February 2017 - Week 3

Monday 13th to Sunday 19th February 2017

Monday John and a couple of other handymen called to fit a new fly screen in the family bathroom. Sams was on a low calorie day so she just had soup; I had pizza.

Tuesday we went to Sliema so I could have my follow up appointment with my dentist. He did a clean and polish and, guess what, he’s found a lesion so it will be back again for another filling! It was Valentine’s Day. I think red roses on Valentine’s Day have been overdone, so I bought Sam a bag of papadums instead! She was thrilled. We didn’t fancy going out as many restaurants seem to have special menus. We stayed in and had steaks and chips. Sam also had some baked marrow bone but that was a carnivore step too far for me!

Wednesday I went and viewed the Shamrock Apartments that Linda and Mick are thinking of taking a long let in next winter. They look like a pretty good bet for a good price. After lunch I hiked the headlands above Golden Bay and Riviera Bay. The views were fantastic in the clear air. For dinner Sam cooked boneless chicken thighs in mint, coriander and garlic with sweet potato wedges.

Thursday Sam had art class. I went to Pretty Bay for a walk and a cappuccino. For dinner Sam had left over chicken. I had spaghetti with a homemade chilli sauce, delicious but very rich.

Friday I did a fantastic hike along the cliff tops from Golden Bay towards Anchor Bay. As usual, I had the place virtually to myself. Malta is swamped with yellow blossom at the moment, carpeting the hillsides, verges and fields.

In the evening we went to Miracles for a drink, then went on to Salt to have a belated Valentine’s Day celebration. Sam had calamari followed by the pork special; 48 hour cooked pork belly, braised pork cheek and an onion tarte tatin. I had a fabulous starter of a Portobello mushroom, wilted spinach, braised asparagus, a soft boiled hens egg and a truffle hollandaise. For my main I also had the pork and for dessert, Maltese date cakes with vanilla ice cream. It was all excellent, the room is chic and the service was good. However, we were both quite unwell afterwards, so something was awry!

Saturday we still felt under the weather so we didn’t venture far. I went to the local minimarket, but apart from that we stayed in. For dinner we had bacon with corn fritters.

Sunday we went to Miracles for cappuccini and people watching. The square was full of immaculate vintage minis. Tourists bumped shoulders with locals, and a motorcycle club landed just for good measure. For dinner we defrosted a chilli con carne.