August 2017 - Week 1

Tuesday 1st to Sunday 6th August 2017

Tuesday I visited my hairdresser; basically a 30 minute rant about the EU with a crappy haircut thrown in! For lunch I turned my uninspiring Creole sauce into an excellent soup. The workmen finished up about 4pm so we drove over to The Buggery to water the plants, a ridiculously hot job with the temperature in the 40s. For dinner I made a roasted chicken with a mixed salad.

Wednesday I went to Eatetna for a cappuccino and an éclair. It turned out the éclair was filled with chocolate ganache rather than cream which was a bit disappointing. I squeezed out the ganache and ate the rest which was very good! I haven’t been to Eatetna for ages as it is too far to walk to in our summer heat but today I was driving nearby so it was nice to go back there. For dinner I made a delicious mixed vegetable soup, a bit like minestrone without pasta.

Thursday the workmen finally finished so we have the flat back to ourselves again. For dinner I made a superb vegan beetroot bourguignon. I will put the recipe on my food blog. Even Sam, an inveterate meat eater, raved about it and insisted that I remember how I made it so that we can have it again soon.

Friday evening we went to Sireens for a couple of cold beers. We had thought of eating out but it was so hot that we lacked the will! In fact Sam got so over-heated she was sick shortly after we got back home. She went to bed early and I ate pizza and watched a James Bond movie.

Saturday morning I went to “Starbucks” for a cappuccino and a slice of fruit tart. It’s not a real Starbucks – we don’t have them in Malta – but it is a real rip off of Starbucks branding, even down to the shape and colour of their logo. Alas their coffee and cakes aren’t so good. Our heat wave (actually it is not just ours, it’s called Lucifer and is covering a big chunk of Europe) has intensified and today it was 42°C in the shade and at least 15°C higher than that in the sun. The nights are not a lot better because although the temperature falls back, the humidity rises. Walking is just not an option at the moment. For dinner Sam had a rib eye steak with chips and I had chicken wings with a mixed salad.

Sunday we went to Chris and Tina’s for the day. It was great to catch up with them and to hear about their adventures in Sicily. We had lunch there; BBQed lamb chops and salads topped off with an orange and cherry granita. We spent the day indoors under air conditioning as it was far too hot to be outside; never mind the air temperature of 43°C, even the pool temperature was 31°C.