positive note . . . Spain ranks no. 1 in the world for digital nomadding. And possibly will remain so until the Hacienda gets its teeth into the deluded fools, whom it will treat as low-hanging fruit that delivers easy commissions. See previous articles on victims of the Beckham Law tax regime. Or perhaps I’ve become too cynical.

Less positive . . . Spain is, as we know, doing well economically. Not so much the Spaniards who live in it.

A property law (non)development, for those renting out here.

This –  is an article on (so far) secret places in Spain to tour in. Sadly, Galicia is cited but I swear that all the others are better and you should concentrate on these.

At the local level . . . There is universal opposition on the Pv city council to the multi-billion ‘ghost road’ designed as a(nother) bypass for the city. All parties would like Madrid to cancel further work on the A-57 which would extend it from south east of Pv city to a town a tad closer to Santiago de Compostela. This would justify its alternative nickname – ‘The road to nowhere’. But Madrid might well have its reasons for continuing with its nonsensical plan.

This fine article on Galicia’s football teams contains more than you possibly want to know about Pv F. C.

Europe

Forecasts for EU growth have been slightly increased, thanks to better numbers for Poland and Spain. Which, of course, happen to be the biggest beneficiaries of largess from Brussels. I guess it helps. Even if some of it is misspent.

The mad, bad world of MAGA

So, why has Trump done a 180 on the Epstein files, asking Republicans to order him to do something he’s always said he had the power to do but refused to do? Who really knows but the best view is that it’s effectively a bluff – a tactical retreat. By simultaneously opening investigations into Democrats implicated, his MoJ can justify not releasing whatever they are not ‘legally entitled’ to release. So, classic sophistry: A false argument intended to deceive.

Spanish Idioms

• Decir algo de labios para fuera – To say something you don’t mean.
• Estar hecho un aji – “To be made a chilli pepper’: To be very angry
• Tener un humor de perros: To be in a bad mood.

English

Parasocial: Another Word of the Year. This time from the Cambridge Dictionary: When someone feels a connection between themselves and a famous person they don’t know. Like me and Taylor Swift, even though I’ve never heard her sing. But she is a subscriber . . .

Finally . . .

Reader Colin confirms that the backslash key appears on UK laptops and this is true of the (useless) back-up laptop I bought in the UK last year. But, then, they don’t have to find space for Ç, Ñ and ¿. Nor for a key that allows you to add accents.

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 and on X.

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.