#Happy Galicia Day

[lunamikk69]

Happy July'25 - Feliz 25 de Julio 'Morriña' by Gonzalo Shaggy Garcia

[nipuni]

A little life update!

I'm back from our latest trip and leaving again in a couple of days but! I can finally say we are officially moving! 😄

We've been looking for houses travelling back and forth from Galicia weekly these last few months. It was an ordeal in many ways, a logistical and bureaucratic nightmare honestly, we found and lost many houses and spent so much money, time and braincells in the process. But in the end we found the most amazing house so it was worth it!! In our favorite city, beautiful antique furniture, several floors, extra rooms for hobbies, enclosed balcony, a fireplace, a whole garden with a lemon tree!! and for the same rent price than what we are paying for our small apartment in Madrid now lmao, big city prices are nonsensical 😭

We met the neighbors over the garden fence one morning and they are so lovely, they have apple trees and offered some to us and we met their dog too and they told us the story of the house and the people who have lived in it and places and customs of the town and offered to take us to the farmers markets to teach us about the best choices 🥺

We also met our landlady's family and they are so nice and friendly too. They helped us out with furniture, all their children and husband helped too and we offered to invite them all for dinner sometime to thank them when we are settled and they said they would invite us instead because they are six and we are two lmao Ahhh I just can't believe this is all real, it feels like a dream.

The weather is also colder and way rainier and we can finally enjoy summer like the earth intended, I'm no longer a summer hater!! We have wildflowers and mushrooms and magpies in our garden!! and chestnuts!! and an attic!! and a stone grill!! and a big bright kitchen aaaaa I can't stop gushing about everything

Nicolas is so happy too, he has been teaching himself everything about gardening and house keeping and the animals and plant species of the area. We already told all our friends and family to plan their trips to visit us since now we can host them more comfortably and for longer stays!!

I can't wait to be done with the move and start our new town life close to the sea in a beautiful house with friendly people and peace and quiet what the hell!! I never thought I could ever have something like this in my life I'm so serious 😭

[literary-illuminati]

2024 Book Review #12 – What Moves The Dead by T. Kingfisher

I initially meant to read this back last year when it was up for a Hugo nomination, but well – honestly I forgot my copy in an airport waiting room and it’s presumably now living a good life somewhere in a New Jersey compose heap. But a friend had a copy and said they enjoyed it, so! Stole it for a few days, and very glad I did. It’s a quick, fun shot fungal gothic, great for stormy nights.

The basic plot is, well, it’s very explicitly Fall of the House of Usher with a slight admixture of Ruritanian Romance. The Ushers are a genteely impoverished family of minor aristocracy in Ruravia, a less than impressive principality in Eastern Europe. Alex Easton, Roderick Usher’s former commanding officer in some recent war (the Gallacian Army they served in having a habit of getting into these quite habitually) receives a letter from Roderick’s sister Madeline begging company and help, as she is deathly ill. Of course by the time Easton arrives the pair of them look like they’re one stiff wind away from dying, and the estate and the lands around it are both decaying and full of unnerving strangeness. The only person who seems happy to be there is Eugenia Potter, an Englishwoman and amateur mycologist studying the great variety of mushrooms and fungus to be found in the area.

So yes this is very much aiming to be Gothic Classic, at least in aesthetics and trappings. An overgrown and decaying estate several times too large for the last remnants of the family who now occupy it. Genteel madness and disease, hidden behind polite euphemisms and high walls. A deep, atavistic horror at parasitism and the desecration of the human (especially the well-bred, young and female) body by an alien presence. There’s even a cowboy for some reason. It definitely all works for me, but then my exposure to the genre is all a bit second hand.

Speaking of parasitism – mushrooms! The book expresses decay and desecration basically entirely through the idiom of fungal infections, both in terms of metaphor and imagery in descriptions and just in the actual source of the horror here. The lights in the tarn are fungal blooms, Madeline’s disease and her reanimation are both the result of almost drowning and inhaling that fungus into her lungs, and so on. There are two really effective horror beats in the book for me – the image of an infected hare which had just had its head shot off slowly jerking back to its feet as a dozen others placidly stood there and watched it be shot, and the moment of realization that Madeline’s oddly long and wispy body hair is in fact mycelia growing out of her skin – and both play off of this pretty directly.

I very awkwardly didn’t use any pronouns for Easton when giving the plot synopsis because the book actually plays around a bit with gender and pronouns in a way I’ve always loved and wish I saw more of. Easton is Gallacian (unrelated to the actually existing Galicia, I think), and the Gallacian language has a variety of pronoun sets beyond just he and she – one for children, one for God, and one (ka/kan) particularly for soldiers. Which, due to the exigencies of early modern warefare’s manpower requirements, eventually led to both men and women being perfectly eligible to become ‘sworn soldiers’. So y’know, Enlist today! Service guarantees citizen-transition!

(But actually I enjoy the thought and at least superficial sociological plausibility/consideration of what gender means in Gallacian society a lot more than how a lot of modern spec fic just kind of assues that every culture in the world has the perspective on gender of a well-educated 21st century progressive, material conditions be damned).

Anyway yeah, overall very entertaining read. Though Goodreads tells me it’s now the first in the series, which given how cleanly this one ended is not something that fills me with an abundance of faith.

[louisisalarrie]

Thought you’d like seeing this taken by someone who attended the show https://x.com/catfishseven/status/1817003838143893660?s=46

Thank you and everyone for your help and things you sent through!!! Much appreciated xx

I quickly found the map of the festival:

And sweet Louis baby is playing on the Estrella Galicia stage which, if you look at the map, is obv the main one next to those massive bathrooms. You can see how intensely louis is staring at that big temporary room, pictured below:

Now you can see there, and on the map, the Water Closets/bathrooms are on the other side of that structure he’s looking at, and are separate to it. I imagine there’s prob a line of temporary toilets placed there, or perhaps some kind of similar temporary structure with multiple toilets in it, but it’s not the same building. And why do I say that?

Well, because, it’s simply too close to backstage and main stage, even if there are only doors on the right hand side. So, I very highly doubt it is a bathroom, and that they’re on the other side.

With temporary festival set ups, there’s always gotta be an artist area, ya know? And there were only 10 artists per day, so they didn’t need to set up something massive, but it did need to be close to the stage. You can see in the above that to the left of the stage there is like… a couple of little tents/temp structures there too, which usually would hold crew/staff as opposed to artists. It could be some kind of small backstage artist hangout, but I’m leaning more towards it being for crew.

