June 2017 - Week 4

Monday 19th to Sunday 25th June 2017

Monday I went to Pama (our supermarket of choice). There is a choice of two routes to get there, either via Burmarad and Mosta or via Naxxar. I took the Burmarad road but a couple of cars just up from me had a major crash and the road became impassable. So I did a U-turn and headed towards Naxxar and blow me, the car four in front of me smashed into the back of the one in front of it. I managed to squeeze past but realised the road would be blocked just as soon as a truck or bus appeared. Anyway, I drove on and did my shopping. I took the Burmarad route home and the traffic backlog was awful as they were only just clearing the road. I saw one of the crashed cars; it looked like it had been blown up, so bad was the damage.

The rest of the day was far less exciting. We had roast chicken, baked sweet potatoes and sweetcorn for dinner.

Tuesday I cleaned the car; bloody hot work even at 9am! I cooked a celery and stilton soup for my lunch which was fantastic. I also cooked rice and peas and a new slow cooker recipe for jerk chicken for dinner. It was great, just needing more chilli next time.

Wednesday I went to Sliema, had a cappuccino at French Affaire and bought a bottle of wine in M&S (actually, two bottles). I started to go for a walk but gave up after a very short distance. It’s so hot out and about now that your sunglasses slide down your face. The tourists crack on with their sightseeing and leisure trips, because that’s what tourists do, but the locals (which includes us), unless their work forces them outside, are far too sensible to be expending energy outside unnecessarily. For dinner I had left over jerk chicken with rice and peas and Sam had roasted chicken with leaves.

Thursday I went to Ghardira beach for a walk and a good cappuccino at the Maya Café. For dinner Sam had salmon and leaves and I made a baked pasta dish with penne, arrabbiata sauce and cheese – yum!

Friday I made a vegetable pie – roasted vegetables bound in a béchamel, topped with cheesy mashed potatoes. It was very tasty.

Saturday we went to Armier Bay so Sam could have a swim. I love Armier Bay for nine months of the year but in the summer it is horrible. The beach is totally covered in umbrellas, all up and all overlapping, so it is like some dark, tented village. I sat in Mambos at one edge of the beach; it is like sitting at the entrance to a refugee camp. Maltese people are noisy at the best of times but the shouting across this “tented village” takes noise to a new level. But the worst thing of all is the plague of flies. This time of year they are thick upon the air. If you sit down they swarm all over you; on your arms, your legs, your feet, your eyelids, your ears and even your mouth and the most determined want to crawl into your nose. Sam is right, the sea itself is gorgeous there, but it’s not worth the price of the flies.

On a better note, we had a lovely evening out. We went to O’Reilly’s for a couple of beers then then on to Benjawan for dinner. The welcome and the service were lovely, the room is nice and the food okay. This isn’t fine dining but it is pleasant in a no-fuss sort of a way. I had good vegetable spring rolls, very average duck with tamarind and good egg fried rice. Sam had mixed starters which she enjoyed, then a reasonable chicken Thai green curry. For dessert we went to Congusto for world-beating ice cream.

Sunday we chilled as usual for this time of year. Having said that, I did get up at 6.30am to do my power walk before it got too hot. But by 7am, according to the sign in the main square, it was already 29°c! The best laid plans and all that… For dinner I made a delicious mushroom chilli, another first.