Sept 2015 - Week 4

Monday 21st to Sunday 27th September 2015

Monday we rose after a somewhat disturbed night. Noisy gales have arrived in Malta and are forecast to stay for a couple of days. The wind howls around the buildings and up the lift shaft. The boats at anchor are tossed around like some mad fairground ride. It looks gorgeous though! We have bright sunshine, clear blue skies and turquoise sea speckled with whitecaps. Today is a public holiday here so it is very quiet out and about. Despite the holiday, we worked. I made a big pot of vegetable and chorizo soup in my excellent new large saucepan for dinner.

Tuesday was business as usual. For dinner we had pizzas!

Wednesday I made a spiced lentil salad, cooking the sauce in my excellent new frying pan. We went to the Atrium and Homemate to do a bit of shopping. Had roasted chicken with our lentils for dinner, a real protein overload.

Thursday we got loads of work done then went to Naxxar late afternoon for Sam to have physio. We went a little early to give us time to wander around the Palazzo Parisio gardens, peaceful and relaxing as always. For dinner we had left over chicken with spiced lentils and baked potatoes.

Friday we drove to Pretty Bay so that Sam could see it for the first time. After that we drove on to Marsaxlokk to meet Ian and Robin at a seafood restaurant that had been recommended to them, La Capanna. It was disappointing and we won’t be rushing back. I have reviewed it on my food blog. What were good were the cappuccinos we had at restaurant called Terrone in Marsaxlokk before lunch. We wish we had had lunch there as it looks like a great place. We will try it some other day. We weren’t hungry that evening, so we simply snacked on crisps and wedges. As a post script though, Ian and Robin had cruised around to Marsaxlokk and anchored in the bay. They came ashore in Ian’s tender, tying up at one end of the promenade. When they got back to it after lunch they discovered that some idiot had untied it and it was floating loose in the middle of the bay, so Ian had to swim out to rescue it!

Saturday we did the work we should have done yesterday! The temperature is down to the early 30s so I went for a stroll after lunch, stopping at Sotto Zero for rum and raisin ice cream (missing raisins for some reason) and cherry ice cream. It’s noticeably quieter out and about now. The schools are back and tourists are thinner on the ground. I walked out onto the breakwater, passing bored-looking fishermen and empty boats along the way. Cars and trucks with empty trailers were lined up by the slipway, waiting their turn to haul their motor boats out of the water, presumably to tuck them up in bed for the winter. The people who run the main water sports business seem to have called it a day too. For some, this could be a sad time, seeing things winding down after a busy season. But for me it’s great; I see this as a new beginning, the advent of the, “Getting outside and doing things” season.

By the way, I stopped at our little corner shop and an English couple were just finishing up at the counter and they each had a large cardboard box packed with cartons of cigarettes. The shop owner told me that is quite a common thing and that English visitors come to him to buy 3,200 cigarettes each to take home. Apparently that is the limit you are allowed to take into the UK for personal consumption. He went on to say that he takes between €15,000 and €20,000 every week just from cigarette sales. Cigarettes in Malta are far cheaper than airport duty free prices, less than £3 for a big brand packet of 20. So, buying 3,200 saves about £800, more than enough to pay for a holiday here. The moral of the story is, become a smoker and get a free holiday! (Or open a corner shop and take €1 million a year just selling fags.)

I had the most amazing pork chop for dinner. You can check out my recipe for it on my food blog.

Sam had a rib eye steak. Oh, and I went for a walk after dinner. Finally it’s cool enough for that.

Sunday first thing I got out for a 50 minutes power walk which was brilliant. Late morning Sam and I went for a five kilometre walk, stopping at Miracles for cappuccinos. We paused to look at the Ferraris and vintage American cars parked in the Aquarium car park. And we popped into a couple of shops on the way home. The temperature is perfect for this now. In the afternoon Sam sunbathed and I had a nap! For dinner we went to the Gate of India which was bloody awful. You can read my review of it if you like. We ended on a bright note though with ice cream from Sotto Zero.