People are also saying that louis intensely looks up a bunch often at shows, but this was a lot more prominent than I’ve seen recently. He also seemed super on the ball tonight, and just… happier. Anyway, that structure to the right could be used as a multitude of things, but I’d argue it’s more likely than not for artists/entourage/guests to watch the show and would have access to the stage blocked by a large amount of toilets for further privacy. That’s just my guess, anyway.

Like, it could just be the back of the toilets, but it would be very odd to me that it would have a large window there, as it would encourage folks to set up camp in the bathrooms to watch the show. Plus, festivals always have a VIP area for artist guests etc., so it wouldn’t make sense for it to just be a massive bathroom.

Anyway, very unconfirmed but very intense staring at a festival where he seemed pretty damn happy. I’ll count it as a win.

[josefavomjaaga]

😥 I was working long hours and took even longer to get to work (due to train strike), so I missed Marshal Ney’s birthday. I’m so sorry! I had planned to translate something special, and I hope it’s still a bit of a present even if it’s a day late.

In summer of 1809, while Soult was still licking his wounds after the disaster in Oporto, anxiously waiting for Napoleon’s judgement and trying to defend himself against all the rumours that accused him of high treason, all the while doing his best to bring Joseph and Jourdan to some action against Wellington - guess who at the same time came to Galicia to pay Michel Ney a visit? Right, Ney’s most devoted Dutch fan girl, Ida Saint-Elme! And it’s a particularly romantic part of her recollections, which were published as "Mémoires d’une Contemporaine":

Ney, who was hardly resting either, had just subdued Galicia.

Okay, Soult already wants to protest against this claim, but let’s ignore him. Please, Ida, go on:

I joined his corps at Banos, forty-eight hours before he came face to face with the English army, which the Marshal completely defeated. Already the spectacle of war, meeting the French battalions, the scent of glory, sweeter to breathe in this country than that of the orange trees that embalm it; this active life, animated entirely by emotion and spectacle, revived my imagination weary of the empty pleasures of the courts and of voluptuous Italy. I felt I was in my element: I was close to Ney, close to the heart that alone could make mine beat. I was happy just to know that he was so close to me and to tell him that we were barely a league apart. Here is the note I received in reply to mine: "Since it's your taste to have an arm or a leg less, hop on a horse and come here." As I read this short, military invitation, I jumped in the saddle and rode off. I had hardly gone a quarter of a league when I met him, and I read in his beaming face all that his note had not told me, the joy of seeing me again, which was the reward for my journey and happiness itself. I have forgotten the names of the places we passed through, but it seems to me that I have never seen a more enchanting place, a more beautiful sky, a sweeter dawn. There was something wild and proud about this rich and picturesque nature.

The road was lined with rocks like a crown. "Here is a magnificent shelter of ravines," Ney said to me, "the tree-lined slopes of which ensure their coolness; let us stop here; you must be in need of rest; we both need to open up and talk;" and here we were, with our horses' bridles slung over our arms, pushing aside the fragrant undergrowth with a vigorous hand, and looking for a retreat that could hear our confidences: it was easy to find in the ravines of Galicia; and, a few hundred paces from the road, we could believe ourselves to be entirely alone in the world. Our horses were quickly tied up, and the secluded spot a little farther on completed the safety of this meeting, so sudden and so little expected. We had been sitting for a few minutes when Ney struck the trunk of an old cedar with his foot, and said to me: "Here, Ida, here is a support for our feet, which will at least save us from a fall;" and, confident in this support so well met, we no longer feared to tread the embalmed moss which served us as a wild divan. I looked at him like one of those figures from a long dream, which the day suddenly shows and illuminates, and which we recognise with all the anxiety and all the troubles of the dream. It's him, though; it's definitely him, I said to myself; I can tell by the glory shining on his forehead, by the pressure of his powerful hand, which is as recognisable as his glory.

Thinking more of the hero than of my love, of the captain needed for his army than of the man needed for my heart, I shuddered fearfully at the thought of this isolation in a country so full of dangers, where a warrior's halt might unexpectedly be surprised by the dagger or bullet of partisans; in a country where hatred of the French name reverberates and watches from mountain to mountain. I felt guilty exposing to these perils, beneath such a great man, a life so dear and so beautiful, that informed assassins could cut it short. It was only a quick thought, but a vivid and gripping one, which, disturbing my thoughts, made me cling tightly to Ney, and as I let out this stifled whisper: "Ney, my friend, let's not stay here; let's go away." - "No, no," he replied, holding me back; "where else would we be, without witnesses to a happiness that I have rediscovered, and which needs solitude and mysterious effusion?" I looked at him with surprise at these words, but with delight, for I was as happy as I was astonished to have remained so dear to him. Never had Ney's face seemed more expressive, never had his looks been more eloquent, never had his words been more intoxicating.

If this was a modern-day AU, this would be the perfect moment for Ney’s phone to ring and for one infuriated Soult to ask why the F he was not receiving any news from Ney’s troops in Galicia. As it was, Ida’s little tête-à-tête with her one-and-only Ney could continue.

At the sight of the security imprinted on the warrior's features, I regained a similar security; there are those moments when everything you feel gives way to everything you inspire. Oh, what inexpressible delights this happiness given by a great man was! Our hearts, separated by such a long time and such long distances, seemed never to have parted, and tasted the pleasure of a similar conviction and an equal sharing of emotions. A new fear came to suspend the enchantment and give it, as it were, all the price of a victory. The reverse side of the ravine which had received us sloped down very rapidly; the trunk of the tree which supported the effort of our feet, a solid yet powerless support, suddenly gave way and broke at the very moment when, immersed as we both were in the rapture of an intimate conversation […]

Listen, it was a conversation, okay? They were only chatting! Intimately chatting!

[…], we had forgotten even the possibility of such a peril, from which Ney's presence of mind and prodigious strength alone saved us: With one hand he seized the branches of the bush that had sheltered us; with the other he pressed and held me violently against him; and, thanks to this struggle, we were able to regain our breath, escape the precipice, and manage to get back to our horses.

I really do not want to know how his aides would have tried to explain the fact that their marshal had fallen into the abyss and to his death while having an intimate conversation. Or why his pants were still up on the cliff...

But if any of the artists out there are looking for inspiration...

Speaking of Ney’s aides, one of them, Levavasseur, in his memoirs has this to say about Ida’s apperance in Spain:

It was at Banos that I saw a French woman arrive on horseback and ask for Marshal Ney. It was the woman who has since called herself la Contemporaine. This woman soon disappeared; what she says about the Marshal in her memoirs is pure invention.

Levavasseur: Don’t you believe what that woman wrote about Ney, she’s a total liar! Besides, she was only with us for a very short time…

But the funniest thing is his casual report on why Ida probably had to leave again so quickly: Ney was already occupied otherwise.

