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

The VdG today. Not good news . . . In 2025, Galicia has the highest rate of deaths from respiratory illnesses in Spain. However, these are not the leading causes of death in a population as aged as Galicia’s. Circulatory diseases and tumours are the leading causes. The report also includes external causes of death – among which stand out accidental falls, suicides, traffic accidents, and drownings. Overall, the highest number of deaths were recorded in the 90-94 age group. Men died mainly from tumours, and women from circulatory system diseases.

There was a report in the DdP yesterday of a una growshop being broken into. I had no idea what this was but my elder daughter correctly guessed it was a place dealing in marijuana and related accoutrements.

The woman who never draws breath in my Pilates class got into a tizz this morning because she didn’t have enough cash to pay the monthly fee. After she’d treated us all to a dissertation on what she’d done with her cash in the previous day or two, this conversation took place between me and her:-

Don’t worry. You can pay by card

He doesn’t take cards. (‘No las come‘)

Yes he does, though he doesn’t like to.

You are evil. So English! So English.

Possibly thought I’m descended from Francis Drake.

Europe

Dear god . . . Airlines and airports have called for the new EU biometric border check system – the EES – to be suspended during the peak summer holiday period, warning that some flights are leaving half full and passengers are struggling in queues of up to 5 hours.

The World Cup

So, England are still in, by the skin of their teeth. And France forges ahead. Shame they’re scheduled to meet Spain before the Final.

The Middle East War

The latest update from Naked Capitalism.

The United States of Trump America

Quote: No one can understand how phenomenally stupid Trump is. Not just stupid but also phenomenally incurious. Not just uninterested in information but unwilling to receive it.

Trump ‘rages wildly’ at decisions of the Supreme Court and demands again that Republicans pass his onerous voter suppression in response to one of them. Podcast

The truth about Trump’s demented greed Podcast Video

The white working class knows the (US)American project isn’t working. Here’s why that will never matter to them. Access to power over other racial groups is their preferred political currency.

The Way of the World

What happens when there’s no human involvement and machines take all the decisions . . . All the ads on my phone and laptop were in French yesterday. And again today. The reason seems to be that my VPN keeps connecting itself to Paris . . 

Did you know?

The ‘night witches’ of World War 2.

Finally . . .You Have to Laugh

‘Sparkling Wit’: Mona Lisa looks as if she’s just been sick or is about to be: Noel Coward

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

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

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 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.