Happy Easter!

Grandma brought with her a favourite book, one from my childhood, a beloved Easter Story. 

Off to the wee Easter egg hunt....

Hope you are all enjoying the weekend!

Wednesdays' Corner view: Spring

Spring and the start of pea season!

Enjoying the visit with the grandparents 

(this photo is totally unaltered, pretty blue huh!)

This was just before we took them to a place called Mgarr for rabbit, snails and some octopus! 

Starting off the week

No this is not Malta, but it certainly caught my eye. This photo was taken in Holloko, Hungary. 'A girl tries to avoid being drenched as boys throw water during a pre-Christian fertility ritual known as 'watering of the girls' It is part of the Guardian's daily 24 hours in pictures. Here are a few more

Happy Friday

May your creative juices be flowing.

Wednesday's Corner View: Local Architecture

Just under the wire, 

but how I could I sleep tonight knowing I had passed up this week's theme 

(lucky for me I have quite a few street and building shots taken from my walks around the island).

For more corner views go here. 

With visitors and a very nasty stomach bug making its way through the family (only my husband and the middle child left standing). I am  going to have to bow out of this weeks corner view.

I am however  including a wee response to the lovely Carmel Carmelo's  tree post,

 a little spring tree I saw recently here on the island. Sadly I do not know its name.

There is something so tender and pure about a young flowering tree, 

not so unlike the sweet flutterings and joy of first love. 

Breath

by J. Daniel Beaudry

Tree, gather up my thoughts
like the clouds in your branches.
Draw up my soul
like the waters in your root.


In the arteries of your trunk
bring me together.
Through your leaves
breathe out the sky.


I would like to pass on of love and trees de l'amour et des arbres
to Maia of Un Envie del sel . 

Wednesday's Corner View: The Front Door

I couldn't seem to decide on just one door,  so decided to included a few that have caught my eye.

1.(upper left) - The grand old door which we walk the children past on their way to school, which is covered in dust and looks as if it has not been opened in many many years.
Have been more than a little  tempted to peek in the key hole!
2. (upper right)  this grey house with its tarnished blue door for some reason makes me wonder about the woman of the house.... what kind of face would you find if it opened? Perhaps a stern older woman with silver streaked hair...
3.(lower left) a tucked away old ally (which there plenty of here in Zabbar), something about that  short door at the end... how many hundreds of years has it been sitting there looking out? Somehow I imagine a garden behind it...perhaps some orange trees or a huge overgrown fig tree?
4. (lower right) the greenery overgrown, a golden door on a small street in the silent city of Mdina, high up on the hill, if only this door could speak....

Which one would you most like to open?  

Return

The sun is back, the circling foxes have shyly laid down their weapons and grudges and made amends. It is amazing what just spending time together can do. Not to mention a tango lesson and lattes at the near by sweet shop ... yes the stars once again are aligned in our house and I feel ready for a new week to begin and guess who is coming...

Still not sure?

Grandpa and Grandma from across the big pond!! 

(these two last photos were taken where we used to live, Winchester, England)

Friday

Heavy hearted day, tis never nice to start the day off out of synch with your partner. 

The whole day lies ahead with a shadow over it. 

Cloudy skies over Malta.

Wednesdays' Corner view: Miniature worlds

This tiny world was part of one of the nicest 'prespju's" we saw this Christmas here in Malta. Each figure is about two and half inches tall. The detail given to these large Christmas scenes is impressive. Sometimes they take up a whole room complete with twinkling stars, running water, little sheep whose heads dip down to nibble the grass. Its a very traditional hobby especially among men, have heard that they sometimes spend the entire year slowly putting it together. Not a bad hobby to have as a retired person and then you get to show it off in the holiday season.  I wish I had taken more photos but we had three hungry whiny kids with us so I managed to only snap a few shots, which in no way does it justice!
For more cornerviews go to Spain Daily

Thoughts of summer

 as long as I am coasting on the shallow end, what with the spring 

dresses, gazing at nice interiors and so on, I mine as well carry on at the shallow end and mention these found here.

Am not really a shoe person, I own only a few pairs that last me for years but these ohh sighhh just looking at them makes me want to get up, grab a skirt and fly off to Barcelona or Copenhagen. 

Rainy day house gazing

I think that the year of keeping an eye out on interior design ideas left a watermark on me.  Flicking through magazines,  sipping tea on dark wet Sunday mornings in England,  planning from afar how to set up our little house in Malta, I find I still so enjoy looking at interior design blogs and magazines. This post by design sponge of before and after shots is great for ideas. 

This post over at digs digs made me smile- I love seeing what peple can manage to do with very small spaces! 

Bit of fun

CLICK ON IMAGE

The Mr. spotted this new ok go video and from the start  the three smalls and I  could not take our eyes off it- quite fun. Specially my five year old son--- was completely transfixed.
I love the falling umbrellas and the tinkling glasses.

CLICK ON IMAGE 

Their old video is pretty fun too in case you haven't stumbled across it.