During this trip, the marshal took a tender interest in the duchess; one of my comrades had declared himself the knight of the eldest daughter, and I myself protected the youngest […]

I can’t help but think that the interest the general staff of this army corps was showing to all things female was overly excessive even by French standards… - Wait, what’s that? Oh, another missed phone call for Marshal Ney. Marshal Soult wants to discuss priorities in war times...

[todaysjewishholiday]

6 Elul 5784 (7-8 September 2024)

The fifty fourth century was a golden age for the Ashkenazim of Bohemia, Moravia, Galicia and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. As with all such golden ages for the Jewish people, it was not without dangers, and it ended in a devastating conflagration, but while it lasted it was a time of a great flowering of rabbinical study and remarkable freedom of movement for Jews across the eastern lands of Europe. More than anything else, it was this age that established the strength of Ashkenazi Judaism from which modern Jewish orthodoxy has fed. And one of the great lights of this time, whose rabbinical career carried him across the full breadth of Ashkenaz, was Gershom Shaul Lipmann ben Nathan haLevi Heller, known to his contemporaries as the Tosfot Yom Tov.

Heller was born in 5339 in Bavaria, days after his father's sudden death at the age of 18. Despite Nathan Heller's brief life, he had fathered four children. Gershom was taken under the wing of his paternal grandfather, Rabbi Moses, who began his education in Torah study. After several years of study in a yeshiva near home, the adolescent Heller traveled on his own to the beit midrash of the Maharal of Prague, a giant of both Torah and secular studies who regularly debated with the great gentile scholars of his time. Shortly after his eighteenth birthday, Heller received semicha from the Maharal and an appointment as a dayan in Prague. He remained there for 27 years, producing a number of treatises including the one whose title became his rabbinic eponym, before journeying to Moravia to take up a rabbinical post there, and being offered the position of Chief Rabbi of Vienna after barely a year in the region.

Yom Tov was of great service to Vienna's scattered Jews, receiving permission to establish a centralized community, and creating a communal constitution and various communal institutions for the good of all. However, his organized and thoughtful approach soon made him enemies among the wealthier members of the kehilla. When the Gentile authorities imposed harsh taxes on the city's Jews, Heller led the community's leaders in deciding to collect the tax progressively as a percentage of individual wealth, rather than as a simple poll tax, to lighten the burden on the community's poor. The rich, however, were not happy being asked to pay their share, and accused their chief rabbi of slandering Christianity. Heller was arrested and sentenced to death, but his allies were able to persuade the Emperor to reduce the sentence to a fine of 10,000 thalers, and a ruling that he was not to serve as a rabbi anywhere in the Emperor's realm. As soon as the fine was paid off, Heller left for the eastern border.

He was warmly welcomed into the Jewish community of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, and soon appointed to the Council of the Four Lands, which functioned as a Jewish proto-legislative body and as a gathering for Jewish leaders to discuss issues for which they needed to collectively appeal Gentile authorities. Yom Tov served for three years as a rabbinical authority in Nemirov, then moved to Ludmir, and from there to Krakow, where he served as one of the Av Beis Din of Krakow's rabbinical court, and also as head of the Krakow yeshiva. It was during his two decades in Krakow that the horrors of the Chmielnicki Revolt passed through the Commonwealth. He survived the massacres, and passed away six years later on 6 Elul 5414. He was laid to rest in a humble grave in a corner of Krakow's Jewish burial ground.

[smudgingpumpkins]

LITHA

Also known as Midsummer

When is Litha?

It is celebrated on the summer solstice, which is the 20th of June in 2024. However, it can be celebrated between June 20th-24th, depending on when the solstice is or how it may have traditionally been celebrated.

What does Litha mean?

“Litha” is the celebration of the longest day and the shortest night of the year, welcoming the light, warmth, vitality, and power of the summer sun. The summer solstice offers the longest amount of daylight hours of any day in the calendar year.

Who does Litha celebrate?

Any gods and goddesses in relation to fertility, beauty, and the sun are worshipped, including Lugh, Celtic God of sun and light, Helios, Greek God of the sun, and Freya, Norse Goddess of summer, love, and fertility. Modern pagan practices include honoring the “Oat King” or the personification of summer, who is said to be at his peak strength around Midsummer.

—————

LITHA TRADITIONS

Work with stones that inspire creativity, abundance, and renewed strength, like citrine, sunstone, tiger’s eye, amber, and carnelian.

Utilize mood-boosting, aromatic herbs and flowers such as orange blossoms, sunflowers, ferns, thyme, sage, and St. John’s wart. These plants blossom beautifully in the summertime and symbolize vigor, love, and happiness. The herbs may ease stress, and reduce inflammation; St. John’s wart has been traditionally consumed for relieving symptoms of depression.

Eat an assortment of fruits, like early summer peaches, plums, cherries, and blackberries. These fruits are round like the sun, and are plump and plentiful, symbolizing the wish for abundance and fertility.

Decorate and dress yourself with bright, summery yellows, oranges, golds, and whites.

Incorporate animal imagery (e.g., figurines, photographs, drawings, et cetera) of eagles, sparrows, horses, and bulls, all magnificently free-spirited, powerful, and protective animals.

LITHA ACTIVITIES

Cleanse your face and body. Fill a water basin and leave it under the summer moonlight, mixed with at least one of the seven herbs of St. John (fern, rose, fennel, lemon verbena, rosemary, mallow, gorse, or whatever is available to use). Use this holy water to cleanse yourself.

Write a letter to the fairies. It is said that the veil between the human world and the world of the fae remains thin at this time. Ask for a wish and add gemstones and plants as an offering, and hope that the fairies will grant your wish true.

Take a ritual bath. Add sea salt, sugar, citrus slices and/or essential oils for a calm, refreshing bath time.

Drink refreshing beverages. Lemonade of any flavor, like raspberry or lavender, is a great summer-inspired choice. A traditional Litha tea recipe includes brewed black tea, fresh raspberries, sugar, and mint leaves.

Light a bonfire. Assist the sun with its offerings of warmth and light and safely dance and sing around the fire.

Prepare a Queimada. There is a popular tradition from Galicia where participants would read an incantation whilst preparing the alcoholic "Galicia Fire Drink": made with aguardiente or orujo (or any brandy you can obtain), coffee beans, sugar, and lemon and orange peels. The drink is mixed and prepared in an earthenware pot or hollowed-out pumpkin, kind of like a cauldron.

Here is a link for more information on the Conxuro da Queimada, as well as the English translation for the incantation:

Make a Litha altar. Add an icon or figurine of your preferred Litha God/Goddess in the center of your altar, and surround it with white and yellow candles, abundance crystals, herbs and sunflowers, bird feathers, and gold-colored decorations.

