Dec 2015 - Week 3

Ridge above Riviera Bay looking south in December

Monday 14th to Sunday 20th December 2015

Monday we worked and I did quite a bit of Italian study. On my walk I dropped in at the post office and bought stamps; we have finally gotten around to doing our Xmas cards. We had left over chickpea and vegetable casserole for dinner with a shed load of roast potatoes.

Tuesday was Lauren’s birthday – who could believe my baby is 23?! Twenty years ago seems but a blink of an eye. I remember her so clearly, a happy three year old sat on my knee, a huge smile, a fierce hug, big wide eyes, the best friend a dad could ever have. It’s good to remember these things, to think such happy thoughts. Today I spoke to her, of course. She told me of her day and her feelings and her presents and her plans. I do so miss her. That is part of the price we pay for moving on with our lives, I suppose.

Turning to the prosaic, we shopped and cooked and worked. Just down the way from us is an hotel called Gillieru and next to it is a tiny marina where the local fishermen moor their boats. Most of the boats have gone for the winter but when I walked that way today I noticed the water was packed with tiny fish; no exaggeration, tens of thousands of silver minnows, a whitebait fisherman’s dream. Today was unusual for Malta – grey skies and the sea grey and listless too, like a crouching army waiting the onslaught. Maybe it suited my mood. But come the afternoon, the clouds parted, the sun broke through we smiled our smiles and gave thanks for the blessing that is Malta!

For dinner I made boeuf bourguignon and we had it with roasted carrots and parsnips. Delish!

Wednesday morning I went to Mellieha, Christmas shopping for Sam. It wasn’t a very successful trip! I’m sure she’ll understand! After lunch we went to Sliema to pick up some decorations for the flat. Popping to Sliema is dead easy and fast now that the coast road is open. For dinner we had left over boeuf bourguignon with roast potatoes.

Thursday I hiked all around the area between Golden Bay and Gnejna Bay. It is seriously hilly walking, up and down cliffs and ridges, so I knew I had had a work out at the end of it. It was hot and sunny, the views were terrific and the sea was beautiful; this really is Malta at its most beautiful and best. There was a couple swimming in Golden Bay – must be mad, presumably tourists – and a handful of sunbathers on Riviera Bay beach. Other than that though, it was peaceful. I walked along paths sheltered by palms and cypresses, through grasslands and farmers’ fields and out onto rocky headlands. In places the paths were treacherous, crumbly underfoot and dropping steeply to one side; not the smartest route to take on your own. Who would know if I took a fall? There is more seaweed in the bays this time of year, washed in by the winter waves. But still on calm days like this the sea is crystal clear and full of colour. And it seems immense. In the summer it is broken up by pleasure boats; this time of year it is all but abandoned and seems all the greater for that.

In the evening we went to Miracles for a drink then on to Benjawan, our new favourite Thai restaurant. It was excellent again and it was oh-so-good to have spicy food for a change.

Friday was still t-shirt and shorts weather. I hiked to Xemxija and back, got loads of work done, went to my Italian class and ate pizza for dinner.

Saturday Sam and I went to Aquatica, a new café in St Paul’s Bay for a cappuccino and a bacon and egg ciabatta for breakfast. Very nice it was too. We had a wander around and did some shopping but Sam really wasn’t too well. We cut the trip short and went home so Sam could have a lie down. Last night she had experimented with new cocktails at home using home-made mandarin vodka while I was at my Italian class but apparently that has nothing to do with her feeling off colour today! I went for a long walk. This really is a perfect month for being out of doors; warm sunshine, no rain, almost windless, real t-shirts and shorts weather. For dinner I made spaghettini arabiata, easy and tasty.

Sunday was wet and thundery so we had a lazy day in. Sam made a great roast chicken late lunch. Chicken is always good here but we had a corn fed chicken on this occasion and it was excellent. In the evening Sam went to the Christmas carol service in Valletta. I had a beer in O’Rielly’s and then watched a movie. I didn’t need dinner so I just had some rice cooked with cashew nuts and raisins and flavoured with cumin and black pepper, delicious!