June 2015 Blog

 

Monday 29th to Tuesday 30th June 2915

 

Monday was hot, cloudless and windless and it is forecast to get hotter by the day for the foreseeable future.  We worked hard to catch up on things ignored while we were on holiday with Lauren last week.  It was a big deal public holiday here today and even the minimarkets were closed.  I managed to find one shop open though, so we won’t starve.  We had breaded halibut and chips for dinner.

 

Tuesday we worked, shopped and tried not to wilt in the summer heat.  Beef and prune tagine for dinner.

 

Monday 22nd to Sunday 28th June 2015

 

Monday Lauren and I went to the Aquarium.  She loves it there but I have to say I still can’t understand why anyone would wish to go more than once!  I played the sound of cats meowing on my phone to see if it would scare the fish.  It didn’t, but the lady who worked there didn’t seem too impressed and kept an eye on us after that.  We drove to Golden Bay for a cappuccino and a fresh orange juice.  There was a cat in the café meowing, so I played the cats on my phone again and got a few dirty looks from the other customers.  You’d think holidaymakers would have a better sense of fun!  Anyway, no doubt the novelty of having a new phone with meowing cats on it will wear off soon enough.  We spent the afternoon sunbathing and playing cards and dominoes.  For dinner we had sea bream baked with fennel and potatoes and served with mounds of roasted vegetables; it doesn’t get much better than that.  After dinner we played Bananagram and cards.

 

Tuesday we sunbathed, had tuna melts and a ftira for lunch then drove into Sliema to go shopping.  I bought some eau de toilette and a pair of socks; well, it is my birthday quarter!  It looks like Jane Norman is closing down which is a shame as it is Lauren’s favourite shop.  She found a few things to buy in Sliema though and Sam bought some things too.  We took the ferry to Valetta and had a fab dinner at Trabuxu.  Lauren had chicken liver pate, pasta with a lamb and aubergine ragu and apple crumble with dark chocolate ice cream.  I had roasted asparagus wrapped in Parma ham, pasta with lamb and aubergine ragu and twix cheesecake.  Sam had sea urchin spaghetti and a rib eye steak.  We had a walk around Valetta after dinner to look at the views and the floodlit buildings and to soak up the atmosphere.  We took the 10 o’clock ferry back to Sliema; it was very busy, so the decision to run the ferries later this year seems to have been a good one.  The drive home was quite quick as the roads were quiet but we had to search a bit to find a parking space when we got back.

 

Wednesday we went to the Café del Mar for the day.  It is a lovely spot with comfy sunbeds, a great pool and a nice restaurant.  But they play loud music all day so I always come away from there feeling as if I have been assaulted!  It’s one of Lauren’s (and Sam’s) favourite places so we plan to return there on Friday.  For lunch Sam had a burger & chips, I had a chicken Caesar salad and Lauren had a cantaloupe melon salad, all very good.  That evening we sat in front of the TV and ate chilli con carne with rice, grated cheddar and tortilla chips followed by chocolate while we watched The Theory of Everything, a great movie.

 

Thursday was a FANTASTIC day!  Being on holiday all week is good enough but we really had an especially great time today.  Lauren and I got in our car and went exploring.  We have always loved doing that together and have many happy memories of our road trips together through Europe.  First we went to the Malta Craft Village where we looked around jewellery stores and numerous artisan stores selling woods and glass and ceramics and goodness knows what else.  Lauren bought a crystal for her mum and bracelets for her and Sam.  We then drove past Mdina, through Rabat and through Dingli to Dingli Cliffs, stopping at a couple of places to marvel at the views.  It is a fantastic spot, albeit a bit hazy today, so Filfla Island was little more than a whisper in the distance.

 

We drove on through various towns getting hopelessly lost again and again but somehow managing to find our way to Marsaxlocks.  We wandered along the promenade, soaking in the view of the fishing boats on impossibly turquoise water.  We passed rapidly through the tatty market stalls selling complete crap to willing tourists.  We stopped for a late breakfast/early lunch; Lauren had bruschetta and I had garlic bread.  The food was barely okay but I must say the cappuccino was very good.  The drive back was much easier than the drive there because the signage was better; actually, the signage was pretty well non-existent on the way there.

