Thoughts from Pontevedra, Galicia, Spain: 27.5.21

 Night’s candles are burnt out, and jocund day stands tiptoe on the misty mountain tops

Spanish life is not always likeable but it is compellingly loveable

- Christopher Howse: 'A Pilgrim in Spain' 

Detailed info on Galicia and Pontevedra city here.   

Covid 

Below is the latest overview from MD of Private Eye. As I can't currently scan stuff, it's in the form of fotos. Apologies for that. Especially for the variable readability . . . Still worth a read..

Cosas de España/Galiza

Wise but rather unexpected . . . To the wrath of Vox, the Spanish PM is going to pardon the Catalan leaders jailed a few years ago for holding an illegal referendum.

As this report shows, some dropped mobile phones should be left where they lie. 

The wealthiest municipality in Spain is Pozuelo in north Madrid, where the average income is €28,300pa. The poorest is Níjar in Almería, at €7,300. I'm surprised the former isn't higher, given the national average of (I think) around €23,000.

As I neared my lunchtime terrace yesterday, looking for a table, I noticed an empty one with evidence of 4 absent customers. And then I clocked 4 teenage girls a little way off, all smoking. This is an aspect of Spanish culture which actually seems to have got worse in the 20 years I've been here. I guess things will change for the better, but when? And after how many avoidable lung cancer deaths?

  

The UK 

That Cummings testimony . . . One observer: Boris Johnon’s former adviser provided a fascinating description of all he felt had gone wrong during the pandemic. The most important error was that nobody had believed the British people would assent to tough lockdown measures and other restrictions of civil liberties. This assumption underpinned a policy of suppression that was abandoned only when it was realised it would result in hundreds of thousands of avoidable deaths. Not only did this mean lockdown came too late, but also there was no planning for it, no policy for testing and no protection for care homes. This error was compounded by Johnson’s reluctance to impose restrictions at all, which led to further serious mistakes in the autumn. These were serious mistakes and people died because the government made them. In fact, this is fundamentally the same account as has appeared in newspapers for the past year. It is ironic, given that Cummings accuses reporters and pundits of being worthless, that he mainly confirmed that the media coverage was correct. 

How to be a true Brit: I’ve learnt that after writing a stiff email I must go back over it, inserting conditional phrases — “if you wouldn’t possibly mind” or “if that isn’t too much trouble” — to create the passive-aggressive tone which, bafflingly, constitutes politeness in at least southern Britain. 

 

The EU  

There might well be other governments here which were equally incompetent on the outset of Covid. Will they all be subjected to official Inquiries?

 

Spanish 

Ánimo! Take  your pick ,  . .

Come on! 

Chin up!

Go!  

Courage!

Cheer up! 

 

English

The latest euphemism: To be 'in microsleep': To nod off; fall asleep - at the wheel.

 

Finally  . . .  

Poppycock! (Rubbish!) comes from the old Dutch expression Zo fijn als gemalen poppekak:'As fine as powdered doll's crap'..

COVID: THE MD OVERVIEW