Observations

We have been pretty much house bound with me and my cold for the better part of a week. We do manage to get out for short walks in our neighbourhood for groceries and today, a last order for wine and water. 'Our' De Best Wine Wholesaler gives us de' best prices and delivers, even putting it in the elevator for us.

As we walk back the sun is warm for a few fleeting moments but we need to get back for our delivery so can't dawdle. Maybe the sun will last and we can come back out.

I have been noting some of the sounds of St Paul's Bay.....

This is not restricted to St Paul's Bay.... but the very unique, melodic, sometimes harsh, sometimes loud, but beautiful language that is primarily Arabic mixed with Italian, Spanish and English. I enjoy trying to figure out how to say the names of the different places we have been to .....on the buses they have a reader board that states the next stop and a recorded voice that tells its name. I can read it and hear it as we move along. It has been the best way for me to learn.....that Q's are silent, GH at the beginning is silent, X is an s sound....two x's is a 'sh' sound......it is a challenge but a language unlike anywhere else.

always the church bells in the distance,

the buses as they gear down to come around the corner at St. Anthony's bus stop.

The musical honking sound of the propane delivery truck announcing its arrival...sounds like an ice cream wagon.

All the various sounds of the garbage trucks that come by everyday at least twice, sometimes three times. And also the fellow with the garbage can on wheels that picks up litter from the road and sidewalk.

The clip clip of the horses hooves on the road pulling the little two wheeled carts.

The quick honk, honk of the cars that don't stop at the stop signs....just letting you know they aren't stopping.

The chatter and laughter of the two moms and their five children, two in strollers, taking the older ones to school. I hear them before I see them pass by in front of us at 7:45am.

The neighbour man with the Maltese terrier that has a bark like gravel in a bucket.

The feral cats that meow out back somewhere. I think they have a Maltese accent too....they definitely sound different to the Tom cats we hear at home....just sayin'.....

 

I'm watching the people walk past our apartment trying to do fast sketches. Cabin Fever is setting in.

I have just had a face time visit with Stella and Jackie Boy...warms my heart to see and hear their voices. Along with cabin fever I'm feeling a little homesick. Painting Gramma is still remembered.

 

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We Make Arrangements to Move

I woke up today knowing I was over the worst of this cold. My head feels clear and my energy is back. I still have to clear the chest of the bark but what a difference from yesterday. It is another stormy and windy day so we have stayed inside altogether. I think it's like the "hockey all star break" for us, a few days of R/R before we move on to the next chapter of 'Bob and Karen do Malta'. We have communicated with both of our landlords and we will be driven to our new place in Marsascala on Thursday around noon. That is such a bonus because we have accumulated a bit of stuff that we need to take with us. Our new apartment is an uphill walk from the bus stop and we don't know about deliveries of water and wine so we are taking a couple of days supplies with us.

I'm trying to catch up on a few of the images from our stay here and the places we have seen. So staying home for a day or two has had its advantages.

The City of Mdina will be one of the special places we have seen. Bob is always taking pictures from the bus as we travel around. It amazes me that he can capture such great images from a moving bus and through dirty windows. I used one of his pictures to paint this in my journal. Mdina sits on top of the hill looking out at the whole of the north and eastern part of Malta. It was originally the capital of Malta but when the Knights of St. John, who were mostly a sea based force, made Valletta and the Grand Harbour their center of activity Mdina sank into the background as a holiday destination for the nobility. With its massive walls and shaded narrow streets it became known as the "Silent City".

With the whole front of the apartment floor to ceiling glass I am always sitting right in front watching everything that passes on the sidewalk, the roads and the Bay. I have taken over the table with my art supplies while Bob has the couch and coffee table. He can sit comfortably in his shorts and Tshirt and maybe a fleece jacket while I am in double, triple layers and wrapped in scarves. So here I sit watching another storm blowing through the Bay. I am comfy and warm. But note.....I'm not wearing socks....I can still have bare feet:)

 

 

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Not One of My Better Days

Sherry said despite how I am feeling I look quite glamorous with my earrings and my scarf. Those earrings have not been off since we got here and as for scarves, well I'm trying to think if there's been a day when I haven't had one on. Maybe the first week because it was a little warmer but definitely not since. It is hard to heat these stone buildings so I've worn a scarf most days inside too. We didn't come to Malta for the heat and the weather has been mostly perfect for traveling around. I will come home with only tan lines from my Keens on my feet and a brown weathered face.

To support my sad day the weather sent thunder, lightning, rain and even a little hail. I'm not sure how that happens when it's 15 degrees. But as usual the sun came out and we made me go for a little walk, about ten blocks in total. We needed more Kleenex.

 

It's always beautiful in Malta even on stormy days because it's not often that we don't see a colourful sunrise or sunset.

