The Matrix is due for an upgrade - or a patch -- or something

 I do wonder if those conspiracy theorists have a point.  The first section of this does seem like we are in a different dimension.  The purple grounds, the odd green shades - is the matrix broken? Or is it that Google can’t be arsed to go back and retake some photos on a road that about thirty people, some of whom are cows, use a year.  At this point I did wonder if the title of this edition should be ‘The Matrix isn’t broken - you are’.  I once had a poster up in my classroom that said ‘Don’t be yourself, be someone better.’  This is, of course, the message behind most improvement posters - only they sugar coat them.



We are out in the idyllic countryside. Rolling round the hills and over the dales and not a review in view.  Google marks down the Camin del Faeu Roads ports and canals engineers association but no further details are a shame.





Look, that’s it for the day.  Shall we have some Asturian folklore? Why not.





Mouros. For unknown reasons they were forced to take refuge under the earth, and now they are usually seen by people in the surroundings of hill forts and long barrows. The Mouros work with gold, silver and gemstones with which they make up enormous treasures that are protected by cuélebres.The Mouros do not usually go out of their dwellings, except for taking food, and also in special dates like Midsummer The Mouros encantados sometimes appear as giants or warriors.




Cuélebre is a giant winged serpent-dragon that lives in a cave, guards treasures and keeps anjanas as prisoners. Although they are immortal, the cuélebre age, and their scales become thick and impenetrable, and bat wings grow in their bodies. They must eventually flee Asturias and fly to the Mar Cuajada, a paradise located beyond the sea.  They do not usually move, but when they do it, it is in order to eat cattle and people. One could kill the cuélebre by giving them a red-hot stone or a bread full of pins to consume. Its spit is said to turn into a magic stone, which heals many diseases.  In Midsummer, which is a magical night in Asturian and Cantabrian folklore, it is possible for brave men to defeat the cuélebre, whose spells don't take effect that night, and marry the xana and get the treasure. 





Anjana are described as beautiful and delicate, 15cm tall, with white skin and a sweet voice. Some are like a nightingale when they are happy, and others are like a beetle stepping on leaves in autumn. Their eyes are slanted, serene and loving, with black or blue pupils as bright as the stars, and they feature nearly transparent wings. They wear long, jet black or golden braids, adorned with multicolored silk bows and ribbons; a beautiful crown of wild flowers on their head; and a blue cape on a long thin white tunic, and carry in their hands a stick of wicker or hawthorn which shines in a different colour every day of the week.






That’s it for today.













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