Get creative with recipes! Carlota Santos, who is the author of Magicka, recommends a savory vegetable coca. Here is the recipe below!

[chussyracing]

f1 related news, facts and plain speculations collected over the past few days

Estrella Galicia cimes back to McLaren and their all other sponsors after the relationship with Ferrari ended to make space for Peroni (who came from Aston Martin sponsors pool)

There are more and more speculations about Alex to Ferrari and from what I understood, Spanish media aren't very happy about that or about articles written about Charles and his reported contract

There are rumours of Prema expanding into Indycar (which I think could be beneficial as some of their drivers are already a part of the series nowadays)

Steiner confirmed he couldn't even say goodbye to the team and thanked them in a live interview with Autosport 2024

Formula E chief said Formula E has its door open for Checo and that he talks to him all the time (rip Checo Perez)

Aston Martin hires Andor Hegedus as Senior Project Designer (he previously worked with RBR and they say he was important for RBR pit stop strategies, so a pretty big name in the game)

Doriane Pin signed to drive in F1 academy for Mercedes but from my understandment she will also be in F4 UAE (and stays part of Iron Damen drivers)

Juju Noda will race in Super Formula

McLaren archived all of their posts (I found reports saying it was up to 10k posts) and started a "whatever it takes campaign" whatever that could mean with today's date being teased (Rebrand? Car launch confirmation? Black livery?)

Toto Wolff extended his Merc contract for 3 more years (including 2026)

Leo Turnini apparently claimed that Ferrari's target for 2024 is to win 5 races

Alan Permane that used to be Alpine's Sporting Director is said to join Alpha Tauri/Racing Bulls

Speaking of Racing Bulls, their new name should get announced with the car launch (and we have most car launch dates confirmed by now)

Mercedes invested more into pit stops equipment over the winter break, because after a few dominant years they fell behind in pit stop stats

Speaking of Merc, they sim driver Anthony Davidson claimed that w15 finally feels like a car after what they had for two years

Formula E is back and I beg everyone who watched the race in Mexico with striking 3 official overtakes to not get discouraged it is nawttt always like this

Speaking of FE, Jake Dennis came to say that RB20 is extremely fast car in the simulator and other teams would need to find over 1s per lap to get close to them

Emily Prazer will step up from the role of LV gp Chief Commercial to the role of Chief Commercial Officer of F1 (Brandon Snow previously was in that role but left last year) and it's seen as the reward for successful campaign she prepared for LV (also she has a lot of experience so props to her)

Gwen Largue (Merc young driver academy boss) said that despite Este being in Alpine and faithful to the team, it's in fact Merc who "continues to manage his career"

Crofty claims Este told him Alpine 2024 car is "a little bit slow" before Christmas, because he has been testing it in the sim since September

From fan's point of view: did you know Lewis is apparently allergic to dogs whicb he admitted to in the interview with puppers?, USA figure skating pair Kaitlin Hawayek and Jean-Luc Baker stepped away from competing from the rest of the season but shared a programme they trained that feature's Charles' AUS 23, there's Fight AIDS Cup in Monaco on 22nd January (aka next monday) with Princess Stephanie's team against Prince Albert II.'s team and considering Charles was there last year I expect him to participate again

[humming-bee-art]

Happy Hispanic Day to all my hispanic friends!!!

Y viva Galicia OLEEE 🤍💙🤍✨️✨️✨️

[jow99]

A few small trials

Tuesday dawned wet and cold. Unfortunately our plan had been to buy something for the grave of Mums family today so we were out in the wet and cold for a bit. We bought a flowering pot plant which fitted into the flower holder and it looked really nice. Mum was really pleased so it was a productive morning.

We went back to Wetherspoons for a reviving coffee before heading over to David’s for the afternoon. We have noticed him cheering up every day. I feel bad that our time here is almost over.

Another quiet night in our AirBnb, enjoying the last of my English television.

Wednesday dawned much nicer. Mum and I were up early getting ourselves organised. Our first stop was the cemetery where Barbara’s funeral was and where her ashes will eventually be scattered. None of us knew that they wait a month before they scatter the ashes in case the family change their mind (it’s obviously happened before). It was still nice to see where she will be and the chapel where the funeral was held.

Next we picked up David and went to Wetherspoons for breakfast. I hate to admit we’ve been into Wetherspoons at least once each day we’ve been here 🙄 Anyway we had a nice breakfast and then it was time to drop him home and head back to the airport. It was rather heartbreaking saying goodbye.

We then had a rather fraught time getting out of Ashton. It was quite busy and Google Maps kept telling me to turn across traffic. Eventually we were out, petrol tank filled and on our way to the airport.

Getting through security and even onto the plane was a complete dog’s breakfast, not an experience I’m in a hurry to repeat. The icing on the cake was the delay in our plane taking off because “they didn’t have the machine that was needed to start the plane” 😳 I wasn’t the only one to snicker at that.

Finally we were back in Barcelona with a lot less time before the bus than I had bargained on. Having purchased the tickets and believing I had sussed out which bay our bus was leaving from (I was worried about being in the wrong spot and missing the bus), we had time for a quick glass of wine before departure.

As we headed to the bus I though I’d look for our seat numbers only to discover that the “plaza” was our seat number not the bay 😩 I kept my head and we headed towards the ticket machine where I’d purchased our tickets (God forbid you could find anyone to ask). With great relief I saw a board with the buses all listed. It still didn’t show a bay number but I was feeling confident we were in the right place.

That was until the time came and went and our bus disappeared off the board. Now the meltdown got a bit more real, my worst fear had been realised. I then noticed another couple looking somewhat perplexed do in my Spanglish and their French I worked out they too were waiting for the L’Escala bus. We decided it had just been delayed, but by the time 20 minutes had passed we were all looking at the timetable for the next bus, which wasn’t until 12:00 the next day. It was then I spotted a bus turning in with the words Costa Brava on the side. I have never been so happy to see a bus 😅

Thankfully the trip home after that was uneventful and we collapsed into bed around midnight.

Meanwhile the time in Galicia is passing with lunches out and trips to Sarria, etc. They return tomorrow and I hope for them it is uneventful.

