Tonight is St John’s Eve. In most part of Spain people will be lighting bonfires, and late leaping over bonfires - supposedly bringing good fortune - unless, of course, you have the misfortune to set your trousers on fire! People will also be eating sardines, unless they are too expensive this year.
When I first read Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s dream, I didn’t actually associate it with The Eve of St John but there it is. A long standing romantic tradition,
The other thing you are supposed to do today is collect up certain herbs -any good Galician could tell you which - stand them in water overnight and get up at dawn tomorrow to wash your face in the water the herbs have stood in. It’s supposed to be good for your complexion. Personally I’ve always rejected the offer of using such water. I’ll stick to my normal routine.
I’m pretty sure the bonfire jumping routine also involves finding out the initial of the person you will eventually marry. If you fiddle the number of times you leap over the bonfire, does the magic still work?
While we’re being a bit romantic, here’s something about the singer/songwriter Suzanne Vega:
“2 songs... one guy...
Suzanne wrote "Gypsy" with her (then) 18 year old love in mind, which she met for the period of a summercamp stay in her native US... Years later, she wrote "In Liverpool", again with him in mind, as this was his home town... and put it on the classic 99.9° F album... He showed up in England at a concert in the 90's, with a bouquet of flowers, and through the magic that is internet, they now remain actively in contact... A beautiful story, she shares everytime she sings it. She also shared a pic of his grandson on her FB page.
True love, eternal friendship, beautiful music and magnificent lyrics... Incredibly touching for the romantics at heart...
We all need a true love story like this in our lives...
This is Suzanne Vega”
In Argentina they have a romantic association with the footballer Diego Maradona. From being a beautiful boy, however, he became a physical wreck far too soon and died at the age of only sixty in 2020. Now it seems eight people involved in his medical care are being investigated for neglect and possible homicide. We need explanations when our heroes die.
In less romantic mood, rail strikes continue today. According to TV news everyone has been having difficulty getting their kids to school because of this strike. Really? In most parts of the country surely kids have gone to school,on the bus, or in the family car as usual. In London and the south east loads of students go to school by train and on the underground. Trams, however, have been running in Greater Manchester as normal as far as I know! News seems to be is London-centric and all the reporting is anti union.
And finally someone called William Baldwin posted this in a group on facebook:
“I heard an interesting theory that Johnson is trying to unravel the Northern Ireland Protocol he drafted because NI is the only area of the UK (apart from London) where the economy is growing because it is spared from the full impact of Brexit and it's now exposing the idiocy of leaving the EU.”
That sounds plausible.
Life goes on. Stay safe and well, everyone!
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