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

Hmm. The EU has initiated an investigation into the possibility of fraud around funds – 11m euros – for the repair of the railway line where there was the recent terrible crash between 2 trains.

Why you shouldn’t click on any SMS text message purportedly from the Hacienda.

Noémi tells us here about a special aperitivo. Which is not really an aperitive.

Less positive news from Barcelona is that rats are leaving the sinking HMS Gulf States are heading in droves for that city, raising prices of short-term rentals.

I seem to be having problems with links . . . Here’s another repeated item, this time with the link. . . My favourite Galician village name . . Dead Cat. [That took 3 tries . . .]

If you’re a long-time reader, skip this . . . This morning I followed a truck driver towards a 2-lane roundabout. There was a car coming the other way in the outer lane. In most (all?) other countries you’d be safe to assume the driver was going straight on and not turning across you. But not in Spain. The truck driver waited – as I would’ve done – to make sure he wasn’t going to be hit by the car in the outside lane. As you should always do, regardless of any signal. Never assume anything at a Spanish roundabout.

The Middle East War

See my earlier post.

Trump’s re-hashed 15-point plans is unlikely to appease Iran, which has its own tough demands, allegedly just increased as they scent US weakness/panic.

Good point: The Law of Unintended Consequences – What greater incentive could Iran now have to build nuclear weapons than the attack by Israel and the USTA ? Witness North Korea.

The United States of Trump America

Check out the huge dissonance between;-

• This: At 1h/02: The maniacal Miller praises Trump’s “vision, courage, and determination”, calls his crime crackdown a “national miracle” that will be studied for centuries and asserts that the Cabinet of clownish sycophants is the best in US history. Asked by Trump to ‘top that’, Patel follows by claiming Trump has safeguarded the country for generations.
• And this: The reality of the adverse reaction to Trump’s sadism and bloodlust, as evidenced by his dreadful poll numbers across the board.

Hegseth and company are promoting an ultimately nihilist cult of death. Never before has an administration so openly glorified outright killing as the current White House propaganda machine does with its obscene snuff videos of the Iran war and the destruction of small boats.

Query: Does Trump believe any of his humongous lies? He might. See here – Podcast or Video – at minute 25 – or not long after that point.

Spanish

• Y punto: That’s it. Enough said. Full stop/Period.
• Americana: A tailored blazer or sport jacket – part of a suit or worn on its own. RAE: A fabric jacket, with lapels and buttons, that reaches below the hip.
• Allanar: To pave. To smooth.

English

An amusing article about an app which transforms normal English into business jargon. And vice-versa.

You Have to Laugh

Or do you?? This is a nice article about a comedian whom I disliked when very young – because of the smarminess cited – but whom I grew to admire hugely for the reasons mentioned by the writer.

Finally . . .

My YouTube ads tend to be in English for Tai Chi programs or in Spanish for lots of other things. Today I got one in Arabic, for which I have no explanation beyond a rogue algorithm.

Finally . . . Finally

A romantic little poem from a friend in Porriño. where she runs a language academy.

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.

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.