Out of the maze and spike of gold

 It is a lovely day. You can almost feel the potential of heat lurking in the low places ready to sinuously saunter out and make three o'clock unbearable.  We have nothing to visit so let us go five random things.

Forgot Catherine of Aragon, Henry VIII tried to so you are in good company. If you want Spanish Queens go to Eleanor of Castile.  Born in 1241, the 13 year old Eleanor married Edward I in 1254.  History moves its eye around and once lingered on the fact she went with Edward on the 9th Crusade and had crosses built where her coffin rested after she died. Today her sharp property transactions and profiting from the exploitation of Jewish people has nudged its way forward.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eleanor_of_Castile 

The Semici is one of the oldest film festivals and is based in Valladolid.  Founded in 1956 they managed to find loopholes in state censorship to show films otherwise banned in Franco’s Spain. For example, ‘A Clockwork Orange’ appearing in 1975 was a landmark moment.  Winners of ‘The Golden Spike’  include East is East [1999], ‘Last Film Show’ [2021] and, last year, Magellan and the The Mastermind.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valladolid_International_Film_Festival 

Maize is a emblematic item in Asturian fields and the only thing I have one first prize for in a Veg Show. Spain grew 3500 kt of the stuff in 2024, down on the highpoints of 2014 and 2021. Spain is the 34th largest producer of the stuff.

The Book of Games was translated, in 1283, was translated on the orders of Alfonso X. The 97 leaves of penchant divided games into three types, skill, chance and skill and chance. The final section includes bits on astronomy and astrology.  Amongst the games included are Twelve Dogs, Alongside Fives and Drop Dead.   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libro_de_los_juegos 

Astorga is coupled with five settlements. Reus, Clavijo and Merida in Spain, Moissac in France and the Tindouf Refugee Camps in the Western Sahara. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sahrawi_refugee_camps 

So we end the day, down a slope, over a ridge and ending a 15m above sea level, having reached the heights at 43.













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