 

When we got home we quickly got cleaned up then went to Luna at Palazzio Paradisio in Naxxar.  It is a small but pretty palace with walled gardens resplendent with flowering shrubs and fruit trees.  It is a favourite venue for wedding receptions in Malta and no wonder; the flowers and trees give a colourful backdrop, the gardens are protected from the winds by the stone walls and it is all tastefully laid out with tables draped with crisply ironed white table cloths, comfy chairs and sun shades.  We had afternoon tea there and, boy, was it good!  The service was impeccable, the staff friendly and all dressed entirely in flowing white cotton like some martial arts class.  It was quiet, the only other table near us a mother and daughter planning her wedding day.

 

And here’s what they served.  We started with a glass of Prosecco (except for me, I was driving).  Sam and Lauren raved about it; apparently it was like champagne, dry and “biscuity”.  We were then served raspberry semi fredos topped with raspberry jelly and cream.  The sandwiches were cut into dainty fingers, bread soft as duck down, crusts banished and stuffed with various fillings; cheese and ham, curried egg, cucumber, smoked salmon and cream cheese.  We had fruit scones served with excellent cherry jam, heavy with whole cherries, and whipped cream.  And cakes; lemon meringue tarts, strawberry tarts, battenberg and chocolate brownies.  We washed it down with Earl Grey tea – it just so happens that all three of us love Earl Grey tea – but there were many other tea choices.  The food, the setting, the company and the weather (warm and sunny without being humid) all joined forces to make this one of the most marvellous days we have enjoyed since coming to Malta.

 

That evening we played card games and dominoes for about four hours!  It was great fun with lots of laughing and joking and putting the world to rights; these are the days and evenings that enrich our lives and fulfil us and put trivial annoyances into perspective and make us glad to share our time together.  It is a source of ongoing sadness to me that I see Lauren so rarely these days but that does throw into sharp relief the preciousness of the time we do spend together, and pleasures rarely indulged are all the more cherished.  We share a sense of the ridiculous, find farce in so much of what we see and always expect the best of everyone and everything around us; for sure that is a dream world but it is a happy dream world and neither of us will surrender it in a hurry.  You can keep your angst and your anger; our cups are run over, never mind half full, and we prefer occasional disappointments rather than persistent pessimism.  I feel uplifted when I am with Lauren because she reminds me of how very good people can be.

 

Friday we went to the Café del Mar for the day and it was absolutely packed so we were all a bit shoulder-to-shoulder but we still enjoyed it.  For lunch Sam had a burger with chips again.  Lauren and I shared a chicken Caesar salad and a bowl of chips.  For dinner we went to Miracles for pizzas, all very good.  Oh, and we followed that with ice creams at the Ice Cream Factory!

 

Saturday we went to Miracles for full English breakfasts.  They were pretty good once we had sent them all back to be heated up properly!  We wandered the long way home.  Sam and Lauren sunbathed while I sat in the shade and read.  We weren’t bothering with lunch but Lauren and I got a bit peckish so we went to the Ice Cream Factory; I had two scoops – marshmallow and stratiachella – and Lauren had Snickers.  We went to a local shop the sells knock off DVDs and bought a few that have only just come out including Jurassic World which we hear is pretty good.

 

It was Lauren’s last day, so for dinner we went to Lovage.  They served an amuse bouche of seared tuna with pesto, balsamic and leaves.  As starters Lauren and I had King Prawns in a champagne batter served on a bed of sautéed mushrooms with pesto.  The prawns were great and the mushrooms were great too but it was a bit like we had two different dishes on one plate.  Sam started with sea urchin pasta; that’s turning into a firm favourite of hers.  For mains Lauren had peppered lamb fillets with a pea mash, Sam had a rib eye steak and I had ravioli stuffed with lobster and served with a prawn bisque.  It all came with roasted potatoes and griddled vegetables.  The food was all fabulous and my pasta dish was a particular stand out.  To finish Sam had apple crumble with ice cream and Lauren and I had chocolate fondant with ice cream.  Our diets really have gone down the tube this week!

