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

German buyers are still an important force in Spain’s foreign property market, but the latest Land Registrar figures show demand cooling after the post-pandemic boom. 

Curros are round-ups of wild horses in Galicia, followed by Rapas das Bestas*, at which manes and tails are cut, the horses de-wormed and branded, and the foals sold off. There is a huge, tourist-oriented one in Sabudeco the first weekend in July but there are 14 others dotted around the region between May and end August. Many of these never see a guiri.     *See this documentary called Rapa. BTW: Not all horses are caught using a rope. Often, they’re pulled to the ground by 2 or 3 loitadores or ‘fighters/strugglers’. As here, in Sabucedo.

When I first came to live in Spain back in 2000, I was delighted to find that my favourite fish – mackerel (caballa) – was by far the cheapest in the market. This, I learned, was because the Spanish – or the Galicians at least – preferred blander white fish – especially hake (merluza) – and found mackerel too strong. But prices for it have risen significantly and it’s no longer the cheap option it was. Why? Because of all the bloody Caminoers who now spend at least one night in Pv city. Especially the wealthier ones who eat out every night and who like ‘healthier’ mackerel as much as I do. Meaning, of course, that demand has risen. Maybe I should start a rumour that mackerel are full of mercury. Or, more topically, microplastics.

When he was visiting San Sebastian in 1957, H V Morton wrote: A sight which pleased me was a hot-chestnut man who was roasting his nuts[sic] in the boiler of a model locomotive, an antique descendant of the ‘Rocket’, with a high smokestack from which real smoke emerged. We still have one of these every autumn and winter in Pv city.

Life’s gnat bites . . . Having been helped by an AI engine to find the part I needed for my washing machine – the lint filter – I called Balay this morning to buy it. When I was told it would cost me c, €70, against 14 on the web page, I asked why and was told I had to buy the drainage pump as well. Which struck me as ridiculous, as the filter is a separate piece which threads in and out. So, I’m now looking to buy a new machine. But not from Balay.

Portugal

Portugal, as in other countries, will now allow you to practice driving without the need for a qualified driving instructor, as long as your co-driver has passed his/her test. Needless to say, the Spanish instructors’ union – a cartel if ever there was one – says this will lead to worse driving and more accidents. From what I see several times a day near the driving test centre, the opposite is probably true.

The Middle East War

The latest update from Naked Capitalism. Yet another market-influencing claim from Trump that a deal in near, despite exchanges of ‘defensive’ fire. 

The United States of Trump America

An insane threat from the head of ICE. 

An insight into the Cabinet of Clowns, the surprising identity of the most sycophantic member, and an (un?)astonishing profile of Trump of 35 years ago. Podcast or Video

English

Sesquipedalian: 1. A long word. 2. A person who uses long words. 3. Given to or characterised by the use of long words. Think Russel Brand. Or, further upmarket, Will Self. US examples are said to be William F. Buckley and, these days, George Will of the Washington Post.

Did You know?

I asked Perplexity: When did American English switch from S to Z in words like ‘characterise’? The answer, which I’d suspected was the case: American English didn’t switch from S to Z. American English retained the original -ize spelling while British English shifted to -ise, to match French spelling. The -ize spelling is the etymologically correct form. So, maybe I should stop changing -ize to -ise . . .

The same might well be true of center and centre. And harbor and harbour. I will check.

Finally . . . You Have to Laugh

A brave/stupid Finn . . 

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 read on 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.

Finally . . . Finally . . . 

 As it’s the start of the month . . .  Some readers, I hope, will know that the verse I cite at the top of my posts is the opening quatrain of Fitzgerald’s wonderful – but very ‘free’ – translation of The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, which you can read about here. Some verses are well known, of course, eg:-

The moving finger writes; and, having writ,
moves on: nor all thy piety nor wit
shall lure it back to cancel half a line,
Nor all thy tears wash out a word of it.

My favourite:-

Myself when young did eagerly frequent
doctor and saint, and heard great argument
about it and about: but evermore
came out by the same door as in I went.

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. And on Substack here. 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.

Finally . . . Finally . . .

As it’s the start of the month . . .  Some readers, I hope, will know that the verse I cite at the top of my posts is the opening quatrain of Fitzgerald’s wonderful – but very ‘free’ – translation of The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, which you can read about here. Some verses are well known, of course, eg:-

The moving finger writes; and, having writ,
moves on: nor all thy piety nor wit
shall lure it back to cancel half a line,
Nor all thy tears wash out a word of it.

My favourite:-

Myself when young did eagerly frequent
doctor and saint, and heard great argument
about it and about: but evermore
came out by the same door as in I went