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

Says Mark Stücklin: The Spanish property boom and crash of 2002-2007 remains one of the most extraordinary episodes in the country’s housing history. I’ll say. You had to live here to witness the madness in action,

Talking of the property market . . . Could these be related? . . .

• It’s reported that Barcelona’s property market is seeing an upsurge in homes for sale, as landlords flee tough rental caps.
• Mark Stücklin tells us here that: No region in Spain imposes more political intervention, bureaucracy and administrative burdens on the housing market than Cataluña. But: Selling and renting in Cataluña just got slightly easier: One pointless obligation has been scrapped.

More good news . .. . Smoking and vaping are to be prohibited for minors, with fines of 200 euros. But I wonder if the law will be obeyed and policed as infrequently as those around e-bikes.

The vicious/playful orcas are still at it off our cost.

This Parador seems to be generally accepted as the most spectacular in Spain.

The weather:

• As Spain is set to experience its third 3rd wave of the summer, the state meteorological agency tells us: It’s no longer just a heat wave; it’s the climate.
• The VdG tells us that more Galician councils are restricting waters. [Though possibly not on golf courses]. The heat seems to be subsiding, and clouds are reappearing on forecast maps for Galicia. But the potential rain won’t be enough to halt the continued decline in reservoir levels. In just one week, the reservoirs in the Galicia-Costa region lost water at a rapid pace.
• It actually rained early this morning – albeit lightly and briefly – just as I was watering the small bald patches on my front lawn. And then it rained again late morning, rather more heavily. Good for the grass.

The UK

Brits, for various reasons, are moving away from EU countries as holiday destinations. But the latter, including Spain, remain the top choice and the percentage of shifters – at 5-10% per country – is relatively small. Spain, Greece, Italy and France still dominate travel intentions. But the UK market is clearly more diversified than a decade ago, with North Africa, North America, the Middle East and parts of Asia now mainstream holiday choices rather than niche ones.

The Middle East War

Washington rumour has it that the US will initiate a ground invasion of Iran this coming weekend. خدا نکند Khoda nakonad. God forbid!

The latest update from Naked Capitalism.

The United States of Trump America

Trump: People walk into the Oval Office and no matter who they are, they just sort of feel different, and it’s a great place to negotiate because everyone is all discombobulated when they walk in, and it’s a great time for me to negotiate with them. So we do that as often as possible. [Nowt to do with all the tacky gold, then?]

Not satisfied with his idiocy to date, Trump’s now imposed tariffs on another 80 countries. Cue more lies about billions from foreigners and, of course, increased prices.

Is Trump preparing for a ground invasion of Iran

Spanish

• Baldeo: Wash-down, hose-down, sluicing.
• Argentina se queda huérfana: Argentina is now an orphan.
• Abolladura: Dent. [As in the car I passed yesterday with one of my rear doors open, as my grandson hadn’t closed it . . .]

Did you know?

The very first spam message was sent in 1994 on the Usenet precursor to the internet as we now know it. It was sent to all users and said: Global Alert for all: Jesus is Coming soon.

Finally . . .

Not a bad description of a smartphone: In every pocket there is now a library, a phonograph, a radio, a movie theater, and a television, as well as a post office, a printing press, a telegraph, a still and video camera, a recording studio, a navigation system, and a radio and TV station. It is advanced technology indistinguishable from magic. 

Finally . . .Finally . . .

My younger daughter and her 3 kids arrived at Oporto airport this evening, on a flight that was delayed almost 2 hours. They then had to have fingerprints and photos taken – another hour – and are now making the 2 hour journey to Pv city. It’s at times like this that I get annoyed by Galicia’s failure to get its act together. And that, as a result, Ryanair doesn’t fly from the NW of England to anywhere in Galicia.

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 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. And this, on the annual costs of owning property here.