Thoughts from Pontevedra, Galicia, Spain

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 house:’ A Pilgrim in Spain’*

Living La Vida Loca in Spain

• The Galician government (A Xunta) has announced that, from yesterday, arrivals who've been in countries and Spanish regions on its blacklist in the previous 14 days must declare this on a special form. This is additional to the form-filling you must do for the national government if you arrive by plane - and very possibly train or boat - from anywhere. As of now, I wait to know whether 'visited' covers driving-through-without-stopping - specifically the País Vasco and Belgium.
• If the Madrid police really want to maximise their mask-related revenue, they should go to Plaza de 2 de Mayo at 7.30 am. Where'll they'll find a motley mixture of beer-swilling young folk and wine-quaffing alkies, none of whom are wearing the things. Unlike all the street cleaners and the dog-walkers.
• On this subject, things are so different here from the Netherlands (and Finland) that the second I got up from the table in a tapas place last night - to chase my errant grandson - I was politely asked by a waiter to pull my mask up over my nose. Possibly because he was heading for the counter and the glass case of tapas dishes.
• And here's Lenox Napier of Business Over Tapas on the subject: Some of these new rules seem to have been hatched without much thought. Yes, it's good to wear a face-mask at all times (and not just when you want to confuse the new face-recognition technology), but how far should one be obliged to wear one while enjoying a drink on a terraza? The police can fine you €100 for not observing the rules, apparently, if the glass isn't touching your lips. . .   But possibly not inside. 
• It's hard to imagine - once Covid is defeated - all the plastic screens being dismantled. After all, it's a sunk cost without much by way of maintenance costs and why run the risk of catching anything from customers? Most particularly the also-possibly-fatal winter flu.
• I did manage to get a glass of Albariño in an excellent tapas bar last night - Vinitus, on Gran Vía. But not Godello, as I didn't want to drink an entire bottle.
• It was odd to see paper menus on the table of the place; back in Galicia these are banned and you need to consult them via QR codes pasted on the tables.
• Here's Day 45 María's Chronicle, where she speaks for most, if not all, of us. 

The USA

• Here and here is more on the lunatic doctor first endorsed by and then disowned by Fart. As is his wont.    
• And here and here is more amusing stuff on Fart. As María wrote, who could ever have dreamt (nightmared?) that such a dolt would become the POTUS     

English/Spanish

• Three more refranes:-

- Poverty breeds discontent: Donde no hay harina, todo es mohína

- Servants make the worst masters: No hay peor cuña que la de la misma madera. [??]

- Set a thief to catch a thief: Nada major que un ladrón para atrapar a otro ladrón.

Finally . . . 

• Lenox Napier: There’s no one like the English for preparing Spanish dishes (we remember Jamie Oliver’s paella with chorizo). Here’s The Guardian’s Felicity Cloake with ‘How to prepare a Spanish omelette’ (although, it does sounds delicious!).  

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