Dec 2015 - Week 2

Only in Malta!

Monday 7th to Sunday 13th December 2015

Monday morning we went to Sliema – more shopping! After lunch I did an exhausting power walk. Sam cooked us a roast chicken dinner with fab Yorkshire puddings.

Tuesday was another perfect day so I went for a good hike from Mistra Bay to the salt pans and back, capturing a few good photos along the way. Today was a public holiday here – The Feast of the Immaculate Conception (yeah, right) – so all the main shops were shut. Our local minimarket was open though, so I managed to get some Findus breaded cod fillets (rubbish) and some McCain oven chips (not bad) for dinner.

Wednesday we worked and shopped but I did get a walk in after lunch. I made Cottage Pie for dinner – haven’t had that for ages.

Thursday was one of those in between days where it was slightly too chilly just for a t-shirt but too warm for a fleece. You have no idea how much stress I am under making such tough decisions. I bought Sam an early Christmas present, a bottle of spray oven cleaner. Call me an old softie. For dinner we had more cottage pie. In for a penny, in for a pound!

Friday we went for a wander around Mdina and Rabat, both very quiet on a winter’s Friday morning. It is so much more enjoyable to see Mdina in all its glory without hordes of tourists clogging up its narrow streets. Mdina is on the top of a hill though, and its narrow streets channel the wind bringing a chill with it. Rabat is a maze of pretty alleys and winding lanes, peppered with tiny shops and cafes. We sat in the sun at an outdoor café in the gardens opposite Mdina sipping de rigueur cappuccinos; very civilised.

Friday finished with an Italian lesson and pizzas, as usual.

Saturday we went to the non-existent farmers’ market again! We stopped at the National Park to collect fir cones for our Christmas decorations. (Isn’t it odd that fir cone is an anagram of conifer?) We visited the craft market and found a couple of small Christmas prezzies for Sam and, of course, had cappuccinos there. After lunch I went for a hike, searching out the shade as the sun was unrelenting in a totally blue sky.

In the evening we went to O’Reilly’s, an Irish pub just off Bugibba Square. It is a nice traditional bar except spoiled somewhat by several large screen TVs showing football. From there we went to Lovage for dinner. It was just okay on this occasion. We both had a risotto with pancetta and smoked eels to start but it was so smoky it tasted almost burnt. I followed that with grilled red snapper but it hadn’t been fully descaled and was a touch chewy. Sam had lamb fillets with a pea mash which she quite liked but wouldn’t have again. For pudding I had a bland pecan and apple tart with cinnamon-less cinnamon ice cream.

Sunday was quite hot so Sam spent much of the day sunbathing. I went for a gentle hike. The Malta Classic Car Owners Club was in town and on the way I checked out some of the pristine vintage cars around Bugibba Square. Most of them looked like they had been licked clean. Sam has started to make our apartment look Christmassy with baubles, decorations and silver-sprayed fir cones popping up. She does have to point them out to me though, as I am not very good at noticing!

For dinner I made a chickpea and vegetable casserole. It’s one of those recipes that tastes fantastic despite being dead easy to make and, with a load of crusty bread, makes a perfect winter’s dish.