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

Life expectancy in Spain now surpasses 84 years.

Last year, 318,005 babies were born, the lowest number in over 80 years. Without immigrants, the country would be dying.

The true cost of getting around in Spain.

Lenox Napier of Business Over Tapas advises that property prices in Spain are 70% above the EU average. This is yet another indication of the severity of the situation, where the county has been grappling with a housing shortage for years and highlights the loss of property-purchasing power among families.

Lenox also cites other aspects of a housing crisis that just keeps getting worse . . .

• There are now more single-person households, a low birth rate, and an ageing population: Is Spain building the homes of the future for families of the past? . . . Spain is building the same type of housing as 20 years ago, failing to adapt to the market and an irreversible demographic shift.
• Spain has gone from having more than enough homes to a historic deficit: 700,000 homes are needed. A lack of land, bureaucratic problems, and above all, the near-non-existence of a construction and development sector, decimated after the 2008 crisis, means that barely 100,000 homes are built in Spain each year. And the need for more housing, according to official bodies, is growing. Is it feasible to build 700,000 homes in the medium term to meet the increasing demand? 

More on the difficulties of dealing with the tax man in Spain as a self-employed autonoma.

Back during our hot, dry summer, I expressed doubt about assurances that the new commercial centre in O Vao, on the outskirts of Pv city, would be ready for Xmas. After the unusually heavy rains of autumn and early winter, I can confidently predict it certainly won’t be. And it might not be ready for Xmas 2026. A lot of profit opportunities lost for Decathlon et al.

The UK

The new crusaders: Meet the religious conservatives who – bankrolled by the US – are attacking British rights and access to abortion.

The USA

At a rally on ‘affordability’ in Pennsylvania, Trump said prices were too high, claimed he had fixed inflation and insisted it was all a Democratic hoax anyway. And there are still many millions of Americans too dumb to doubt him. There are none so blind . . .

Two European reactions to the bizarre Trump/Miller national strategy document:-

• Trump’s view of Europe sounds the alarm. In pursuit of an America First foreign policy, the president is prepared to jeopardise 80 years of liberal world order. . . . The Pax Americana has gone and we are present at the creation of the post-postwar world.
• Maga’s strange rage against Europe. The cradle of western civilisation is wrongly accused of betraying it.

Quote of the Day

FIFA indulged Messi, Ronaldo and Trump. Is it any wonder there’s no trust accorded to the organisation?

Spanish

• Bisutería: Jewellery.
• Hacer un trompo: To spin your car, to do a brody [US, I guess], to do a doughnut [British]
• Trueque: Barter, exchange.
• Regleta: Extension lead, multi-socket extension or power strip. Also Ladrón, Thief.
• Liado: What a versatile word . . . .Busy, tied up, caught up, wrapped up, confused, mixed up, roped, messed up, muddled, screwed up, made out, having an affair, hooked/hooking up, shacked up

Did you know?

We are coming up to Ugly Jersey Day” (Día del jersey feo). Needless to say, this is a tradition that started in the USA and then spread to other countries, including Spain, where schools, companies and media have adopted it. It divides opinions . . . . As do all phony commercially-driven anniversaries.

You Have to Laugh

Finally . . .

The less said of Trump’s FIFA peace prize, the better, except there is still no word from FIFA on the process by which the decision was made or the identities of any other candidates discussed. It’s just a surprise Infantino didn’t mint his own Grammy and give it to the Village People for Y.M.C.A

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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.