Aches, Pains and Malta

Just in case you wanted an update on my ankle, it's still in pain, probably because I am VERY bad at doing what I'm told to do.  And I am VERY bad at being patient.  I hope I'll be able to make a trip to Berlin fairly soon, but there's a while before I go, so now I am really trying to obey the physio in every detail and simply not be my usual headstrong self.  

Meanwhile, I've been looking through old slides which T. has kindly been scanning for me. I stopped taking slides about 12 years ago and in some ways I'm sorry. The colours are slightly more muted than digital pictures, but when projected, the range of tones is far more subtle.  Since I have hardly been anywhere or done anything this month, I thought you'd like to see a few of the slides I took in Malta when I was on assignment for Islands Magazine about fifteen years ago, and hear some of my rather rambling thoughts about the place.

If  you have read this blog for a long time you'll know I moved from Belfast to Malta when I was 17, so it was a bit of a trip down memory lane for me, to see how things had changed.  To my surprise, they hadn't changed quite as much as I'd expected they would.  

So, these are boatman in Senglea, a district of Valletta.  

These boatmen are (or were) incredibly tough and strong and these ones had been involved in some way with the Regatta which takes place in Grand Harbour twice a year, when teams of boatmen are pitched against each other. It's a tremendous event and lots of fun.  This boat's similar to the traditional Maltese "dghajsa" water taxi (below - not my picture) though as you see it is  not the same.

When I first saw Malta, there were usually working dghajjes in every harbour, but now they're really just a tourist attraction. A shame because they are beautiful and colourful.

And I can't tell you how exactly how to pronounce "dghajsa" (I say "DY-SA"). Maltese is an interesting language, and looks as if it is very difficult to read. I think it was probably originally written in Arabic, as  it is a blend of Arabic and Italian.  Here is a documentary starting with a beautiful dance sequence narrated in Maltese,  so you can hear this interesting language.

If you speak North African Arabic, or Italian, you can probably understand most of the rest of the documentary too. Nothing shows better than the Maltese language just how much this tiny island has been a cultural crossroads for centuries.     

I don't know how much Malta makes of its culture to visitors, but essentially the feel of the place is very much Southern Mediterranean,  not North African.  Each village has its annual "festa"  centering around the Virgin Mary, and the fireworks are truly spectacular.  I've seen many wonderful Disney fireworks shows, but they look quite tame compared with some of the elaborate displays you see in little Maltese villages.  Here are some preparations for giant displays of Catherine wheels in Mosta - do you see the men on the left fixing all the fireworks on the frameworks? 

 When these structures burn, they make a sequence of beautiful ever-changing shapes in the dark. 

Malta has 30-odd small fireworks factories which sometimes blow up, as there was, and perhaps still is, a very laid back attitude to safety around fireworks. Below, you might be able to see that the crowds clustered right around the frames, although we did have to stand back when the fireworks were lit.   Sorry about the high contrast - that's one of the problems with scanned slides, I guess.  The atmosphere was very exciting and full of happiness. 

So the fireworks were as good as ever, but on this trip I was also eager to see the buses again.  During my teenage years, each bus route had its own distinctive colours, so you could immediately see which bus was yours.  Our route had green and white livery. The buses were of various vintages, and each belonged to one particular driver, who decorated it to suit himself.   They were really quite remarkable and I hoped they hadn't been scrapped.

On the trip for "Islands" I saw that the colours had been standardised to orange and yellow, which seemed a bit pointless to me,  but the buses were still very distinctive, and nearly always beautifully kept and clearly well loved as individuals. 

Decorated inside, too. 

I remember on our bus route when I was young one bus had the message written over the door: "GOD IS WATCHING, BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WEAR!" which seemed to be directed just at teenagers. 

Now, they have modern buses in Malta.   I know things have to change, but it's kind of sad. I wonder if the drivers still sit to one side of their seat, so St. Christopher can sit next to them.

I do have many more pictures of Malta, not all of them scanned, but I think this is enough for now, and I hope you've enjoyed seeing them and hearing my thoughts on them. 

And, oh, I forgot to say that I also have developed a dental problem.  Our practice has recently been taken over, and I needed a  molar crowned, but within hours of my new dentist fitting the temporary crown, it came off again. The other dentist in the practice tried to re-fit it, but found that it came off again immediately.

