January 2017 - Week 4

Monday 23rd Tuesday 31st January 2017

Monday we took walks in the sunshine around town. It was one of those days when you can’t quite risk going out without a coat or jacket but end up carrying it most of the time. Sam had vegetable soup for dinner; I had cauliflower cheese.

Tuesday we drove to St Julian’s on the coast road which for the most part is a duel carriageway. We saw one car being driven the wrong way up the opposite carriageway! The driver realised and put his hazard warning lights and started to reverse. Hopefully all ended up well. That sort of thing is not uncommon here.

We parked at La Meridian and had a good walk around St Julian’s and Sliema. We lunched at Fresco’s which was a blast from the past as it was one of the first places we ate when we first came to Malta. Sam had frito misto; I had a Caesar salad. The restaurant is situated right on the water’s edge so we had a good view of the waves, not to mention a few hardy swimmers who braved them. We found an Italian deli, went to the health food store and visited the auction rooms. For dinner we had roast chicken, cauliflower cheese and corn fritters.

Wednesday I did two walks, which was great. For dinner Sam had vegetable soup; I had roasted vegetables – potatoes, carrots, red onions, courgettes and peppers – with herbs, tomato puree and lots of salt and pepper.

Thursday Sam’s art lessons restarted with a new teacher she seems very happy with. I did a couple of short walks firstly around Xemxija the secondly near Paradise Bay. Today was showery again so I didn’t want to stray too far. For dinner we had linguine Genovese with peas and parmesan. A simple dish raised to the level of brilliance by using Rusticella pasta and a premium brand pesto! Yum!

Friday we went to look around the Salini Hotel; it smelled like poo! We had cappuccini at Xemxija Café then went to Munchies at Golden Bay to meet Chris and Tina for lunch. It was great to see them – they have been in Thailand for a month – and we will catch up properly next week. In the evening we went to Miracles which has reopened after a refit. We went on to HOS for very good Indian food. The waitress – an Asian lady, as you would expect – came and sat at our table, told us she was learning English and showed us her homework books, then started to recite verb tables!

Saturday we went for a walk around Mellieha and ended up having full English breakfasts at Debbies, which were great. For dinner I had fish fingers; Sam had a pizza from Portobello.

Sunday was drizzly. Chris is away at the moment so we had Tina around for supper. She bought guacamole with breadsticks for a starter and fruit salad for pudding. I made a chicken casserole for our main.

Monday I went to the dentist following several days of toothache. X-rays haven’t revealed the problem but my sinuses are quite blocked so he thinks that may be the cause. So, it’s a week of antibiotics to look forward to. Unfortunately the dentist found an unrelated cavity so I’ll have to go back for a filling next week. Oh joy. For dinner we had left over chicken casserole.

Tuesday we went to the supermarket and Sam bought sushi for lunch. In the afternoon Sam went with a friend to a café in Attard that is famed for its cakes and pastries. She bought home a fruit tart and a rum baba for me, so I’m happy. While she was out I went for a long walk around the St Paul’s Bay area, making the most of our perfect weather. For dinner we had pizzas.