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

As forecast – and for various reasons – September will see a shortfall in the workers necessary to bring in the grape harvest. If supply is inadequate, prices will rise.

Meanwhile, our annual Peregrina festival is in full swing, with all the nocturnal noise associated with it. Last night, we dined 100 metres from a concert venue and had trouble hearing each other speak. We can also hear said concert in my house quite some way away in Poi de Arriba.

I was surprised to see scenes of almost total darkness at the moment of complete eclipse last night. Here in Pv city and Poio, it was still gloriously sunny 35 minutes and not very dark at all when the 99% point was reached. All rather disappointing, especially when the 4 pinhole cameras that my sister and younger daughter had laboured long to construct didn’t work at all. For reasons unknown.

The DdP reports that some 300 people were treated after the eclipse, mostly for ocular problems. Possibly as a result of buying inadequate glasses in Chinese bazares. We had no luck either in getting some of the 30,000 free ones or in buying some in a pharmacy but a Spanish couple nearby kindly leant us theirs.

There was a fatal accident on a roundabout close to Vigo airport yesterday. After being truly shocked by seeing near-accidents when drivers suddenly turned left from the outside lane, my sister would not be surprised to hear of it. As I wasn’t, of course.

The Middle East War

The latest update from Naked Capitalism. Prospects of a long war rise.

The United States of Trump America

Trump told the country not to feel sorry for Joe Biden’s stage 4 prostate cancer because “he’s vicious” A sitting president publicly dismissing a dying man’s suffering as political score-settling. No dignity. No basic humanity. Just raw cruelty!

Is Trump really going to declare a state of emergency so that he can – one way an another – rig the elections?

The evil puppet-master Stephen Miller melts down in a bonkers 4-minute TV monologue

Ms Leavitt:

• Even her snivelling goodbye was a lie.
• Snarky Karoline Leavitt has stumbled into a Trump trap — and will take the fall.

For those who missed them, the last pages of Kurt Andersen’s fascinating run through the USA’s history – Fantasyland: How America went haywire. A 500 year history.

Spanish

• Papel: Paper. Role, part
• Alarde. Boast, showing off, display
• Descantarse: Choose, decide

Did you know?

Some folk can see colours the rest of us can’t.

You Have to Laugh

Finally . . .

Well, the last 7 of my 11 house guests left today, leaving me rather blue. Although the summer isn’t yet over, it suddenly seems to be. Meanwhile, I’m left with at least 10 washing machine loads of clothes and bedding. Where is a lovely South American chica when you need one? Absent her, no ironing will be done. Except of my shirts. Tomorrow, a 20km walk, to shake me out of the doldrums.

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

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.