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

Disturbing fotos from Ceuta suggest that the authorities there have some real problems on their hands. These are of unaccompanied minors and not-so-young men waiting to be processed. I had one of teenage girls but this seems to have been lost.

It’s calculated that the death rate among the thousands who same to Ceuta was ‘low’, at 1-3 %.

Our local problems are somewhat less serious. . .

This final week of August will be rainy every day and temperatures will fall from last week’s peak of 38 to 19-26. In addition, according to Meteogalicia, the sea will be ‘sheepish’, which I guess is a translation from Gallego of something like ‘calm’. I feel sorry for the Spanish who came here mid month for a 2 week holiday. But not for the Caminoers . . .

We had concerts near the river Friday night and last night. They started at 5.30pm, and – at half past midnight – I went to bed with ear plugs in and a pillow over my head, when they were going strong. Likewise when I woke up at 4.30. But, still, someone’s making money and the kids are having fun, so why complain, eh? Only in Spain?

Portugal

Got their revenge over Spain by beating them in another final of another international sports competition. Of cricket . .

The United States of Trump America

The taunting, grifting, abdicating First Lady.

Trump’s summer of scandal has left MAGA in flames.

It’s a miracle. Natalie Harp has turned the Republicans into feminists.

Relevant Books

• To be published in October. Can be pre-ordered now: Wtf America?!: The Way Out of This Hell and Back to Democracy.
• The final pages of Kurt Andersen’s fascinating run through the USA’s history – Fantasyland: How America went haywire. A 500 year history.

Spanish

• Horquilla: Range
• Manivela: Crank, handle, winch
• Licitar: To put out to tender

Did you know?

A car fatality that happened before the car was invented.

You Have to Laugh

Finally . . .

The endless adds on You Tube for tai chi programs now feature a reference to testosterone. Must keep up the zeitgeist.

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.