[brookston]

Holidays 7.25

Holidays

Act Like a Caveman Day

Antifascist Pasta Day (Italy)

Bayreuther Festspiele begins (Wagner festival; Germany) [thru 8.28]

Be Adamant About Something Day

Community Day (Galicia, Spain)

CTNNB1 Awareness Day

A Day Out of Time (Last Day of the Year; Mayan, Galactic)

Ebernoe Horn Fair (Sussex, UK)

Feed the Country Ducks Day

Festival of Picaresque Animality

Health and Happiness with Hypnosis Day

International AfroLatinx, AfroCaribbean & Diaspora Women’s Day

International Day of Solidarity with Antifascist Prisoners

International Red Show Day

International Sop Rapping Over Vocals Day

John Knill Day (Cornwall, UK) [Every 5 Years]

Jumatul Bidah (Bangladesh)

Jumat-ul-Wida (India)

Merry-Go-Round Day [also 5.17]

Mugwort Day (French Republic)

National African American Hepatitis C Action Day

National Campus Press Freedom Day (Philippines)

National Carousel Day

National Clay Day

National Day of Galicia (Spain)

National Hire a Veteran Day

National Houston Day

National Schizophrenia Awareness Day (UK)

National Video Game Team Day

Occupation Day (Puerto Rico)

Rain of Black Worms Day (Romania)

Red Shoe Day

Republic Day (Tunisia)

Rosiland Franklin Day

Santiago Apóstol (Spain)

Test-Tube Baby Day

Thread the Needle Day

Traditional Palestinian Dress Day

World Drowning Prevention Day (UN)

World Embryologist Day

World IVF Day

World Youth Days 2023 begins (Lisbon, Portugal; Roman Catholic; until 7.31) [Varies; @Every 3 Years]

Food & Drink Celebrations

Candles on a Cake Day

Culinarian’s Day

Frozen Fruit Freeze Day

Indie Beer Day (Australia)

National Hot Fudge Sundae Day

National Wine and Cheese Day

4th Tuesday in July

Waterton-Glacier Science & History Day [4th Tuesday]

Independence Days

Abode of Heaven (Declared; 2018) [unrecognized]

Andany (Declared; 2017; Dissolved Sep. 2018) [unrecognized]

Commonwealth Constitution Day (Puerto Rico) 

Rathunis (Declared; 2011) [unrecognized]

Feast Days

Anne (Eastern Christianity)

Christopher (Western Christianity)

Cucuphas (a.k.a. Cueufas, Cougat; Christian; Saint)

Feast of Formation of Saint Ann (Mother of the Virgin Mary; Byzantine Rite)

Furrinalia (Old Roman Goddess of Springs)

Glodesind (Christian; Saint)

Holbein (Positivist; Saint)

Hot Fudge Sundae Day (Pastafarian)

Ilyap'a Festival (Inca thunder god)

James the Great (Western Christianity)

John I Agnus (Christian; Saint)

Julian of Le Mans (Christian; Translation)

Magnerich of Trier (Christian; Saint)

Maxfield Parrish (Artology)

National Baha’i Day (Jamaica)

Nissen, Abbot of Mountgarret, Ireland (Christian; Saint)

Paul (Christian; Martyr)

Shylock Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

Slippery Slim (Muppetism)

Thea and Valentina (Christian; Virgins)

Thomas Eakins (Artology)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Sensho (先勝 Japan) [Good luck in the morning, bad luck in the afternoon.]

Premieres

The Adventures of André & Wally B. (Pixar Cartoon; 1984)

Air Force One (Film; 1997)

Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging (Film; 2008)

Armor Wars (Film; 2025)

Back in Black, by AC/DC (Album; 1980)

Batman: The Killing Joke (Animated Film; 2016)

Broken Quest (Animated tV Series; 2013)

Caddyshack (Film; 1980)

China Grove, by the Doobie Brothers (Song; 1973)

A Chorus Line (Broadway Musical; 1975)

Drinking Buddies (Film; 2013)

Duck Dodgers in the 24½th Century (WB MM Cartoon; 1953)

Fame, by David Bowie (Song; 1975)

First Lensman, by E.E. "Doc" Smith (Novel; 1950) [Lensman #2]

Good Burger (Film; 1997)

Hemingway’s Adventures of a Young Man (Film; 1962)

Justice League: Warworld (WB Animated Film; 2023)

Kill ‘Em All, by Metallica (Album; 1983)

Lara Croft Tom Raider: The Cradle of Life (Film; 2003)

Last Train to Clarksville, recorded by The Monks (Song; 1966)

Lego Scooby-Doo! Blowout Beach Bash (WB Animated Film; 2017)

Lucy (Film; 2014)

Maximum Overdrive (Film; 1986)

Paul’s Boutique, by The Beastie Boys (Album; 1989)

Porky’s Spring Planting (WB LT Cartoon; 1938)

Ruby Sparks (Film; 2012)

Seabiscuit (Film; 2003)

Step Brothers (Film; 2008)

The Tree’s Knees (WB LT Cartoon; 1931)

X-Files: I Want to Believe (Film; 2008)

Yes, by Yes (Album; 1969)

You Can’t Hurry Love, by The Supremes (Song; 1966)

Today’s Name Days

Jakob, Jakobus, Thea, Thomas, Valentina (Austria)

Ana, Yana (Bulgaria)

Beata, Jakov, Krsto, Valentina (Croatia)

Jakub (Czech Republic)

Jacobus (Denmark)

Jaagup, Jaak, Jaako, Jaap, Jako, Jakob, Jass (Estonia)

Jaakko, Jaakob, Jaakoppi, Jimi (Finland)

Jacques, Valentine (France)

Jakob, Valentine (Germany)

Anna (Greece)

Jakab, Kristóf (Hungary)

Cristoforo, Giacomo (Italy)

Jēkabs, Marika (Latvia)

Aušrinė, Jokūbas, Kristupas (Lithuania)

Jack, Jakob, Jim (Norway)

Jakub, Krzysztof, Nieznamir, Sławosz, Walentyna (Poland)

Jakub (Slovakia)

Jaime, Santiago (Spain)

Jakob (Sweden)

Jac, Jack, Jacki, Jackie, Jackson, Jacky, Jacques, Jimmie (Universal)

Coby, Colby, Diego, Israel, Jacob, Jacoby, Jack, Jackie, Jackson, Jaclyn, Jacqueline, Jacquelyn, Jacques, Jaime, Jake, Jakob, James, Jameson, Jamie, Jaquan, Jaqueline, Jaxon, Jaxson, Jim, Jimena, Jimmie, Jimmy, Kobe, Koby, Kolby, Santiago (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 206 of 2024; 159 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 2 of week 30 of 2023

Celtic Tree Calendar: Tinne (Holly) [Day 16 of 28]

Chinese: Month 6 (Ji-Wei), Day 8 (Jia-Shen)

Chinese Year of the: Rabbit 4721 (until February 10, 2024)

Hebrew: 7 Av 5783

Islamic: 7 Muharram 1445

J Cal: 26 Lux; Fiveday [26 of 30]

Julian: 12 July 2023

Moon: 50%: 1st Quarter

Positivist: 10 Dante (8th Month) [Holbein]

