Familiar waters

small surprises

Sing along

A little over a week ago more than 100 million viewers watched the European Song Contest.

One must take it for what it is .. the search for a catchy (usually very cheesy) summer theme song ....

 glam, glitz and loads of flashing lights. This was how Abba was found mind you. 

I admit after years of teasing those near and dear for taking the time to watch it.. this year we ordered pizza and poured some drinks... must admit it is a laugh (sadly no Terry Wogan hosting here). 

The kids watched some of it too and these are their top choices...

(note of caution- even if you hate the song it is so catchy sometimes that you find yourself humming it)

My little magpie likes this one (Norway, yes really) Haba Haba

and the boy child likes this one Lipstick

Desctructo is split between  Maldova's 

SO LUCKY

and Denmark's pretty boy New Tomorrow

GO ahead, have a laugh if you missed that eventful evening!

The winner was the ultimate Eurovision sap (see here if you like).

My personal favourites were - Bosnia Herzegovina  and Switzerland's. 

Oh and Serbia's perky number (click here).

A Mini poll
Which do you like? (none does not count)

Finding peace

an old church yard

scattered with gnarled old olive trees

here is the sense of calm I have been craving

drinking in the sight

sweet secret corners of Lija 

sigh

starting to see the light.. only some weeks left

till then it's busy hectic days... last weeks of school term for the children and myself 

**** 

Hope your start to this new week has been 

blessed with tiny moments of peace too.

hallways of an old Maltese villa... 

calming colours no?

Gems

Small treasures spotted over the weekend:

Wild Purple Poppies

Appealing tucked away restaurants near by.

Old tiles spotted under my resting daughters bums.

Church corners and dead end alleys.

But my favourite of the weekend, was this..

Let me introduce Gracie

 she is somewhere over seventy years old, 

and  a part of that old time in Malta...a glimpse of what life used to be like here ( she is one of two old women in our village who can be seen very slowly moving down the road selling bits and bobs from their own garden, from fresh garlic to artichokes) their home made carts complete with rusty old scales and even plastic bags! Gracie even had the old wooden caper cup (I have heard talk of it but had never seen one being used). That is the way you used to buy capers, by the wooden cup full. Her hands gnarled from arthritis but far more agile than I expected, her smile easy and genuine. I spotted her slowly walking up a very long hill, she stopped and we talked (a good chance to use my Maltese) I bought capers, lemons from her courtyard, fresh broad beans, eggs, a huge bunch of mint and home made pickled beets. I was amazed how much she had tucked into her small cart. She was selling also home made carob syrup (good with warm water for a sore throat). 

The caper bucket

Now days most young people buy new apartments in more suburban areas and you find in the heart of some of the old villages a population of old people, sometimes only one or two left living in very dusty grand old houses,  really struggling to maintain them. Could go on and on as regards this topic but I will end it here as the day is soon to start. 

***The last term of teaching underway, Maltese and European history taking up all my spare time. 

Wee adventures

Ever catch yourself doing something a little unexpected?

It happened to me today.

I casually mentioned to the children at lunch that I had not seen Dash around ( Dash being our slightly wild cat), they reported that Papa was saying the same thing earlier. Thus began the Scoobie doo inspired WE'LL FIND HIM response, next you know the trio was scouring every room, every cubbord and closet. My oldest getting more and more worried by the minute, little Destructo meanwhile contemplating perhaps getting a new cat instead or maybe even a puppy.

 Next you know my magpie middle child has spotted our wiley feline, he was several rooftops away. 

The picture of rooftop mazes shown above was her view. A pitiful meowing dash spotted us a,and came as close as he could and meowed for help. 

The worried boy child (who is usually drawing detailed airplane pictures) got busy with drawing rescue plans, lots of arrows and boxes and things. Magpie curly top got her shoes on and was out the door in seconds intent on knocking at our neighbours house. Lucky for me she (Magpie)was there, as our very elderly neighbours do not speak a lick of English. She explained our cat situation and before you knew it there were several old people and a few kids near us listening and giving suggestions.

Finally in an attempt to reach the roof top I decided to try from the inside,  I tried to see which house was best to ask to enter and was told about the various empty old houses near where our cat was stuck (that old man died and yes that old woman too and yes that one left for Australian many years ago and no one has heard from him since).  This particular house, the one with the owners who had left to live abroad had one of it's doors half open,  from the outside it looked like it was one small dark dirty room. It is the last door at the very end of the ally and not very inviting at all.
But for a cat in need...we go the extra mile... 

so come along with me... into this forgotten home, we must search for the staircase...

(have I ever mentioned that old Maltese houses are like mazes?)

I squeezed in and was surprised to find a small room and then through another small door a very big room with huge 20 foot ceilings and wooden beams (sorry I did not manage to take a photo of this room), everything was covered in dust and vines had curled and twisted their way in the windows and through the old arches facing the garden. 

