March 2016 - Week 5

Not many boats at anchor at St Paul's Bay in winter

Monday 28th to Thursday 31st March 2016

Monday Sam drove us to Marsaxlokk which took ages as the traffic was bad. Our usual restaurant was shut so we tried La Nostra Padrona on the seafront. It looked very pretty with purple tablecloths and shiny glass and cutlery but the food was mixed. Sam had tagliatelle vongole which she enjoyed. I had a completely tasteless tortelloni with cream and chicken; the pasta was chewy, the chicken was grey and there wasn’t a hint of seasoning. Once we got back home I went to Sotto Zero for stratiacella and pistachio ice creams so I didn’t go hungry! For dinner we had the final leftovers of our chilli con carne.

Tuesday was dead calm first thing for my power walk to Ta Fra Ben and back. The sea was glassy, the sky cloudless and the temperature a perfect twenty something. Mid-morning I drove over to Qawra fruit and veg and stocked up for the week. Apart from that it was a day for doing jobs. For dinner I needed a break from meat after having chilli con carne for three days in a row, so I made us our favourite vegan dinner; chickpea and vegetable casserole. I served it with roasted potatoes – yum, yum yum!

Wednesday the weather remained idyllic. I drove to Golden Bay, had a reasonable cappuccino at The Apple’s Eye, then hiked over the headlands and cliffs towards Mgarr and back. That really is the most strenuous walk I do regularly and I sure feel like I’ve had a workout at the end of it.

There were lots of pallid tourists on the beach, many were swimming even though the sea temperature is only about 16°, some were snorkelling and (groan) the pedallos and kayaks were cluttering up the bay. Most of the tourists are about 20 years old, probably here for the music festival. I’m guessing most of them have lost their luggage, judging by their lack of clothes. There are a lot of butterflies in the fields at the moment and bugs generally have made an appearance to welcome the warm weather.

Sam has started her 2/5 diet again, that is 500 calories or less 2 days a week. So for dinner she had griddled chicken breast with salad leaves. I had left over chickpea and vegetable casserole with crusty bread.

Thursday was another public holiday; Freedom Day, this time. We went to Miracles for mid-morning cappuccinos and watched the half-naked young people wandering about. From there I persuaded Sam to do a long walk (for her) to Ta Fra Ben, through Qawra, along by the Salini salt pans, on through Kennedy Grove and Salini Park, back into St Paul’s Bay and home. About 5 kilometres in all. For dinner I made jerked chicken with rice and peas. I’m still playing around with my jerked chicken recipe. It’s still not quite right but I’m getting there!