 

Sunday was a sad day as Lauren set off back to the IOM.  We have had a fantastic week with her and we will be seeing her again in six weeks’ time when we visit the IOM, so that is good.  Monday is a major public holiday here – the feasts of St Peter and St Paul – and the traffic was horrible so we abandoned plans to visit the supermarket on the way back from the airport.  We had flatbreads for dinner but our cupboards are now pretty bare so we will have to visit the shops tomorrow!  We watched Jurassic World but couldn’t understand why it has received such great press.  The acting was pretty awful and the plot was little more than a rehash of previous Jurassic Park stories.

 

Monday 15th to Sunday 21st June 2015

 

Monday was hectic; powerwalks, work, shopping and cooking.  I made corned beef hash for dinner.  That was a first.

 

Tuesday was the eve of the tenth anniversary of my 48th birthday.  I celebrated by buying more cherries.  They are perfectly in season now – plump, juicy and deep red and without a doubt my favourite fruit.  I’m not sure how long the cherry season will last but we will be eating them every day while we have the chance.  For dinner we had blackened chicken with roasted peppers.

 

Wednesday was the 10th anniversary of my 48th birthday!  We went to Sliema to buy me presents; a smartphone and an Italian language book.  That evening we went to Gillieru for a drink, sitting on their terrace overlooking the bay.  We had a gale blowing today so it was entertaining to watch the pleasure boats at anchor being tossed around.

 

For dinner we went to Tarragon.  It is a very up market restaurant that holds itself out as being very sophisticated.  The only trouble is, it doesn’t quite work.  The people who work there are more in love with themselves than their customers.  And they don’t seem happy.  Hardly a smile from the staff and, despite their attempts to be posh, it fell subtly short.  The bread all wrapped up in a cloth napkin to keep warm was stone cold.  The butter, by contrast, was so warm it was nearly liquefying.  The wine waiter slopped wine on the table cloth twice.  Sam had to ask for a fork.  And in case you think I’m being silly, they charge finest restaurant prices.  Anyway, you get the picture.  As for the food, we liked the amuse bouche: a reconstructed olive and a bland fish mousse.  To start Sam had a ravioli type pasta dish stuffed with lobster which was very nice.  I had tasteless goats cheese dusted in coconut, served with a boring undressed salad.  For mains Sam had an unremarkable (and over cooked) rib eye steak and I had a delicious pasta dish with pears, talegio and a tomato & cream sauce.  We skipped desserts.  Our verdict?  Some of the food was good, some of it wasn’t, the staff were unhappy and the atmosphere was strained and, given it is one of the most expensive restaurants in Malta, I cannot see any reason why we would ever rush back there.

 

For dessert we went to the Ice Cream Factory.  What do you mean, “Again?”  It was fantastic.  We really are spoiled; it is difficult to imagine better.  Sam had peanut butter crunch; so did I but also with a scoop of cherry.  Talk about ending on a high note!

 

Thursday I went and collected my old mate Nick Neale from Dragonara.  He is visiting Malta for a conference.  I haven’t seen or spoken to Nick for years even though he has always been one of my closest friends.  It was fantastic to see him and to catch up on so much missing news.  I took him for a good road trip all around Malta, ending up at out flat for lunch.  We stopped for cappuccinos at The Cliffs restaurant at Dingli Cliffs; they were cold.  We visited St Julians, Sliema, Naxxar, Mosta, Mdina, Rabat, Dingli, Mellieha, Cirkawra, Ximxija, St Paul’s Bay, Qawra and Bugibba.  Sam had prepared for us her anti paste special, delicious as always.  I think it is a measure of how close your friends are that even though you haven’t seen them for ages, many years in this case, that you talk to them where you last left off as if you’ve never been apart and the passing years haven’t meant anything.  We still get on like a house on fire and I won’t neglect our friendship again.  Seeing we had had a big lunch we snacked for dinner; Sam has left overs and I had a flatbread.

