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

23 years on from the Azores foto-op . . . . Lenox Napier writes here on the Spanish PM refusing to repeat a predecessor’s mistake.

Spain has the highest number of births to mothers over 40 in the EU, at 10.4%. The housing crisis, tourism and the cost of living are said here to be key factors pushing the figure ever upwards.

A record number of Spanish parents are transferring cash to their kids, to help get on the property ladder as housing prices soar. [NB: These have to be done via a notary – at some cost – to avoid income tax being levied on the kids. Rules differ from region to region and there some very specific ones. Don’t just transfer money on demand!]

The mayor of Barcelona has problems selling his anti-foreigner property plan.

Petrol/gas has risen in Pv city from 1.54/L 10 days ago to 1.87 now, up 21%. This looks like a useful portal. After you’ve used the link, click on Inicio.

Europe

As European nations grow more cautious about relying on Trump’s United States, a new security structure has been created. Strangely, perhaps, while excluding Spain, it includes non-EU member the UK.

The USA

See my earlier post.

Rachel Maddow: Trump keeps shifting his argument for why the war is happening, and how long it will last. In the meantime, he’s lifting sanctions on Russian oil, at precisely the moment Russia is giving Iran the intelligence it needs to take out US facilities around the Middle East. This reversal of policy towards Russia is seen by one observer as a reminder of how US foreign policy has now fully passed through the looking-glass.

Can you believe that Trump is crazy enough to dictate shoe-wear to his male Cabinet members and that they are too pusillanimous to ignore him? Of course you can. Said a female House employee: All the boys have them. It’s hysterical because everybody’s afraid not to wear them.

Quote of the Day/Social Media

Spanish

• Gastar una broma: To play a joke/prank.
• Horquilla: Fork. Hairpin. Pitchfork. Range.
• Chungo: Bad, dodgy. Sketchy.

English

Bronx cheer: “A rude sound of derision made by blowing air through protruding lips and tongue, mimicking flatulence. Also known as a “raspberry”, it originated in early 20th-century American slang, linked to sporting events in the Bronx, New York.”

Did you know?

How to stop you smart TV doing what it might be doing without your knowledge.

You Have to Laugh

An embarrassed Finn – one that Spaniards will find impossible to understand . . .

Finally . . .

When my mother was asked to do something, her reply was usually: What did your last slave die of? If you posed this question to her when she was doing the asking, her reply was inevitably: Giving cheek.

My thanks to those readers who take the trouble to Like my posts.

The Usual Links . . .

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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 there.

If you´re thinking of moving to Spain, this link should be useful to you.