Thoughts from Pontevedra, Galicia, Spain: 11.1.20

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

                  Christopher Howse: A Pilgrim in Spain

 Spanish Politics

• The Economist gives us an overview on the very belated establishment of a functioning government. 
• There's a huge judicial spat taking place between Brussels and Madrid. I can't see Brussels winning it, TBH. Here's the New York Times on this.
• This is another example of the Spanish justice system at work.

Spanish Life

• The Local continues to be indefatigable in bringing us sound advice:-

1. Ways to beat the January blues in Spain.
2. What to do if you fall sick here.
3. Surviving the entire winter. In Madrid, at least.

• And from The Olive Press:-

1. The impact of - mainly South American - immigration on Spain's population.
2. A re-hash of a controversial map of Spain's regions?

• If only this were true of more of Spain
• In A Furnace Full of God, Rebekah Scott says this of her attempts to set up an annual music event in her local church: We'd dealt for years with diabolical Spanish bureaucrats but a Spanish Catholic Diocese looked like a deeper ring of Hell. She eventually succeeded, by the way.

Galician Life

• Well, I traduced the O Burgo bridge (re)builders yesterday. Unknown to me, on Wednesday they'd done a big chunk of the railings on the second side. Albeit, they still haven't quite. finished the first.
• The first of these fotos is not exactly a century old but it is somewhere which has changed in recent years, as the 2nd foto shows. It's a corner of a square which only seems to have people in it during fiestas:

Actually, better as this looks, the granite could be further improved by a bit of jet-spraying. As here:-

The UK

• Am I the only Brit who's not the slightest bit interested in Harry and Meghan and who won't be reading any of the dozens of articles on them that currently litter the UK press?

The USA 

• The latest Ffart lie-counting exercise. Much good as they do.
• A must-see video, even if you're an Evangelical Christian. Especially if you're an Evangelical Christian

Spanish

• Words of the Day:-

1. Ujiere: Usher. One you're unlikely to need, I know.
2. Colofón: Colophon. Finale. Final act.Culmination. 
3. Tabla de güija: Ouija board.

Finally . . .

• Back to the H and M theme . . .