Enjoy! 

Happy Friday

Thoughts of spring dresses in the air here

so too that jolt of better get back into shape-ness that comes around this time of year. Finally started running again, down around the little Kalkara bay,  I will take some photos, I think its a very pretty bay  in that, forgotten rustic sort of way.

oh and other going ons- little D got a hair cut

Wednesday's Corner view: coffee companion

Rainy day latte with my wee one, how calm and pleasant it can be with just one.

I have so many memories of braving cafes with two toddlers and a nursing baby, trying to park with one hand a double buggy laden with groceries (under the stern disapproving stares from waitstaff). Biding time with home made apple muffins which would quickly get trampled, dainty sugar bowls explored and glasses too near  edges often meeting with the floor. Can actually sit in comfort and peace now, even with all three, things have mellowed out, they can sit and talk, play I spy among themselves or draw for a good 30 minutes rather than needing to get up and run in circles. 

At last I may slowly drink an entire coffee before it goes cold or gets spilled. 

Shame so many of my fellow mum friends live so very far away. I am prone to bouts of nostalgia and these are sometimes the moments I miss those friends and places such as Bills,  Carluccios, The Bridge Cafe or Lazy Janes but I can not complain with wonderful cafes at hand here such as Prego, pictured above for example.
For more corner views go here. 

Happiness

"Happiness showed up today, 

a silver throated 
mocking bird
with the sweetest song
I ever heard
it flashed across the sky"


"the only moment we can hold is this one going by..."

These are parts of a song called Happiness by a singer song writer called Beth Nielsen Chapman (she has written songs for Bette Milder, Niel Diamond, Elton John ). 
I heard this song on BBC Radio 4 woman's hour during an interview.  She wrote this song  while undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer, on a day she was feeling especially blue, the day all her hair fell out. She said she was thinking about what happiness would look like if it walked through the door. 


Its amazing how much in life we take for granted. 


note: she survived the breast cancer and is happily writing songs and living life to the fullest now ten years on.

Friday's wanderings

I don't know about you but sometimes I think, if I could do anything else than what I am doing now what would it be, and today I am thinking it would be an intern with this company (Gailbraith and Paul), such gorgeous prints and what an interesting world to be a part of! Here are some examples of their originally printed fabrics, click on the link, they have a great website!

                                  Marlene Dietrich  

Oh the glamour and grace!

Wish I was feeling more like this today! 

Wednesday's Corner view: street photography

I took this photo while walking through Attard yesterday, a small central village on the island, near two equally quaint villages called Balzan and Lija. Old and rather quiet as far as town centers are concerned.
For more Corner Views go here.

Revived

Sometimes all it takes is sitting in a wild field, feeling the sun warming your skin and and being able to  hear the gentle breeze rustling the grasses to bring you back to your senses.
Saturday here was hectic, that feeling of forever being behind on the long to do list and every inch of the house needing some cleaning (but where to find the time).Was feeling grumpy and slightly short tempered with little people bickering (and the Mr. leisurely reading 'work' papers on the sofa),  the choice to go out to the countryside on Sunday really felt great. To explore a new part of the island (Bidnija) and to let the kids run wild and invent their own games. Do feel revived now and ready to start a new week.

Upon returning from our day out we enjoyed some chili con carne and corn muffins, its been at least two years since I had made either and I had forgotten how good and warming they are, a little taste and smell of home.


p.s. The house in the above small picture has the view shown in the first large photo, wouldn't that be something to wake up to!?

Chili Con Carne
3Tbs Olive oil
1 large Onion chopped
3 garlic gloves crushed
750 grams ground beef
3 Tbs tomato puree (paste to some conserve to others)
1 green pepper chopped
1 red pepper chopped (can add in a yellow pepper too, for some extra colour)
2-3 tsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp ground cumin
20 grams cocoa powder 
600 ml vegetable stock
500 grams chopped tomatoes
2 Tbs cider vinegar
2X 400 gram cans of red kidney beans 
(you can also soak 400 grams dried kidney beans overnight then boil for an hour and strain)
salt and pepper to taste


step 1. fry onion and garlic in oil, medium heat. step 2. add beef mince fry for 10-15 min  step 3. add tomato puree, chili and spices cook for a further 5  min Step 4. add stock, tomatoes, cocoa and season. Let simmer for 30 min, finally add the chopped peppers. 


Serve in a bowl (over over rice) with a side of sour cream and topped with shredded cheddar cheese. Also very good served with warm cornbread. 

Cornbread
2 cups white flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups yellow corn meal (can also use polenta)
1/2 cup sugar
step 1. Mix all the dry ingredients thoroughly and set aside. 


step 2. In  a separate bowl mix
2 eggs
2 cups milk
220 grams melted butter


step 3 Mix the wet into the dry and bake as muffins for 15 min or till golden brown. You can also bake it for longer in a bread tin.
serve with butter and honey if warm. these are not very sweet muffins.