Thoughts from Heald Green, Cheshire, England: 14.10.19

Spanish life is not always likeable but it is compellingly loveable.   

                  Christopher Howse: A Pilgrim in Spain

The Spanish Economy

• Last year, Britain bought 11% of La Rioja’s output. Producers warn that, if there's a no-deal Brexit, they will prioritise other markets. Fair enough, but there's an awful lot of red wine of comparable quality produced in other countries. Cheaper Portugal being the closest one. I anticipate growth in reds from the up and coming Douro and Dão regions.

Spanish Life

• Killing bulls for a living - at least in a ring - is a dangerous business, even if you are the boyfriend of the king's niece.
• A useful explanation of one aspect of Spanish life, from The Local.

The UK 

• Brexit: This, they say, is going to be 'The Week of Weeks', as portrayed here:-

• Richard North thinks that The smart money looks to us still being in the EU after the end of the month. If so, the recently rising pound will start to fall again this week.
• Ahead of Brexit, as many as 64% of Spaniards in the UK have applied for residency there.

The USA

• Something for reader Perry, on the darling of the far right, Ben Shapiro.
• These are the 4 medications which Ffart is said to take daily. And which are thought to affect his mental state:-

- Rosuvastatin - An anticholesterol.  Recommended to be used together with dietary changes, exercise, and weight loss. As if.
- An antibiotic - Against rosacea. Should not be taken daily, permanently.
- 'Baby aspirin' - Against blood clots in/near the heart.
- 'Propecia' - As you'd expect, for hair growth.

Spanish

• Word of the Day: Bullicioso. Boisterous; Noisy. As applied, perhaps, to one's grandchildren.

Finally

• In the rugby World Cup yesterday, host nation Japan did it again last night, beating 'first tier' Scotland, after they'd done the same to Ireland. As one writer put it lyrically: Whatever happens henceforward, this World Cup has been blessed by its host nation and a marvellous team who are playing rugby in a way we have barely seen before and are treating the world to a spectacle that has you blinking in joy and disbelief. . . . Japan gave this stadium an experience, a spectacle, a night to treasure. It was more than “I was there”; it was “I witnessed the magic.” Quite something.