 

Friday Sam toiled to meet deadlines for a new client then prepared Lauren’s bedroom; she arrives tomorrow!  I cooked, cleaned and shopped, didn’t do much work, but I am now in holiday mode for a week off with Lauren.  For dinner, a big bowl of chuckwagon beans.  Boy they taste good!  Smoked bacon, minced beef, onions, garlic, cider vinegar, black pepper, chillies, ketchup, soy sauce, chicken stock, treacle and, of course, a shed load of cannellini beans and red kidney beans.

 

Saturday Lauren arrived!  It is fantastic to see her again after so long, more than three months.  We had lasagne and pea pastizzis for lunch, then we went for a wander around to show Lauren the area.  The last time she visited we were living in Qawra so St Paul’s Bay is fairly new to her.  We stopped in Bugibba Square to sit in the shade and had a Pepsi.  It was a windy day but still quite humid.  We saw a woman walking down the road, pulling a suitcase with one hand and walking a dog on a lead with her other.  She stood on the dog’s paw and it yelped but she ignored it and carried on walking.  The dog had to limp on on three legs!  Back at the flat we sunbathed and had marinated and roasted belly pork with chuckwagon beans for dinner and played Uno until quite late.  Mostly, though, the day was all about chatting and catching up.

 

Sunday we drove to Mellieha and had a cappuccino in Munchies; actually, Lauren had a large glass of fresh orange juice.  We drove on up to Cirkawa and watched the Gozo ferry come in and disgorge and impossibly large number of cars.  Sam made us delicious tuna melts for lunch then we sunbathed for the rest of the day.  It was father’s day so we went to Portobello’s for pizzas for dinner followed by ice cream at the Ice Cream Factory.

 

Monday 8th to Sunday 14th June 2015

 

Monday another piece of furniture arrived!  This is the flat that keeps on giving.  It is a small drawer/cupboard unit, perfect for the second bedroom even though it was intended for the dining room!  Did lots of work so didn’t have time for a swim.  For dinner we had a great vegan meal.  I BBQed aubergine slices and I burned red peppers and removed their skins.  I made a great Indianesk casserole: onions, garlic, coriander, cumin, oregano, cayenne, salt and pepper, red wine vinegar, stock and a tin of tomatoes and the vegetables of course.    It was delish!

 

Tuesday we went to Sliema.  Sam had an appointment and I went walkabout and spent a lot of time in bookshops.  The rest of the day was mostly taken with work but I found time to sort out my video editing software; I downloaded Nikon’s codec which seems to have overcome the problem I was having in uploading videos from my camera.  The sunset was quite striking, burnishing the sky with intense purples, oranges and deep pinks, all softly reflected by a dead calm sea.  For dinner I cooked piri piri chicken with roasted black courgettes and mixed peppers.

 

Wednesday we went to an investments and pensions presentation at Le Meridian in St Julians.  Didn’t learn much but met a couple of nice people.  After that Sam met her friend Kate for lunch at a Sushi restaurant in St Julians.  I worked, collected Sam from Kate’s house in Naxxar, went shopping then worked on my photography.  It was a busy day!  It was also very hot.  It is dead calm at the moment and we can’t get the air moving through the apartment, so it was on with the air con.  Flatbreads for dinner.

 

Thursday the landlady called to collect the rent and I handed to her correspondence we have received addressed to a previous tenant that looks suspiciously like a divorce petition (it’s in Maltese).  We had our friends Chris and Tina around for lunch; Sam prepared roasted vegetables and tomatoes, dried meats, cheese, olives, leaves and two types of crusty bread, all followed by perfectly ripe water melon.  We sat on the terrace, under the shade of the umbrellas overlooking the boats bobbing on crystal clear water; it’s difficult to imagine a more perfect setting.  For dinner Sam grilled some small local fish, tasty but boney and I had salmon gougons with spices and honey served with rice pilaf – perfect!  I went for a walk at ten o’clock but it was still humid so I called it a day after about half an hour.

 

Friday after lunch we drove to Mellieha beach but found there was a stiff breeze straight into the beach there so the water was choppy and a bit opaque.  I like the water to be clear so we can see jellyfish if they are around.  Apparently there are swarms of them just offshore at the moment.  We decided not to swim after all and had cappuccinos at Munchies instead!  For dinner we went to Miracles.  Sam had a hamburger, oddly called a Dubliner even though it was made with Scottish Aberdeen Angus beef.  I had a diavola pizza which was very good.  On the way home we bought ice cream for dessert which was fantastic as always.

