February 2018 - Week 3

Monday 12th to Sunday 18th February 2018

Monday we went into Valletta to pick up our replacement ID cards. Valletta was very busy with parades and floats and gazillions of children in various costumes, all part of the long carnival weekend. We didn’t hang around to watch it though, as we had lots to do and what’s more, it was raining. We went to Greens on the way home. For dinner I had left over BBQ pork belly with baked beans and Sam had pasta Genovese.

Tuesday we were meant to go to Gozo to visit Chris and Tina but we had more gales and rough seas. Sam decided to go as this will be almost her last chance to see Tina but there was no way I was going to get on a small ferry in such high seas. We watched the ferry approaching port being tossed about. It was so rough that the ferry went the wrong way around Comino to search out some less rough seas. Anyway, Sam braved it and I stayed home and did jobs. I picked Sam up late afternoon. For dinner we had a roasted corn fed chicken with roasted new potatoes.

Wednesday we had a power cut for 4 hours in the morning. Unfortunately that meant our pregnant Spanish teacher had to lug herself up four flights of stairs. She managed just fine. I went to see the garage that has agreed to buy my car but it was closed with a sign outside saying, “Back soon.” That didn’t tell me much so I didn’t hang around. Our bad weather continued and we had a heavy hailstorm after lunch. At that moment I was supposed to be going to a different garage in Mosta to visit a mechanic who asked to see our car as he may have a client who wants to buy it. I was just about to go out when he phoned to postpone. It just wasn’t to be a day for selling a car! We had pizza night early this week.

Thursday I visited the local garage and collected a deposit from them for the car. In the evening we went to Miracles for a couple of beers - not many visits left there now – and had intended to go to Al Sultan for dinner. It was shut. As was Portobello Pizzeria. So instead we tried Damiano’s Pizzeria which is just across the road from our front door. We haven’t tried it previously because it doesn’t look especially welcoming but in fact we had pretty good pizzas (spicy pepperoni with jalapenos for me, everything including the kitchen sink for Sam (“Hold the egg, add some pepperoni”).

Afterwards I stopped off in the 23 New Steps for a large Drambuie and had a celebrity moment. Do you remember in Men in Black, quite near the beginning, Tommy Lee Jones takes Will Smith into a jewellery store? Will Smith is fretting about stolen Rolexes but Tommy Lee Jones knows there are hidden weapons and shoots the storekeeper in the head, which grows back. Well, that store keeper was in the 23 New Steps and guess who was with him? Freddie Star. No. he wasn’t eating a hamster but it was definitely him.

Friday I went to Pama and Greens. The weather is perfect again and I did a fantastic one hour power walk after lunch. Cloudless blue sky, virtually no wind and 20°C – it doesn’t get much better than that. Tina and Sam went out for the afternoon. Tina is on her way to the UK and now that she lives in Gozo it makes sense for her to come to Malta the day before her early flight and stay in a hotel near the airport. She came around for dinner; roasted chicken, sage and onion stuffing, peas and sweet potatoes. That is the last time we will see her until she visits us in Spain so there was a hint of sadness.

After dinner I went for a long walk. It is quiet out and about now; February is certainly the quietest month of the year here. I sat out on out terrace when I got back home – about 10pm (wearing just shorts and a t-shirt) – and watched the jets arriving, flying across the bay one after the other almost without end. The stars were fantastic tonight, bright and heavy and impossibly low in the sky. I have always noticed that stars appear lower in hot climates than in cold. Perhaps there is some obvious explanation for that but it is impressive nonetheless.

Saturday I was up early to do chores including spring cleaning the kitchen and second bedroom. After that I had an early lunch then walked to Xemxija Café and back; today’s treat was a cappuccino with a slice of lemon cheesecake. For dinner I made lasagne al forno for a change and it was delish.

Sunday we carried on packing and had left over lasagne for dinner.