Feb 2016 - Week 3

Sam's photo of a dragonfly

Monday 15th to Sunday 21st February 2016

Monday was stunning! It felt more like June that February; blue skies, flat seas and the temperature soaring into the 30s. I did a fantastic one hour power walk. By the end of it, it looked like my head had been boiled. We got the umbrellas up on the terrace for the first time this year so Sam could have some shade. In the morning I cooked a beef and prune tagine for our dinner so the flat smelled fantastic all day. I have to admit, the sunny weather and the lovely cooking smells were not conducive to hard work!

Tuesday was a day for doing jobs. Dinner was easy; left over tagine!

Wednesday brought grey skies and humidity. A storm is forecast for tomorrow. I ran some messages then drove to Armier Bay and had a cappuccino at Mango’s. I had the place to myself except for the restaurant cat, an affectionate ginger tom called Cheacher. He jumped up on the table with me and demanded to be stroked. If I stopped he would remind me with a gentle tap of his paw. The Maltese love their cats and spoil them rotten. They all seem gentle and loving (the cats that is).

I walked on the beach. The sea was choppy and the air was laden with salt. Occasionally tourists passed by, 70 somethings with knapsacks, waterproofs and Leki sticks. Malta is a great walkers’ destination outside the hot summer months.

I drove on to the headland above Riviera Bay and walked along the cliffs. It is a favourite spot of mine whenever the sea gets lively. Waves surge up in the shallows, spitting foam as they rush to shore. There is a small restaurant tucked in at one side of the bay, mostly hidden by the cliffs. It is closed this time of year. The beach was deserted and unspoilt, looking much the same as it has for hundreds of years no doubt.

We invited Lorraine around for dinner. She is about to leave Malta to return to live in the Isle of Man. We suspect we will see her back here again before too long though, at least for a holiday. I cooked a lasagne with Puy lentils and Sam threw in some garlic bread which was great. For a casual supper, that’s about as good as it gets.

Thursday we had gales but it was still mostly sunny. We watched the waves batter the shoreline and swamp the breakwater. No fishermen there today! I took Sam to her art class in Mosta but apart from that it was a day for staying in. We had baked chicken thighs with carrots and buttered potatoes for dinner.

Friday we drove to Xemxija Café and sat outside in the hot sun and had brill cappuccinos. We visited Piscopos and Sherries garden centres where I bought Sam an orchid as a belated Valentine’s Day present. I had an excellent power walk – the humidity has disappeared again – and finished the day with an Italian lesson and pizza for dinner as always.

Saturday we went to the farmers’ market and bought amazing quality vegetables at ridiculously low prices. We stopped off at the Craft Village and had cappuccinos at the café there. On the way home we went for a walk along the Mosta ridge overlooking St Paul’s Bay; the views are spectacular from there.

For dinner we went to Lovage. We haven’t been there for a while because it went off but it was very good again. Sam had ravioli with lamb followed by a rib eye steak with chips and parsley butter. I had goats cheese then peppered lamb fillets with a pea mash and roasted potatoes and mixed veggies. The veggies were average but everything else was great. We stopped by Sotto Zero on the way home for amazing ice creams; hazelnut for Sam and snickers for me.

Sunday was allegedly the day of the Wignacourt Festival. I wandered over to the Wignacourt Tower which, unusually, was open to the public but that seemed to be the full extent of the “festival”! Sam sorted out the plant pots on the balcony; we now have new basil plants to kill. Other than that we had a lazy day. Sam cooked us a roasted lamb shoulder for dinner with potatoes, carrots and Yorkshire puddings.