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

Here’s the FT on the case of the Mango owner who’s fell from power.

And here’s Noémi on Barcelona after dark.

At least down South, there are very long delays in getting your TEI renewed, possibly because of the increased workload arising from the regularisation of up to 500,000 undocumented immigrants.

This is a Camino luggage van – evidence that some ‘pilgrims’ are spending €140 a night in Pv city’s Parador. Ironically, the Caminoer depicted on the side of the van s carrying a rucksack , , , ,

Buying property . . . the agent and the notary aren’t enough to protect you against post-purchase problems.

Which reminds me . . . . The notary didn’t call today.

Portugal

A sad article on the Douro valley.

The Middle East War

The latest update from Naked Capitalism. The ever-vanishing deal. And dense fog.

The United States of Trump America

A nice comment on the legality of the slush fund.

Trump knows he’s losing his ‘slush fund’ and his ballroom.

Trump blurts out the plot to rid the November elections.

How Melania found Trump’s new BFF [Best Friend Forever] Podcast Video

The Way of the Worl

My friend Alex has 2 teenage daughters, one of whom yesterday introduced him to the concept of a ‘dupe’. This is the slang term for a copycat cheaper version of an expensive product such as a luxury-brand perfume. These aren’t fake or counterfeit versions of the real thing but products sold under a different name while claiming to smell the same. Needless to say, they’re aimed at teenagers and promoted by the modern scourge of commissioned influencers. Who might or might not reaveal thet’re being paid to dupe you.. Remarkably, you can order them on line but collect them from a store – such as Zara – which sells them. In Zara’s case, via its own line of branded dupes. Here are some Zara perfume dupes people commonly mention. Originals on the right:.-

A few Zara dupes are especially famous because they get very close to the designer scent, while others are more “in the style of” than exact copies. Red Temptation and Golden Decade are two of the most frequently cited example

• Red Temptation → Maison Francis Kurkdjian Baccarat Rouge 540
• Golden Decade → YSL Libre
• Hypnotic Vanilla → Dior Hypnotic Poison
• Rose Gourmand → Mancera Roses Vanille
• Cocoa Bliss → Versace Bright Crystal
• Dark Romance → Giardini di Toscana Bianco Latte
• Ebony Wood → Jo Malone Wood Sage & Sea Salt

Spanish

• A no ser que: Unless
• Ir al pelo: To suit perfectly
• Talante: Character

English

We do say ‘First of all . . . ‘ but we don’t say ‘Second of all . . .’. Instead, we say ‘Secondly . . .’ Usually after ‘Firstly . . .’

Did you know about?

Haiti’s zombie law.

You Have to Laugh

The British golfer Nick Faldo had a caddie called Fanny Sunneson. One day they were lining up shots at the Scottish Open, and the TV commentator advised: “Some weeks Nick likes to use Fanny but on other weeks he prefers to do it by himself”.

Finally . . .

Thanks again to Perry for this talk on our genetic origins, stretching back far longer than the usual DNA testing service.

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 no longer post on Facebook. But I can be readon X at Thoughts from Galicia. And on Substack here.

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.