May 2016 - Week 3

Aquaduct, Attard

Monday 16th to Sunday 22nd May 2016

Monday we had a business meeting in Sliema. We took the chance to nip into Debenhams at the Point and I bought a couple of polo shirts in their sale. After lunch we went to Eurosport in Birkikara so Sam could buy a new yoga mat, then we did our Monday supermarket shop. Sam is back on a high protein diet. For dinner she had lamb leg steaks, pan fried with herbs and garlic. I made myself macaroni cheese.

Tuesday we worked full on until late afternoon when I got in a walk to Café del Mar and back. I laid low at 23 New Steps (a bar across the road from us) while Sam had her yoga lesson. For dinner I had left over macaroni cheese with balsamic roasted tomatoes; Sam had a salad with all sorts of things in it. Basically she cleared out the fridge!

Wednesday morning Sam visited Pauline in Xemxija for coffee and cake. After lunch I went to walk around Rabat. It is a warren of medieval streets and has a lot of charm. I prefer to visit there in the afternoons when most of the shops are shut and there are very few locals and tourists about. Many of the streets are too narrow and winding to allow for cars and even the wider streets often don’t have room for on-street parking. As a result it is peaceful. From there I wandered into Mdina which abuts Rabat on its western edge. There were certainly plenty of tourists there!

For dinner Sam braised pork cheeks and root vegetables in beer and stock, flavoured with fresh thyme and rosemary. It was delicious.

Thursday Sam had a full on day; art class, lunch with Tina and a three hour hair do! Why do women put themselves through that? I got loads of work done and squeezed in a short walk late afternoon. For dinner Sam had left over pork cheeks casserole; I made spaghetti arabiata.

Friday we worked and had a client meeting at our flat for a change.

We met Ian and Robin for dinner at Munchies in Mellieha. It was awful! You can read my review of it here.

Saturday was cloudless, warm and gorgeous. We went for cappuccinos at Aquatica then did a bit of shopping. I did my usual circuit around St Paul’s Bay – to the high street, past Piscopos (a supermarket), past the football stadium, through Salini gardens and Qawra, past Café del Mar (now starting to get busy), along the promenade and home – about five kilometres in all. For dinner we had frozen pizzas; ten times better than last night’s dinner and a fraction of the price.

Sunday and we are loving our early summer weather; completely blue skies, warm sunshine, gentle breezes and low humidity. In the morning I wandered down to Miracles in Bay Square and had a cappuccino and read a book – very civilised. I had a walk and stopped on the breakwater to watch the fishermen lazing away their hours. They may not catch many fish but they get to look at the sea, hear it and smell it and there are certainly worse ways to while away a few hours.

In the evening we went to a seafront bar and shared a jug of sangria while watching the world go by. We had dinner at Benjawan again, simple and inexpensive Thai food.