 

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My Cold Gets Me:(

I hate being sick! Or anything less than 90%. Before lunch I walked down the hill to the pharmacy and got Benedryl for my cough, lozenges for the tickle that keeps me awake at night and Europes answer to Tylenol, Panadol for overall body aches. I'm still taking all my regular vitamins and my homeopathic remedy to fight whatever this years flu is about. At this stage I don't care if it's natural or chemical, I just want to get better. I don't want to miss any days. On my way back I walked along promenade until the big staircase that climbs from the Bay to just outside our apartment. I said I wanted to climb it at least once to know how many stairs there were. People use it as part of their walking or running exercise routine. One hundred and two stairs. Today it just about killed me.

I don't use our elevator going down which is 32 stairs and I will climb up if I don't have groceries. So today I went up 102 and down 96. We are working hard to get in better shape. Malta is a wonderful country for walking. I read an article about a Maltese nurse that was walking from tower to tower to raise money for the Hospice Centre where she worked. It was 70km and took her 4 days. It still amazes me how tiny is this Island country.

After lunch we wanted to take advantage of the beautiful sunny day so went down to the lower road and sat in the sun. It felt so good. Tomorrow I'm going to be better!!!

 

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Second Home Day

Yesterday we never left the apartment. One day is enough so I guess I'm not feeling too bad. We walked into town and did some shopping but that was all. Chicken soup for lunch and a quiet afternoon. It was really quite nice actually. I sat at the table and reviewed some of the things I wanted to paint.My fascination with doors continues. Some are better than others:(

 

I'm not a fan of blown glass but it is an old craft here like lace tatting and weaving. This is a tiny bud vase only 4 inches tall. The colour is really a dark magenta, much nicer than this red. And it will be another memory from Malta.

It was an exciting day in Quesnel today. It was Stella's first day at preschool. I think she is just a little happy......daddy not so much I heard. Who says you can't be glamorous in the snowy North. Love you Stella, from Painting Gramma. Xoxo

 

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A Home Day

After a poor nights sleep I've finally run out of steam. It is time to have a day at home. We are both happy to do this. It is overcast so we don't feel bad about not going anywhere. We have decided we will not buy another weekly bus pass for now but will do things in our neighbourhood for the next few days. House chores, some laundry and showers and the day passes. It's really not that hard to have a day in the apartment. The view is constantly changing with boat traffic and people watching. I spent the afternoon with my feet up and a cup of camomile tea getting caught up in my journal and blog. We had leftovers for lunch and then a bowl of ham and pea soup was good enough for dinner.

It's not an exciting page but it does tell the story of our day. Sometimes all I want is a record to remind me of the ordinary times. Not every day is new and unusual. Most have been but we need this kind of day once in awhile to reenergize ourselves.

 

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Valletta on a Sunday.....what were we thinking???

I'm fighting a cold but decided I had enough energy to get on a bus. So we went to Valletta. Sunday is not a good day to go anywhere if you don't feel like being in crowds. We were there early enough to be able to quietly walk the streets. Our destination was the south side of Valletta to see the views over the Grand Harbour.

 

Because everything is built of sandstone and it quickly gets discoloured from weather and atmosphere, it is sometimes hard to know what is new construction. This bell tower and the bronze statue that lays below it were built in 1992 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Malta receiving the George Cross from Britain for its valour during WWII. The reclining statue represents the 7000 civilian and armed forces lives that were lost between 1940 and 1943. The ten ton bronze bell rings daily at noon. We were there to hear it today.

 

It was sunny by the afternoon but very windy. I'm trying to stay in the sun but out of the wind. Not an easy task up here.

The views are breathtaking as you can see all along the Grand Harbour, from out at sea to almost as far back as Valletta's suburb of Floriana. I have read statistics that say 47% of Maltas population live within three kilometres of Floriana. It is where the majority of tourists also stay. The south side of the harbour is an area we plan to explore when we are in Marsascala. This includes 'The Three Cities', Vittoriosa, Cospicua and Senglea ....an area that doesn't seem to draw nearly as many visitors.

I'm hungry, so we start our walk back into the Center of Valletta which means going back up and up and up. I roughly counted the steps....over 100....thigh muscles were humming by the time we reached the top.

 

 

Even though the sun is out it only gets through to the city streets in a few places. This would be a good thing in the heat of the summer but not so good for us. It's too cold to eat outside so we head back to the Bad Ass Whisky & Bistro to share our regular burger, with a beer and a wine.

I like coming to Valletta but dislike the always crowded and slow trip back. We tried to leave early to miss much of the traffic but it's Sunday and everyone is either out walking, driving or on the bus. It takes over an hour to go maybe 6/8 kilometres. Thankfully we got seats and we are home by 3:00pm. We did another chicken in orange sauce dinner with baked potatoes. I worked on my journal but my cold-clogged head couldn't blog. There's always tomorrow and it just might be a quiet catch up day.

 

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