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

Will the government go for 5 years without getting a Budget approved? Meanwhile . . .

Says the DdP . . Rural depopulation continues to leave its mark on Pontevedra’s interior. The province had 182 uninhabited villages as of January 1, 2025, 10 more than in 2024. Among these some villages were only recently emptied but there are others with zero residents for decades.

Somewhere in Pv city there’s an envelope with more than €2,000 in it. Or there was . . .

By and large, I don’t have complaints about service in Spain. But DIY places do seem to specialise in slowness – both large stores like Bricoking and small ironmongers/hardware stores, or ferreterías. We have a delightfully old fashioned ferretería in Pv city but one can wait 10 minutes there before being attended. Usually because neither the previous customer nor the shop assistant is in anything resembling a hurry. On the other hand, when you finally get to be served, they’re happy to sell you a single screw. And then wrap it in newspaper and sellotape it. Swings and roundabouts.

The Middle East War

The latest update from Naked Capitalism. More sound and fury from Trump. And mockery from Iran.

The United States of Trump America

Well, the good news is that the vile Stephen Miller has lost some power in the White House. The bad news is that he’s expected to get it back, as he knows how to play Trump

From the Board of the WSJ: Affordability Brainstorms, Good and Bad. It’s the season for policy gimmicks in the name of “affordability,” and some ideas are worse than others. Didn’t Trump say affordability was a Democratic hoax?

The Trump administration combines reality show nonsense with very real grifting. This time the Transportation Secretary.

The brainless Grifter-in-Chief is bound for China. And optimism is not high.

• Trump’s got no cards. . . Xi’s got them ALL. Podcast or Video
• The always entertaining David Rothkopf: How Trump will cave in China. And why Vance is the equivalent of huntavirus. Podcast or video

Click here if you’d like to see Trump’s litany of lies re the Iran war. There are so many, I guarantee you’ll have forgotten many of them. Consistent they ain’t.

See below under The Usual Links for commentators I follow via podcasts or YouTube videos.

Russia v Ukraine

Putin’s special operation/war comes to Moscow.

The Way of the World

Hantavirus isn’t the next Covid but try telling that to the news media. Reality doesn’t sell papers. Or cause clicks.

Spanish

• Primer termino: Foreground
• Cebarse: To feed off. To be fattened.
• Saltar por el aire: To collapse.

Statutes: A useful rule of thumb is that in Spanish legal translation, shall is usually translated by a mandatory expression (deber), while will is usually translated by a neutral future or a simple statement of fact.

Did you know?

Nile crocodiles kill 200 people a year. Hippos manage 500 but in the whole of Africa.

You Have to Laugh

Finally . . .

This is a Spanish singer I first heard – and liked – 20 years ago. She is best known for her bolero‑style songs and links to the flamenco world. I was confused by an article which used her name but for a different singer. Turns out the latter was legally compelled to stop using it and became known as, first, Ambar and, later, Yurena. Can’t say I like her stuff.

BTW: That CD of Tamara disappeared some years ago, along with several others. But the good news is that still have the case for it . . .

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

The Usual Links . . .

The US commentators I follow, all on Podbean and/or YouTube for free:-

• The Daily Beast Podcast/Video
• Inside Trump’s Head Podcast/Video
• The Daily Blast with Greg Sargent Podcast
• The Rest is Politics US Podcast/Video
• The DSR Network Podcast
• The Politics Girl Video. Amusing
• The Daily Show Video. Very amusing

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 X at Thoughts from Galicia. I no longer post 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.