 

Saturday we went to the weekly Ta Qali farmers’ market which is about a 10 minutes drive from here next to the craft village.  Several farmers had set out their wares; the most fantastic fresh fruits and vegetables.  We bought cherries, grapes, bananas, apples, oranges, lemons, limes, grapefruits, figs and peaches as well as sweet peppers, chillies, tomatoes, a lettuce, courgettes (with flowers attached), herbs, avocados and garlic.  And it all cost less than £12!  Having a car is a real boon.  We also visited Sirens to deliver passport-sized photos of ourselves for our membership cards.  The pool there opened today and the water polo team was training enthusiastically.  We stopped by our local Pastizziria to buy lunch; pea and anchovy pastizzis for Sam and an excellent (and huge) macaroni bake for me, great value at EUROs 2.25.  Goodness knows how many calories, though!   For dinner Sam made fresh pesto as we have a basil glut at the moment and served it with spaghetti – yummie!

 

Sunday I woke early and went for a drive; it’s a very enjoyable thing to do when the roads are quiet.  Malta is full of colour at the moment.  Oleander lines many roads and is groaning under the weight of blossom, walls of white and pink.  Wild thyme is sprouting purple flowers and the trees are deep green.  Bougainvillea adds splashes of purple and red as it climbs walls and fences.  When I got back home Sam drove us to Ximxija for an unhealthy breakfast; apple pie for her and a carrot muffin for me, all washed down with large cappuccinos.  For dinner we had chilli with sweet potatoes.

 

Monday 1st to Sunday 7th June 2015

 

Monday was our 10th wedding anniversary.  We went for a light lunch at Agliolio in Golden Bay.  Sam had moules and frites and I had ravioli with pine nuts, mozzarella and a tomato cream sauce.  It tasted great and we sat outside on the terrace overlooking the bay which was lovely.  Only trouble is, I think they must have dirty kitchens.  I’ve eaten there twice now, the last time being Thursday 30th October 2014, and both times I may as well have ordered a laxative express, if you get my drift.  Once I could write off as unlucky; twice in a row I can’t.  So, don’t eat at Agliolio unless you are trying to lose weight.

 

In the evening we went to Miracles and sat outside for a pre-dinner drink.  Miracles is on one side of the main square, so it is a great spot for people watching.  Some guy rode up on the most amazing looking Harley Davidson; apart from the seat, mirrors and tyres, every part was made from chrome.  It was spotless and gleamed brightly in the evening sun.  There was another guy who was fat beyond imagination.  We have noticed him in the square previously.  When he stands up his belly hangs down to his knees.  He is the sort of guy they make TV documentaries about.

 

For our anniversary dinner we went to – you’ve guessed it – Lovage.  Sam had ravioli stuffed with minted lamb in a cream sauce followed by giant red prawns on lemon risotto and to finish she had apple crumble with straccatella ice cream.  I had a prawn, salmon and courgette vol au vent with a cream sauce, then slow roasted belly pork followed by chocolate fondant with pistachio ice cream.  Everything was fantastic, as usual, except for the vegetables.  Normally they serve chunky carrots, courgettes, peppers and sweet potatoes cooked a la plancha.  Today it was a medley of finely diced vegetables that seem to have been steamed, and they brought to mind the bags of frozen mixed vegetables sold in supermarkets.  Anyway, it was no biggie.  Sam drank Prosecco and I had a half bottle of Chablis and a half bottle of Barbera D’Asti which were also fantastic.

 

Tuesday I got masses of work done.  Sam had a couple of her girlfriends around for lunch on our terrace.  She roasted courgettes, onions, peppers and tomatoes and served them with warm bread, olives and crisps.  They washed it down with a bottle of Prosecco.  I had a banana!  The good news is that our final three fly screens were delivered and fitted so we can now get a pretty good breeze through the apartment without letting too many bugs in.  Sam has several mozzie bites on her legs and ankles so we are making good use of the PifPaf (insect killer).  Sam wasn’t hungry that evening after her lunch, so we settled for flatbreads for dinner (again).