Runic Half Month: Ur (Primal Strength) [Day 12 of 15]

Season: Summer (Day 35 of 94)

Zodiac: Leo (Day 4 of 31)

[newsssc]

Patricia Pardo's flowery and gastronomic holidays in Galicia with Christian Gálvez

Patricia pardo (40 years old) said goodbye to the audience of ‘Vamos a ver’ on July 24, making it clear how happy he was to be able to begin his holidays traveling home, to Santiago de CompostelaThe presenter is a staunch defender of her land, especially as she was about to celebrate the city’s patron saint’s day. “I can’t wait to get to Galicia”he told all his colleagues on the set, adding with…

[brookstonalmanac]

Holidays 7.25

Holidays

Act Like a Caveman Day

Arthouse Theatre Day

Battle of Isted Day (Denmark)

Bayreuther Festspiele begins (Wagner festival; Germany) [thru 8.28]

Be Adamant About Something Day

Carousel Day

Chicory Day

Community Day (Galicia, Spain)

CTNNB1 Awareness Day

Ebernoe Horn Fair (Sussex, UK)

Feed the Country Ducks Day

Festival of Picaresque Animality

Fire Service Day (Belarus)

Grotto Day (UK)

Guancaste Day (Costa Rica)

Health and Happiness with Hypnosis Day

International AfroLatinx, AfroCaribbean & Diaspora Women’s Day

International Day of Solidarity with Antifascist Prisoners

International Red Shoe Day

International Stop Rapping Over Vocals Day

John Knill Day (Cornwall, UK) [Every 5 Years]

Jumatul Bidah (Bangladesh)

Jumat-ul-Wida (India)

Merry-Go-Round Day [also 5.17]

Miracle Treat Day (Canada)

Mugwort Day (French Republic)

National African American Hepatitis C Action Day

National Campus Press Freedom Day (Philippines)

National Carousel Day

National Clay Day

National Day of Galicia (Spain)

National Day of the Writer (Brazil)

National Hire a Veteran Day

National Houston Day

National Schizophrenia Awareness Day (UK)

National Video Game Team Day

Occupation Day (Puerto Rico)

Patient Safety Day

Rain of Black Worms Day (Romania)

Red Shoe Day

Republic Day (Tunisia)

Road Transport Workers’ Day (Tajikistan)

Rosiland Franklin Day

Santiago Apóstol (Spain)

725 Day (Las Vegas)

Test-Tube Baby Day

Thread the Needle Day

Traditional Palestinian Dress Day

World Drowning Prevention Day (UN)

World Embryologist Day

World IVF Day

World Youth Days 2023 begins (Lisbon, Portugal; Roman Catholic; until 7.31) [Varies; @Every 3 Years]

Food & Drink Celebrations

Antifascist Pasta Day (Italy)

Candles on a Cake Day

Culinarian’s Day

Frozen Fruit Freeze/Juice Day

Indie Beer Day (Australia)

National Hot Fudge Sundae Day

National Wine and Cheese Day

Independence & Related Days

Abode of Heaven (Declared; 2018) [unrecognized]

Andany (Declared; 2017; Dissolved Sep. 2018) [unrecognized]

Atlia (Declared; 2017) [unrecognized]

Commonwealth Constitution Day (Puerto Rico) 

Rathunis (Declared; 2011) [unrecognized]

Revolution Anniversary Day (Cuba)

New Year’s Days

A Day Out of Time (Last Day of the Year; Mayan, Galactic)

4th & Last Thursday in July

Berne Swiss Festival begins (ends Saturday; Indiana) [4th Thursday]

International Digital Adoption Professionals Day [Last Thursday]

National Chili Dog Day [Last Thursday]

National Intern Day [Last Thursday]

Great Texas Mosquito Festival begins (ends Saturday) [4th Thursday]

National Refreshment Day [4th Thursday]

Shiraz Day (Australia) [4th Thursday]

Weekly Holidays beginning July 25 (4th Week of July)

Quilt Odyssey Week (thru 7.28) [Last Thursday thru Saturday]

Festivals Beginning July 25, 2024

Antigua Carnival (St. John’s, Antigua and Barbuda) [thru 8.6]

Bangor State Fair - Bangor, Maine) [7.28 & 8.1-3]

Beer Garden (Jackson, Wisconsin) [thru 7.26]

The Big Seafood Festival (Manitowoc, Wisconsin) [thru 7.26]

Burn in the Forest (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada) [thru 7.29]

Calgary Folk Music Festival (Calgary, Canada) [thru 7.28]

Cambridge Folk Festival (Cherry Hinton, United Kingdom) [thru 7.28]

Camp Bestival (East Lulworth, United Kingdom) [thru 7.28]

Cave City Watermelon Festival (Cave City, Arkansas) [thru 7.27]

Down to Earth Summer Conference & Trade Show (Wachusett Mountain, Westminster, Massachusetts)

Elkader Sweet Corn Days (Elkader, Iowa) [thru 7.28]

Glier’s Goettafest (Newport, Kentucky) [7.28 & 8.1-4]

Iron River Lions Blueberry Festival (Iron River, Wisconsin) [thru 7.28]

Kneading Conference (Skowhegan, Maine) [thru 7.26]

Labadie Rib Fest (Bay City, Michigan) [thru 7.28]

Latitude Festival (Southwold, Suffolk, England) [thru 7.28]

Munger Potato Festival (Munger, Michigan) [thru 7.28]

Plumas Sierra County Fair (Quincy, California) [thru 7.28]

San Diego Comic-Con International (San Diego, California) [thru 7.28]

Southeast Alaska State Fair (Haines, Alaska) [thru 7.28]

Stan Rogers Folk Festival (Canso, Canada) [thru 7.29]

Sugar Grove Corn Boil (Sugar Grove, Illinois) [thru 7.28]

Viljandi Folk Music Festival (Viljandi, Estonia) [thru 7.28]

Whole Hawg Days & Poker Run (Eufaula, Oklahoma) [thru 7.27]

WOMAD (Wiltshire, United Kingdom) [thru 7.28]

Feast Days

Alexander Rummler (Artology)

Anne (Eastern Christianity)

Christmas in July

Christopher (Western Christianity)

Cucuphas (a.k.a. Cueufas, Cougat; Christian; Saint)

CW Apple Day (Celtic Book of Days)

Elias Canetti (Writerism)

Eric Hoffer (Writerism)

Feast of Formation of Saint Ann (Mother of the Virgin Mary; Byzantine Rite)

Festival of Paper Dolls (Japan; Everyday Wicca)

The Festival of the Knee Knockers (Shamanism)

Furrinalia (Old Roman Goddess of Springs)

Glodesind (Christian; Saint)

Grand Fête des Escaldes (Andorra)

Holbein (Positivist; Saint)

Hot Fudge Sundae Day (Pastafarian)

Ilyap'a Festival (Inca thunder god)

James the Great (Western Christianity)

Jane Frank (Artology)

John I Agnus (Christian; Saint)

Josephine Tey (Writerism)

Julian of Le Mans (Christian; Translation)

Magnerich of Trier (Christian; Saint)

Maxfield Parrish (Artology)

National Baha’i Day (Jamaica)

Nissen, Abbot of Mountgarret, Ireland (Christian; Saint)

Paul (Christian; Martyr)

Shylock Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

Slippery Slim (Muppetism)

Thea and Valentina (Christian; Virgins)

Thomas Eakins (Artology)

Unveiling Day (Satanism)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Sensho (先勝 Japan) [Good luck in the morning, bad luck in the afternoon.]

