November 2017 - Week 4 1/2

Monday 20th to Thursday 30th November 2017

Monday we worked but also we got out for a walk, stopping off at Miracles for cappuccini. For dinner we had roasted vegetables with feta and olives.

Tuesday we drove via Dingli Cliffs to Pretty Bay. After coffees, croissants and crisps we walked around the bay then drove on to Marsaxlokk. We only wanted a snack for lunch which is a tall order in Marsaxlokk. There are a great many waterfront restaurants which, perhaps not surprisingly, specialise in fish. You can also get burgers and pasta and pizza but sandwiches or cakes don’t seem to exist. So, we ended up at Costa for toasties and a baguette.

In the evening we met at O’Reilly’s then went to La Sopresa for dinner. Still good but perhaps not quite so as on our previous visit. I had spaghetti bolognaise (pretty tasty) followed by chicken cordon bleu (average), Sam had a pepperoni pizza (okay), Mick had a shrimp cocktail followed by a minute steak (very good) and Linda had a shrimp cocktail followed by a perch fillet (good). The veggies and puddings were good.

Wednesday I got a haircut from my very hyper hairdresser who was about to go to Valletta to sign his divorce papers. He was twitching and shaking and stabbing the air with his scissors as he poured out vitriol about his soon-to-be ex but somehow I escaped unscathed. I went on to Pama. After lunch we had our first Spanish lesson with a private tutor. We got on with her well and intend the lessons to be a weekly event. In the evening the men came around to replace one of our boilers which had started to leak. Then Linda and Mick came around for dinner; roasted chicken and salad followed by Cadbury’s fruit and nut! Phew!

Thursday we did a new project for a client. Sam went to art and to the hairdressers and for dinner we had chicken, salad, chips and stuffing. What a mix!

Friday we went to Gozo visiting Rabat, Qala, Hondoq and Marsalforn. Gozo seemed incredibly peaceful after the relentless hustle and bustle of Malta and was something of a respite. We had tuna pizzas for dinner, not our first choice but they were all the shop had left.

Saturday we went to the Farmers’ Market to buy veggies for Sam to make soup, part of her plan to detox. From there we went to the Craft Village, had cappuccini and went for a walk in the National Park. The peace was broken by a couple of spoilt brats screaming for Malta, but other than that it was great to visit the park again which is full of interesting trees and shrubs.

In the evening I went out with Mick and Linda; Sam stayed in to be healthy! We went to Cheeky Monkey for happy hour cocktails; two for the price of one, so we ended up drinking four each! Then it was on to try a local Chinese restaurant for the first time. I have always suspected it was awful. I was right. The mixed starters were great lumps of stodgy pastry that went straight from the freezer to the fryer and, to make matters worse turned up cold so we had to send them back. The mains were passable; duck with pancakes, chicken with peanuts and sweet and sour pork, all served with noodles and fried rice. For pudding we all had strange ice cream of a type only found in cheap Chinese restaurants. On the plus side the whole meal was only €12 each but it is safe to say we won’t be going back again.

Sunday we did chores. In the evening Linda and Mick came around and we had Harrira with crusty bread for dinner.

Monday Chris and Tina came around for dinner; salad, Harrira with crusty bread and red fruits tart (made by Tina) with frozen yogurt. Great fun as always!

Tuesday the fellow from DOM Removals called around to see what we want to ship to Spain and we now await a quote from him. In the evening we were supposed to go to Sun City to celebrate Sue’s 65th birthday but actually Sam and I were both below par and thought it prudent to stay at home. Instead we roasted a chicken which we had with some savoury rice.

Wednesday Chris came around to work from our kitchen table and use our wifi as his power was to be turned off all day. In the morning Sam and I wandered over to Miracles for cappuccini. In the afternoon we had our second Spanish lesson.

We met Linda and Mick at Miracles then went for dinner at Ta Paula, a local Maltese restaurant that we hadn’t been to before. It was very claustrophobic, with too many tables all jammed together to the point that I was pleased to leave. The service was friendly and the prices reasonable but the food was just okay. I had ribs (bland and fatty), Sam had a mixed starter plate (okay), Linda had linguini arabiatta (pretty good) and Mick had meatballs (okay). I finished with Maltese date cakes (very dry) with ice cream and Linda had a slice of very sweet crème caramel cake. I don’t think we will be rushing back!

Thursday after dropping Sam at art class I picked up Mick and Linda and we drove to St Julian’s, parking near the Radisson Blu. We had a tasteless cappuccino in Paceville then walked around St Julian’s, taking in the marina along the way. We drove on to Sliema and even managed to find an on-street parking space! We had lunch at French Affaire – a cheese & ham toasty, an open tuna sandwich and a vegetable wrap – which was pretty good. On the way home we stopped off at Mosta to walk along the Victoria Lines. For dinner we had pizzas.