He decided there was something wrong with the temporary, and made another, which was fine. But when my own dentist came to fit the permanent crown, she had difficulty as it didn't seem to fit. She tried to blame the other dentist for creating problems (!) and somehow got the permanent one in, and it didn't feel right. Somehow she managed to get it to seem OK, it wasn't hitting the one below, but after she cemented it in, I found that something about the alignment is wrong when I am actually eating. My lower tooth puts terrific pressure on one edge of the new crown. It feels like I'm constantly biting on something too hard.   I know if it continues I'll develop neuralgia, so I'll have to go back on Monday. This time I hope to get the other dentist, and I sure hope he can fix this.

After that, I think I'll be moving to another dental practice.  

Almost Working

In my rounds of visiting blogs I've found that quite a few people have changed to "deny access" or limited access to their blogs.  Some are my favourites........ so if you have made your blog private in the last few weeks or months, drop me an email and let me know the new address (if you want me to read it, that is).

I've been wondering what Mamma has spoken about lately, and how Rose is in Oz... and several more!

I've been thinking about working lately, and also doing some work!  I haven't been able to work much lately, for all kinds of good reasons. It feels weird, and isn't that good for the bank balance.. Just as well that we have had money coming in from other things.  And as freelances, we are used to these periods. You have to be.

But the last few days I've been getting on top of the stuff that is still around the house - and catching up on weeding - although I always love weeds. How could I wish to destroy something as beautiful as this dandelion, above, if I really thought about it.

I've delivered a long delayed travel article to the editor, and I'm trying to reorganise a European article that had to be cancelled last year when my mother was so ill.   And I have just had to cancel a trip to France because T was too ill to go. He's been feeling really bad. This bug is no fun.

At this rate I am wondering if I will get anywhere or do anything else with travel at all!

I've had some talks and a meeting with a major TV channel, which is the kind of not-really-working that is quite hard on the nerves. As most professional writers know, when you eventually have proper discussions with TV companies, the usual outcome is ... nothing.

It really is.

 The first time, you're so hopeful.  You have had all the warnings and seen other writers have their high hopes dashed, often after months of work, but THIS time it will be different! This time, they really do like it, they're not just saying.   There'll be a major book deal / programme /film /series/ worldbreaking major international movie that gets into cinemas all over the world!  MacDonalds will take up the characters for its Happy Meals! We will go to Outer Mongolia and see the characters on peoples' tee shirts!  In fact, astronauts in outer space will call their little green children after the characters, having picked up the series on their strange alien receiving apparatus....

... and then someone in a position of power decides they didn't really like the idea after all -  or some bean counting accountant decides that the sums don't add up - and that's the end of it before it happened.

Still,  if anything comes of this, you will be the first to know, and who knows, THIS might be the one which corners the Happy Meal market!

I'm also gearing up for a really difficult project I'll be starting this autumn, in a school.  It's probably not really difficult at all, but I haven't ever worked in a school or worked with kids. I won't have to take a class by myself, but still, the idea is somewhat alarming to me, although all you teachers out there will laugh, I know.  It's not kids themselves - I love the way they see the world in such an unexpected way and enjoy everything so much....

And they can be so sweet....

and such fun.

I love their company but I'm not that good at keeping order, and I am sure I won't be able to remember their names. Still, it's good to do new things and face challenges, and being involved in these workshops will be the biggest challenge for me. .  

And apart from sitting and coughing and feeling ill (or sitting with T as he coughs and feels ill, or with V) I have also done some other things that are almost-but-not-quite work.

 Tagged along with K, F and T the other day to Oxfordshire, where K's boat needed some work doing (by her and them). My contribution was getting them all cakes in a nearby village... well they thought it was worth doing anyway!

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I chatted to other people at the marina. Some, who had older vintage boats, had been to a rally and looked incredibly splendid complete with bottles of champagne and flags

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and it's always fun to watch the wildlife on the Thames

There's no way that's work but it was a nice day.

Well, better stop writing this.   It's Father's Day and hopefully Father can manage to enjoy his day despite all his pills and piles of paper hankies. .

By the way I am going to take the advice of some of you who have left comments or emailed me, and I will send a link to my last post, about Legoland Windsor, to their PR office. I will report back on the response I get.