There was a well in the garden, and small nooks carved in the walls of the large room for statues. If our place is old ( just over 300 years old) this place must be very old! Old chairs and a beautiful carved table stood in the corner, I tiptoed through the rooms and finally up a narrow winding stone stairway which eventually led out to a landing which overlooked the hugely overgrown garden. 

I called for dash but he was two or three roofs away and could not climb over. 

(Spot my trio on our rooftop watching me)

Included in this post are a few quickly snapped photos from my phone

It was a sad somber dinner as thunder rumbled in, wind howled and rain poured down, still no dash. Even with the help of even our rougher neighbours - (ones I had never really spoken to before) but who turned out to be very willing to help, and were up ladders and climbing ledges too as he rain rolled in. 

Just before we went to bed though, we heard a soft meowing at the window and found a soaking wet and shivering Dash. He made it home and was very happy to curl up on a warm lap and sleep. 

Am left with this odd feeling - thinking about this forgotten house, now when I glance down to the end of the ally I can picture that empty old sofa gazing out at its garden of  vines.

Speaking of sisters

One of my two sisters is here visiting Malta, I have been enjoying the chance to share this world of ours here with her. The first of my four siblings to make it over to the island!

. 

Sisters

Spring!

Almond blossoms and green hillsides

spring is in the air

Friday!

Why hello again! 

between my sister in law's wedding, my mothers visit and a huge on going bout of sickness I have been missing completely from the blog world. Hope you are all well. 

Its Friday (whopppie!)  and 'normal' life seems to have resumed again- (praise be!)  

Friday means Pizza at our favourite little Sicilian joint and a glass of well earned red wine and maybe a film if we can keep our eyes open that long! May you all be enjoying your Friday evening rituals too.. !!

Carnival 2011

**

Took only a handful of shots this year, (my two wee fairies and grumpy pirate were not much for waiting around for me to snatch out my camera). 

Thought I would share a few shots of the weekend in Valletta.
***

May be a bit quiet on the blog front for some days. 

Grandma is in town! 

What one brings back from England (part 2)

Tea

I love nothing better than to try a new tea (although Twinning Assam is still my all time favourite - Twining Earl Grey a close second when it comes to black tea ).

In living in a country with no indoor heating herbal tea has taken on a new cherished place.

So I was thrilled to bring some interesting sounding combinations back with me. 

On to something totally unrelated- music

A little something to share...

 - RUMOUR HAS IT by the British Adele,
note: you may just want to be standing because this song makes you want to move.
The album has just been released in the states.


-SECOND CHANCE BY Peter Bjorn and JOhn (catchy like that first one we all got stuck in our head)

( on the pop side and cheery but when you are stuck inside cleaning and correcting the last of exams thats exactly what you need).

Monday Morning

A fresh week

And the end of February. 

Time to simplify and consolidate, thoughts, desk tops, spring plans and summer dreams.

Ode to Wisconsin

the place where I am from

 how I wish I was there now to lend my voice and support. 

Click HERE to see more
on whats going on.


Or as seen in the papers - The Guardian , BBC , Al Jazeera, New York Times

Wednesday's Cornerview: Blue

a blue galleria in the center of Attard


for the latest corner view theme
go here - http://www.fuoriborgo.com/

Not far away

My heart and mind keep coming back to what is happening just miles from this island....

(photo from the the Al Jazeera site)

a few minutes ago I read this quote from one of the few voices able

to come out of Libya at the moment (as you probably know the internet for the most part is being blocked and foreign journalist are not allowed in the country).

(From the BBC World news live feed on the Middle East and North African unrest)

11:40 pm 21st Feb.

Mohamed from Tripoli in Libya sent this: "President Clinton said that the one thing he regretted during his presidency was that he didn't intervene in Rwanda. Will President Obama regret not intervening in Libya... You can stop this so please don't stand and watch us fade away."

His words send chills down my spine, I hope someone from the outside does something 

(besides verbally condemn the voilence) soon.

Fancy a walk?

Am taking you along with us again, hope you don't mind. 

A small morning hike.

This time- Northward.

Following the remains of a road, past an old man and his horse training for what looks like the charriot races, some friendly dogs and a church tucked up among the cliffs ( a place near Mtahleb) 

the wild winds howling away.

The raging rain storm having left the land looking a bit shaken. 

A cheery yellow dog leading us along (notice that little cluster of houses below).

Down the hill past blooming almond trees. 

Tall wispy fennel plants and groves of lemon trees heavy with fruit.

Down through what seemed to be a ghost village, of 7 or 8  buildings, only one looked like there may be someone living in it.... the others had been abandoned and left to the elements... 

Then past a tiny cared for vineyard

to a place where a smal stream trickled by and tadpoles were spotted

through something like a bamboo jungle

past banana trees!

and pretty little flowers 

(wish I knew their name)

**That yellow dog spent the whole morning with us and then jumped in the car between the kids, as if he belonged there.  Felt cruel to drive off and leave him behind watching us, 

such a happy cheerful fellow. 

Back home.

Windblown and rosy cheeked, date scones and a pot of hot tea.