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’
NB: The archive.ph way to get behind a paywall in Spain is now closed off. A VPN doesn’t help in these circumstances but a Reader View in you browser might well do so. For the moment, when I post a link, if there’s a RV in brackets after the link, you might well be able to read it that way, If there is no RV in brackets, it will mean that the article is free to view. Or that I’ve forgotten to type it . . .
Cosas de España/Galiza
Someone got lucky down in Murcia. Plus a few others, I guess. It does happen.
María writes on the theme of the weather here. It’s always rained more here than in the UK in winter but it’s even wetter now. Though the extension of summer into May and October is something of a compensation. Or will be until the Caminoers find out.
From other fellow bloggers:
- Doing Barcelona in one day, from Noémi.
- Lenox Napier on La Indala, the True Goddess of Peace, Bounty and Child-bearing. Important in his patria chica of Mojácar
There were similar parking problems for me this morning*. Which reminds me . . . One of the pleasures of driving to and from the outskirts of Pv city twice a day is that I get to enjoy watching gypsies from the 2 nearby permanent campsites disobeying the rules about priority on roundabouts and stopping at T-junctions. Luckily, I can anticipate these. Along with the antics of all the learner drivers on my route. Even the one of waiting 5+ seconds at the exit of the test centre as I approach it and then pulling out right in front of me.
*So, I drove back to Poio and parked near an alternative bridge. And then, when coming home, forgot that I’d done this, until I was almost at my (non-existent) car. Not the first time and it won’t be the last.
The Middle East War
The latest update from Naked Capitalism.
The United States of Trump America
Trump
- Like nothing the worid has ever seen. Never more true than about himself.
- I met President Xi at the plane (Airport!) yesterday and he looks strong, vibrant, and fit – Better than ever. Madam Xi, of course, BEAUTIFUL!”. With Ms Harp at his shoulder in the official foto of the 2 leaders. Maybe her talents include speaking Mandarin and she could translate for him.
Trump pleads for love, at the expense of the US taxpayers. Naturally.
Others
- A corn belt Republican who’s finally had enough of Trump: His head’s so far up his own ass he needs a glass belly button to see where he’s going.
- Trump appears to believe he can do anything he wants to do if he says it’s in the interest of national security.
- Jared Kushner has failed at everything he’s ever done and is now worth upwards of a billion dollars. The new American dream?
Trump TV: Possibly his biggest ever failed business venture. It debuted with 8,000 viewers, peaked at 8,500 and has since fallen to 425.
Is there really no way that the US public can oust a ‘mafia don’ president who embarrasses and shames them to a degree unprecedented in the country’s history? If not, something really does need to change in their system of governance. Perhaps a return to a real monarch and parliamentary government . . . . I’m ready to serve.
Meanwhile . . . It was always inevitable and, so, predictable that Trump would fail and fall. What has never been truly predictable is the damage he’d do to the USA and the rest of the world. But at least he’s made Xi and Putin laugh.
Relevant Books
- Betrayal: Trump, Putin and the New Age of Conquest
- To be published in October. Can be pre-ordered now: Wtf America?!: The Way Out of This Hell and Back to Democracy. On Amazon or here.
- The final pages of Kurt Andersen’s fascinating run through the USA’s history – Fantasyland: How America went haywire. A 500 year history.
- Profiles in Cowardice, by Jacob Weisberg. Cited in this podcast.
Russia v Europe
A sceptical take on the rumours/warnings currently doing the rounds.
Spanish
- Implicación: Involvement
- Caudal: Flow
- Desmedido: Excessive, disproportionate.
Did you know?
This famous adagio was thought to have been composed back in the 18th century by the Venetian composer Tomaso Albinoni. In fact, it was composed in 1958 by a musicologist named Remo Giazotto
Finally . . . You Have to Laugh
President Xi is a truly great friend.
My thanks to those readers who take the trouble to Like my posts.
The Usual Links
This – from veteran blogger Lenox Napier – is an excellent weekly newsletter (Business Over Tapas) on all matters Spanish. Indispensable for those who needs insights on how and why things happen here.
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.