 

Wednesday we drove to the airport to confirm the route and check out car parking.  That may sound silly but the road layouts are confusing with up to four lanes of fast moving traffic and hopeless signage.  We saw one crash where some woman got rear ended at a pedestrian crossing.  Anyway, I think we have cracked it and we found a relatively quick way home. For dinner I had pan fried chicken with harissa with roasted courgettes and peppers; Sam had seasoned chicken with salad leaves.

 

It has suddenly become humid.  I did a very fast two miles walk after dinner and by the end of it I felt like I’d walked through a rain shower.  The saving grace is that on the front of our terrace we always have a breeze (or a wind) so even on the hottest and most humid days you can sit there and cool down quickly.

 

Thursday after dropping Sam off at art class I drove on to Naxxar to a florist there to buy Sam some roses; a belated anniversary gift.  On the way I saw another car crash.  A car overtook but the car in front of the one he was overtaking was turning right so he smashed into the side of it.  I don’t think anyone was hurt.  It is another typical crashing scenario here.  I think I spend as much time looking in my mirrors as I do looking through the windscreen.  When I got back home I was lucky enough to park right outside our apartment block so I washed our car for the first time.  It was filthy from last week’s blood rain.  We ate lunch on the terrace.  And guess what?  While out on the terrace I saw a tourist on a scooter crash into a parked 4x4 with a boat trailer.  The police and ambulance arrived pretty quickly and the motorcyclist was stretchered away.  He didn’t appear badly hurt.  After that we went for a swim in Mellieha Bay and it was glorious.  For swim read floating around for about half an hour.  The sea temperature is perfect now; warm enough to float around for as long as you like but cool enough to make you feel refreshed.  For dinner Sam cooked us Portobello mushrooms with garlic and chorizo followed by roasted butternut squash stuffed with vegetables and sweet potato crisps.  Delish!

 

Friday we went to the dentist again; Sam for a clean and polish, me for a major filling.  Cross fingers, if that has worked we won’t need to see our dentist again for another 6 months.  We went swimming again at Mellieha Bay; I think that will become a fairly regular thing now that the hot weather has arrived.  In the evening we went to Miracles then on to The Gate of India.  We had heard good reports of it and we miss our Isle of Man Taj Mahal fix so we gave it a go.  And overall it was very nice.  To my mind it was like stepping back in time to traditional Indian restaurant fare.  We had pappadams then tried their fixed menu; three starters and three mains.  They were all pretty good.  The onion bajis were huge but excellent; we had three each, each one about the size of a baby’s fist.  Also a Shiesh Kebab and a large piece of tandoori chicken.  For mains, chicken tikka masala, lamb do piazza and beef curry served with pilau rice and naan bread.  We washed it down with a bottle of water and a bottle of Sangiovese.  It all cost EUROs 55, about £45 so it was good value.

 

Saturday Sam went to Sirens swimming club and signed us up for a summer membership.  They have a salt water pool that is just a short walk from our flat.  Also, they seem to have an active social scene.  She has also signed up for more swimming lessons there with her existing coach.  That evening Robin and Lesley came around for dinner.  We had stuffed olives, crisps and cheesy biscuits then chilli con carne with rice, tortilla chips, lettuce and cheese.  For dessert we wandered down to the Ice Cream Factory.  Everything was delicious, the only slight hiccup being that Lesley had to pick out her kidney beans as she is allergic to them!  Robin is into photography so I gave him a Lightroom demo.  And we played Bananagram, I was the winningest (read American literature at your peril), so all in all it was a pretty busy night!

 

Sunday I went for a long drive, ending up at the airport again!  I played guitar until I couldn’t bend my elbow (not a good idea), worked some and watched some TV.  We watched the Canadian Grand Prix, our first of the season.  It was about as interesting as an accountant’s diary.   We won’t be doing that again.  Left over chilli with chips for dinner.  By the way, what do you call a bear in the rain?  A drizzly bear!