I'm back!

Dear readers,
Sorry for the delay. My brother paid us a surprise visit and we were “busy” enjoying the summer heat, the beaches and each other’s company. Now I’m back with weekly updates... enjoy!

Let’s kick off with a few follow-up notes:

1) The signposting issue at the garden: after yet another argument with two idiots who claimed they were “environmental wardens”, we contacted the local council again and ten days later, there they were: brand-new signs allowing our black beast into the garden, free to chase birds, scare off cats and poo and pee under every tree. Gizmo’s thrilled!
2) The waste collection problem: our bags are still picked up a little later than usual, but we work our way around that by putting them outside around noon, the best way to get rid of all the cockroaches invading the pavement...
3) Yet another fault: yesterday Melita broke down, not GO. The times are changing.

Now I’d like to offer you a full immersion into the secrets of Maltese summers.

Usually I go abroad, but this year I’m staying on the rock for lack of funds, courtesy of our new sofa, which SHOULD be delivered next week (one week before the agreed date, wow!).

Maltese summers are hot and by hot I mean boiling. Last weekend the temperature went up to 41.5°C. Since we don’t have A/Cs yet, I sought refuge in the shops round the corner and I ended up buying a DVD player. Hot weather = recovering economy.

The beaches are always packed, everywhere. The only way to avoid crowds, is to arrive on the beach at around 8 am at the very latest and leave around noon. As many people stay out late in the evening, they’re not so keen on waking up early. This “trick” resulted in many great mornings in Paradise Bay, Riviera, Golden Bay and Saint George’s Bay with my professional snorkelling set (that’s right, I spent more money on useless gadgets Andre’ refuses to be seen with).

Festa’s! Fireworks! Fried food! Maltese summers are all about partying, celebrating religious feasts, walking in the middle of the road holding fried dates in pastry (yuk) and admiring fireworks every night (and even during the day strangely enough). My brother didn’t get that. Neither do I. But let’s face it: the atmosphere is magical.

Al fresco dining, either in fancy restaurants (not this year) or on the balcony, surrounded by mosquitoes I try to repel with stinky citronella sticks. To no avail. The food, in turn, is mouth-watering delicious: home-made sushi, pasta with fresh octopus, tasty vegetable wraps... A good excuse to get rid of the scales.

It’s difficult to describe these great vibes. Malta is truly wonderful in summer. The travel guides don’t lie: Malta, my rock, truly rocks!