Thoughts from Pontevedra, Galicia, Spain

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

- Christopher Howse: 'A Pilgrim in Spain'*

 The Bloody Virus 

• Headline: Swedes round on Sweden’s corona approach. Opposition leaders and the public are increasingly critical of the government’s controversial approach to the virus. More here.

Life in Spain

• A graphic representation of our New Normality. in Gallego, not Casteallano . . .

• Here's Day 12 of María's new chronicle on life in Galicia.
• Pontevedra's new normality naturally includes new beggars. The latest of which sports a Mohican and probably has a dog and 'plays' the pipes.
• It's been clarified that Spain will accept tourists from the UK as of July 1. Meanwhile - in what the Germans have called a Krautentest - the Balearics received hundreds of German holidaymakers yesterday, in an 'experiment' to see how things go.
• I'm moving from Movistar to its subsidiary O2, because it's cheaper for the same telecoms service. So far, it's taken 11 days and the end is not in sight. The latest hitch is Movistar telling me the 'address' they have for me is wrong, so they can't communicate with me. This turned out to be my email, not street, address, meaning that I couldn't solve the problem on the internet. So I called them last night and, after waiting more than 30 minutes, I finally spoke to someone. But the line was so bad I really couldn't make out most of what she was saying and, in the end, just rang off. Hopefully after lodging my correct email address with her. This is always the problem in talking to Movistar, Spain's largest telecoms company. Who'd believe they can't offer a decent line?
• Perhaps things will improve when we have 5G. On the promise of which, click here. Taster: The impact 5G will have on a wide range of industries is likely to be bigger than we’ve seen with any previous generation of mobile telecoms. 

Portugal

• Worrying . . .Portugal was hailed as a rare Western European success story as a swift lockdown kept infection and death rates under control while the pandemic wreaked havoc on health systems elsewhere. However, in recent weeks it’s failed to bring infection rates down in line with its neighbors. Over the past 10 days, this country of 10 million has registered 3,100 new cases. That’s more than Spain, Italy or France, which have populations between 4 and 6 times larger

The USA

• The 15 most offensive things out of Fart's mouth in the last few years. 

The Way of the World

• The sheer speed at which young Harry Potter cast members sought to distance themselves from Rowling also encapsulates the generational divide within feminism, from the cause-led movement of previous decades to the politically expedient, victimhood industrial complex it has become.

English/Spanish

• There's light at the end of the tunnel - Hay Luz despues del tunel. More refrains (refranes) tomorrow.

Finally . . .

• So, Ricky Valance - of Tell Laura I Love Her fame - was Welsh. Never knew that.

* A terrible book, by the way. Don't be tempted to buy it, unless you're a very religious Protestant.