Premieres

The Adventures of André & Wally B. (Pixar Cartoon; 1984)

Air Force One (Film; 1997)

Alice the Whaler (Ub Iwerks Disney Cartoon; 1927)

Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging (Film; 2008)

Armor Wars (Film; 2025)

Auto-da-Fé, by Elias Canetti (Novel; 1935)

Back in Black, by AC/DC (Album; 1980)

Batman: The Killing Joke (Animated Film; 2016)

Broken Quest (Animated tV Series; 2013)

Caddyshack (Film; 1980)

China Grove, by the Doobie Brothers (Song; 1973)

A Chorus Line (Broadway Musical; 1975)

Drinking Buddies (Film; 2013)

Duck Dodgers in the 24½th Century (WB MM Cartoon; 1953)

Dylan Goes Electric (at the Newport Folk Festival; 1965)

Einstein on the Beach, by Philip Glass (Opera; 1976)

Fame, by David Bowie (Song; 1975)

First Lensman, by E.E. "Doc" Smith (Novel; 1950) [Lensman #2]

Good Burger (Film; 1997)

He Can’t Make It Stick (Color Rhapsody Cartoon; 1943)

Hemingway’s Adventures of a Young Man (Film; 1962)

Justice League: Warworld (WB Animated Film; 2023)

Kill ‘Em All, by Metallica (Album; 1983)

Lara Croft Tom Raider: The Cradle of Life (Film; 2003)

Last Train to Clarksville, recorded by The Monks (Song; 1966)

Lego Scooby-Doo! Blowout Beach Bash (WB Animated Film; 2017)

Life is Elsewhere, by Milan Kundera (Novel; 1973)

Lucy (Film; 2014)

Maximum Overdrive (Film; 1986)

Much Ado About Mutton (Noveltoons Cartoon; 1947)

The New Car (Ub Iwerks MGM Cartoon; 1931)

Paul’s Boutique, by The Beastie Boys (Album; 1989)

Porky’s Spring Planting (WB LT Cartoon; 1938)

Red Dawn (Film; 1984)

Ruby Sparks (Film; 2012)

Salmon Pink (Pink Panther Cartoon; 1975)

Seabiscuit (Film; 2003)

Step Brothers (Film; 2008)

The Tree’s Knees (WB LT Cartoon; 1931)

Twelve O’Clock and All Ain’t Well (Terrytoons Cartoon; 1941)

X-Files: I Want to Believe (Film; 2008)

Yes, by Yes (Album; 1969)

You Can’t Hurry Love, by The Supremes (Song; 1966)

Today’s Name Days

Jakob, Jakobus, Thea, Thomas, Valentina (Austria)

Ana, Yana (Bulgaria)

Beata, Jakov, Krsto, Valentina (Croatia)

Jakub (Czech Republic)

Jacobus (Denmark)

Jaagup, Jaak, Jaako, Jaap, Jako, Jakob, Jass (Estonia)

Jaakko, Jaakob, Jaakoppi, Jimi (Finland)

Jacques, Valentine (France)

Jakob, Valentine (Germany)

Anna (Greece)

Jakab, Kristóf (Hungary)

Cristoforo, Giacomo (Italy)

Jēkabs, Marika (Latvia)

Aušrinė, Jokūbas, Kristupas (Lithuania)

Jack, Jakob, Jim (Norway)

Jakub, Krzysztof, Nieznamir, Sławosz, Walentyna (Poland)

Jakub (Slovakia)

Jaime, Santiago (Spain)

Jakob (Sweden)

Jac, Jack, Jacki, Jackie, Jackson, Jacky, Jacques, Jimmie (Universal)

Coby, Colby, Diego, Israel, Jacob, Jacoby, Jack, Jackie, Jackson, Jaclyn, Jacqueline, Jacquelyn, Jacques, Jaime, Jake, Jakob, James, Jameson, Jamie, Jaquan, Jaqueline, Jaxon, Jaxson, Jim, Jimena, Jimmie, Jimmy, Kobe, Koby, Kolby, Santiago (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 207 of 2024; 159 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 4 of Week 30 of 2024

Celtic Tree Calendar: Tinne (Holly) [Day 19 of 28]

Chinese: Month 6 (Xin-Wei), Day 20 (Geng-Yin)

Chinese Year of the: Dragon 4722 (until January 29, 2025) [Wu-Chen]

Hebrew: 19 Tammuz 5784

Islamic: 18 Muharram 1446

J Cal: 27 Red; Sixday [27 of 30]

Julian: 12 July 2024

Moon: 79%: Waning Gibbous

Positivist: 10 Dante (8th Month) [Holbein]

Runic Half Month: Thorn (Defense) [Day 2 of 15]

Season: Summer (Day 36 of 94)

Week: 4th Week of July

Zodiac: Leo (Day 4 of 31)

[anthonyboordain]

mallorca

after several wonderful days in porto, we got on ryan air to fly into palma, mallorca. ryan air - what a treat, clapping as you land lol. mallorca welcomed us with its gigentic palma airport filled with european tourists. we took a short taxi ride to our hotel for a quick one night stay. we went to a local restaurant recommended by the hotel employee and we had our first taste of authentic local spanish jamon and it was delicious. off to a great star.

after a quick walking tour of palma (a beautiful historic city with luxury shopping everywhere), we grabbed our rental car and drove up to our luxury hotel. when your wife is a suga mama and gets you suite upgrade, life is amazing. we enjoyed a pitcher of sangria by the pool overlooking the island. already at this point, i was dreaming of buying an estate here - what a beautiful island. dare i say, i find it to be more attractive than sicily.

