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 PM is facing a fresh political setback after his brother was found guilty of administrative misconduct. Professional musician David Sanchez was slapped with a 9-year ban from public office after a court in found he had been unlawfully appointed to a senior cultural post within a regional administration. The conviction deals a fresh blow to the Socialist PSOE premier, whose government and inner circle have been rocked by a series of corruption-related scandals over the past 2 years. This is fair, as it’s a fact that all appointments in Spain are made properly and not through cronyism or nepotism (enchufismo). So, an example needs to be set. And why not the PM’s brother? As opposed to, say, the boyfriend of the Presidenta of the Madrid region. Or any relative of any regional or provincial president. Or municipal mayor.

With impeccable timing, Noémi tells us here why football is so important in Spanish culture. This is the Iniesta goal, by the way.

Astonishing art.

As if there weren’t enough reasons to cancel trains from Galicia to Madrid, we now have another one – sparks from engines setting forests on fire.

Talking of gripes . . . Coffee has reached 2 euros a cup on at least one of the terraces in Pv city’s old quarter. I know this is cheap by some standards but it was only 60 cents (100) pesetas back in 2000. So, an increase of 230% in 26 years. Or more than 5% a year. Which actually kicked off with a 68% increase in 2002, when 60 centimos (100 pesetas) became 168 centimos (€1.0) overnight, on the introduction of the euro. Talk about opportunism!

Portugal

Our nearest Portuguese town is to get a major facelift. For me, it will always be the place in which I had a row with my then wife over the ton of crockery she’d bought in a market there to take back to England. Where we lived a few miles north of The Potteries and all its wares. The thing is, she’d planned to do this and had sent me to the town’s fortaleza to distract me. And then asked me, post facto, not to be annoyed with her. Which didn’t work, to say the least.

The World Cup

Congrats to Spain, who did what I feared they wouldn’t do and outplayed France. I enjoyed watching the match with my two (female) Spanish neighbours, who shrieked rather a lot throughout the match but especially at the final whistle. Infecting my daughter. I hope my expectation about England tonight also proves wrong. If so and England wins, it’ll be an interesting Sunday night next door. When there will be even more shrieks, I’m sure.

The Middle East War

The latest update from Naked Capitalism. TACO Trump does it again . . .

The United States of Trump America

So, the mystery of who ruined the plastic layer at the bottom of the Reflecting Pool has been solved. And it wasn’t a treasonous Left lunatic. It was Trump himself, who drove over it in a heavy motorcade not long after it had been laid. Believe it or believe it not, Trump has been lying for weeks to deflect attention from himself. But draining the pool has revealed the tyre/tire tracks.

The real mystery is why this took so long to come out

A 3rd mystery has been resolved but it doesn’t look good for (US)America.

Spanish

• Paquete: Packet. And the passenger on motorbike or scooter.
• Firme: Road surface. Or: ‘Solid layer of ground, on which a foundation can be built’.
• Transformar: To convert, as in a successful penalty kic.

Did you know?

Fantomah – The forgotten superheroine.

You Have to Laugh

Just got this from my friend in Hamburg, with the tag line: The first time ever in human history England is popular:–

Finally . . .

Warning – Be careful about choosing your wotsap name.

Finally . . . Finally . . .

I learnt today that copper pipes, for a multiplicity of reasons connected with the water ‘quality’, can deteriorate over time, leading to pinhole leaks. In my case, 3 within 4 weeks. Presumably the same (unidentified) cause. So, I guess I can expect more. Unless, says the plumber, I change all the copper tubing in the house for modern plastic ones. Or maybe change – somehow – the quality of the water. Or filter it.

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

The Usual Links .

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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.