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

This is the paragraph which, initially at least, lacked the link yesterday . . . More here on the issue of Spain dealing with an abundance of citizenship applications than it can’t cope with – specifically from ‘Franco era dependants’.

Read here of proposed new measures against the now infamous wild boars in Galicia. As the article says, the endangered pig-meat sector is a critical part of the region’s economy. BTW: If you haven’t seen the videos of large boar families being suddenly (and humanely) trapped in a cage dropped over them when feeding, here’s one.

Talking of fame . . . Someone has found a mushroom/fungus that only grows in Pv city – baptised as the Chomosera pontevedrensis.

In case you’re interested . . . Pv city’s decorations this Xmas. Click on the right/left arrow.

Today I visited the church of San Antonio de los Alamanes in Madrid. The note on file I had of it said: A donation of €2 per person is requested to attend to the social purposes of the Brotherhood. But today I had no choice but to pay a fee of €12 to see its magnificent 17th century interior. That said, I did get an audio-guide, and the right to visit nearby monastery church. An equally magnificent example of the work of Claudio Coello. considered the last great Spanish painter of the 17th century.

The UK

A favourite columnist writes here on the causes of the Beatles’ break-up.

Europe

This has taken some time . . . Brussels has announced the (coming) end of Russian gas imports. A provisional agreement has been reached that will allow for the permanent cessation of liquefied natural gas imports by 31 December 2026, and pipeline imports by 30 September 2027. Finally, it reiterates its commitment to ensuring the elimination of all oil imports by the end of 2027.

Trump – an expert on pulling countries apart, says that Europe – is committing cultural suicide. I guess we could always ask him to make it great again – largely, it seems by wearing stupid headgear and pretending black is white.

The USA

The  extraordinary and apparently capricious decision to pardon a narco shows that Trump is losing the populist touch that brought him to power. touch. The release of a Honduran kingpin goes against the president’s narco war and puts him at odds with ordinary Americans . . .His growing detachment from the realities of the lives of regular Americans has been reflected in other things Trump has said and done. 

The cracks in Trump’s coalition are already beginning to show. A regime-change war in Venezuela would be disastrous for the US president.

I’ve mentioned that I’m belatedly watching The West Wing, in which all White House staff are exceptionally bright and witty. It’s very hard to imagine the current occupants displaying these qualities. Which is why it’s being labelled The Worst Wing by some.

Quote of the Day

Another year, another chance for Melania to prove she hates Christmas. Nobody does joyless jollity quite like the first lady – a reputation that’s seen her dubbed ‘the mother of festive fury’

The Way of the World

Allegedly . . . Recycling is largely a toxic lie, pushed by the plastics industry. Who’d have thought it?

Possibly less serous . . . All the worst stereotypes about Gen Z (now 13-28 ) are true – and now even they admit it.

Spanish

• Huevos pasados por agua: Poached eggs, I think. But shouldn’t it be agua caliente?
• Dar en la tecla: To get it right. To pick it up, get the hang of it. To fall into the habit of.
• Caerse el pelo; To lose one’s hair.
• Mantener a raya: To hold off, keep at bay.

Did you know?

Reader and blogger Maria has posted fotos on FB of this lovely little pink plant.

It’s called Polyonum papitatum or Persicaria capitata but has various other names such as the pink-headed persicaria, pinkhead smartweed, pink knotweed, Japanese knotweed, pink bubble persicaria, and knotweed pink Punching Balls. I know it well, as it grows profusely in my street between stone cracks, horizontally and vertically. And I have got to grow in my garden in patches where only (less attractive) other weeds have previously flourished. It rapidly covers the ground, preventing the seeding of other weeds. As does the wild strawberry.

Finally . . .

WordPress is not the easiest platform to deal with, either as a writer or a reader. Right now, I’m trying to find out how to create Comment threads, so that folk can read all of these and my replies in one place. Anyone know how to do this? I might have to create a TfG Comments group, for identified members.. . .

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.