Colin Davies

1 September 2026

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 Spanish PM says there’s no evidence that the Moroccan government played any part in the tsunami of folk into Ceuta a month ago. I suspect that, at best, this is a political lie. In line with the old saying that A diplomat is an honest man who’s sent abroad to lie on behalf of his country,

The Virgin Mary takes many forms/names in Spain. The latest to cross my path is La Virgen del Libramento, which might be more Galician and Portuguese than Spanish. It means The Virgin of Deliverance and refers her as a protector who “liberates” or “delivers” people from danger, oppression, illness, or other troubles.I’m not sure how she does this, though. Rarely by a personal appearance, I suspect.

This article in the Diario de Pontevedra explains why so much cocaine is arriving on our shores.

The United States of Trump America

Quotes

  • In recent weeks, Trump has posted a steady stream of AI slop because he’s done nothing worth bragging about. Trump brags more than anyone, and all we’re getting from him is garbage and insipid distractions.
  • Melania has not slept even one night in the White House this term. She is firmly ensconced in New York City, where she’s running a Melania-brand business which last year, she disclosed, had net profits of $17 million. Equal opportunity grift? The essence of the (Trump)USA?
  • It will take decades to repair the damage that Trump is doing right now. [Uploading problem , , , https://whowhatwhy.org/international/it-will-take-decades-to-repair-the-damage-donald-trump-is-doing-right-now/]

The twisted truth about Trump’s ‘new deal’.

Someone thinks the ‘brilliant’ BBC has done all other Trump-bullied defendants a huge favour.

Relevant Books

Spanish

  • Pega: Paste, glue. Catch, downside, snag, flaw.
  • Pibe: Kid, lad. (Messi nickname)
  • Achacar: Blame, attribute

Did you know?

On 28 August, this track hit #1 on Spotify’s Top 50: Global, overtaking Justin Bieber & Nicki Minaj’s “Beauty And A Beat”. It features a Spanish lady – Judeline (Lara Fernández Castrelo, whom I thought I’d read was Roma but Perplexity says not. But she is from Andalucía. And some of her songs seem to me to be very Flamenco-ish. Or am I thinking of Rosalía?

BTW . . . Did you know that the origin of the word ‘Flamenco’ is ‘Flemish’? There are several theories about how it came into Spanish, some of which are related to gypsy singers in Spanish-controlled Flanders.

You Have to Laugh

A Spanish performer in ancient Rome . . .

Finally . . .

For folk who read my posts on Substack . . . Thanks to an exasperated friend, I’ve learnt that putting the URL in the text means you have to C&P it to read the post. As of today, there’ll be a hyperlink on Today’s post that you can click to read it immediately.

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

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.

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