we had the meal of the trip in this city. el viejo y el mar. me being me - we got there about 15 minutes before opening and grabbed the only non-reservation table at the bar. what a lucky day it was. we had the best meal of the trip there - uh, mae, zing. every single bite. every single dish. every single sip of that weirdly shaken white wine out of a plastic bottle. and every single sipe of that galiciean draft beer. the best meal of the trip. and we did cement the fact that our most memorable, must go back meals tend to be the local, simple, non-michelin restaurants.

we drove around the island exploring. valdemossa was a charming small town with wonderful picture spots. we found our spanish go to drink - vermut rojo on the rocks with orange. what a treat. soller - it was so crowded but with reason. the old tram ride to the port of soller is such a magical ride. you look up and see the mystic mountain - almost computer graphic like. and yes, paella all day. with olives, bread, and that magical mayo dip. we discovered our affection for pintxos on our last day and we devoured so many of them. and yes that little egg omelette thing - heaven.

walking around palma, you understand why europeans flock to mallorca for their vacation. it's beautiful. it's delicious. it's relaxing. and it makes you happy. the wonderful emerald beach all over the island, windy roads taking you through the coast lines as well as the mountains. seafood galore. full of amazing 5 star hotels (stayed at 3 different hotels and they were all equally amazing, luxury and posh).

if i had unlimited amount of money, i'd buy a multi million dollar estate near palma and go visit 2-3 times a year for vacation. it's just so damn beautiful.

"mallorca - so corwded because it's beautiful. cala del moro, cala pi, valldemossa, soller, and palma. seafood and paella all day. gambas a la plancha and estrella galicia. discovering vermut mutaner and pintxos. gracias." - anthony boordain.

[axelsscrapbook]

List 5 things that make you happy, then put this in the askbox for the last 10 people who reblogged something from you! get to know your mutuals and followers <3

my first ask on this acc 😭😭🫶 tysmm and btw this post is gonna be long cause im mostly just infodumping on things i love.

1. brooklyn 99. whenever im sad or bored i play a b99 compilation or just some random episodes and i ALWAYS end up smiling. plus its story is really good!! i kinda wish i could watch it for the 1st time again.

2. absurdism or just the way i see life. it brings me sm joy to talk about how my way of living and seeing people take it seriously!!

3. tloz. i LOVE tloz. its so damn pretty. i dont wanna get into it cause id be writing for a while.

4. my fav music, obviously. some good music always brightens my mood. seeing the effort put into it is so satisfying, and the melody and the lyrics always hit different.

5. some random spanish summercamp i used to go to. (its somewhat like the scouts) in fact i think i have some reposts that remind me of it!! its always in rural galicia, which is a lovely part of spain, mostly because its FILLED w nature. the catch is: u cannot bring ur phone(u can bring cameras tho) and its amazing. it is 2 weeks long and the only way to communicate w ur fam is by sending letters, which ive grown to love. plus the people there are so damn fun and lovely and just amazing people overall, so u always have friends to make and memories to tell when ur older.(at the end of the summercamp everyone is crying bc its over and hugging eachother, we're like a huge friendgroup dude) I COULD TALK ALLLLLL DAY LONG ABT IT!!! plus i have some friends that i only see at this summercamp so that is an extra bonus. and not seeing ur phone for two weeks and just having fun w ur friends, playing games and going to the beach n things like that is so relaxing.

[safereturndoubtful]

On St Ninian’s Beach

26th June 2023

I had booked the most basic accommodation on the overnight boat from Kirkwall to Lerwick, a reclining seat. But I had hoped not to use it, preferring the illegal option of staying in my van bed. I had researched on the internet and read that it was something truckers did do. An article from an incident in January of 2006 was easily found, when in stormy conditions three trucks had toppled over during the crossing. On arrival in Lerwick it was found 6 drivers had stayed in their cabs, one stuck there until he was rescued.

Northlink stresses how dangerous it is, yet they are quite happy to let my dog stay there.. do they value his life any less than mine? By circumstance rather than choice, I boarded last, and had to reverse on with the studious attention of all the boarding crew. At the appropriate moment I disappeared behind the curtain. They either didn’t see, or weren’t bothered. Before the boat sailed I was in bed, waking at 7:15 am as drivers returned to their vehicles. The coach driver next to me gave me a knowing nod. It was clear he had done the same.

By 8 am I was at St Ninian’s Beach, about a half hour drive away, in heavy rain and just 9C. Roja and I had breakfast, and I read while Roja dozed and the rain eased, and by mid-morning the cloud cleared and the sun emerged.

This is my second visit of the year to the Wild Atlantic coast, the first being the Costa del Morte in Galicia in February, equally impressive.

The first photo is of the ruin of St Ninians’s Chapel, which dates back to the 12th Century. Before that it was an Iron Age Burial Ground. It’s other claim to fame is that in 1958 a local schoolboy found a wooden box on the site, which contained 28 silver objects of Pictish treasure.

St Ninian’s Isle is quite a spectacular sight from the car park, with its jagged rock cliffs, strikingly green pasture, and it’s shell-sand tombolo, the finest example of one in Western Europe. It is occasionally breached, in storms and at high tide, but today it was at its best, a superb wander though Roja chose not to use it and swim alongside for most of the way.

The perimeter of the Isle is about four and a half miles, but most who walk as far as the island, then choose shortcuts. As with most of the ocean facing coasts here, the south and west headlands are the wildest and most spectacular. There were a few other visitors. I met the couple in the other campervan at the carpark, from Durham, and prior to that at Dentdale, and we chatted for a while.

We were back at the van for 2 pm, and spent the afternoon with the dramatic backdrop trying to concentrate enough to attend to a few business matters.

Last week here was the Shetland Noir Book Festival, attended by writers such as Martin Edwards, Val McDermid, Ann Cleeves and Elly Griffiths. They even had a session here at St Ninian’s Beach. Cleeves write the Shetland series, that has now been adapted for television. It strikes me that the literary body count here on the tranquil Shetland Islands is bigger than most places, with the possible exception of Midsomer.

These rocky outcrops put me in mind of Chris Cameron, who is currently mid-way through his 60 day record attempt for the longest stay on a remote uninhabited North Atlantic rock, on Rockall, 200 miles west of St Kilda, and 300 miles from the mainland. It says a lot about the teaching profession that a guy has to go to such lengths to get a peaceful break. Maybe he won’t return to his post, and stay on Rockall.

Roja seems unbothered by the various dive-bomb attacks from the sea birds he receives. They concern themselves with him rather than me thankfully. With my untrained eye, those who bombed him include, the Fulmar which comes off the cliffs and hovers in the wind, the territorial Curlew with its recognisable squeal and curved beak from the scrub land, and the much rarer Arctic Tern from its slumber in the grass.

And a ‘spot-the-van’ pic..