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"There's always a plan, but unexpected things happen and we just go with the flow. Though I do believe that fate and destiny often play their part"
sailing blog
We've spent the past week hunkered down on Comino whilst the rain has periodically poured and the temperature has tumbled. A few of the Maltese yotties in the marina have said to us "aren't you bloody cold staying on-board". Rather smugly I've answered "not at all - this is a British boat - we have central heating". Flabbergasted barely describes the reaction. Heating on a boat here is as rare as a warm glass of white wine. Our warmth comes at the press of a button in the form of a diesel powered hot air central heating system, which I had fitted at Nicki's insistence when the boat was built. Good call, even if it did cost two grand! So there lies the secret of our comfort, in spite of the worst the weather has thrown at us. This morning however, the word comfort went out the window. Since the day we arrived in Malta people have warned us about what happens when a North Easterly gale force wind blows. It's called a Gregale. At about 6am we found out exactly what they were talking about. Essentially, the wind drives small tidal waves directly into Grand Harbour at 20 second intervals, right down to where we're berthed. The effect is quite dramatic. The boat tosses like a bucking bronco on steroids, the pontoon rolls and it's just like being out at sea in a really bad storm. At 8am the phone rang and Jane said "get your bags packed, I'm coming over to rescue you". Much to our relief, she arrived shortly afterwards to help us abandon ship. Getting across the gangplank from the boat to the pontoon was a death defying feat, but we managed to get back on terra firma unscathed. A short drive later, at Jane's house, we were greeted with something we hadn't seen since last winter at our own home……a real fire…… WOW!!! Going back to yesterday, before the storm, we wandered down to the big new shopping centre in Sliema, now that the Christmas lights have been switched on. I normally hate the commercialisation that spoils this time of year……ba humbug I hear you say…... but we both felt we should try and get a bit of festive spirit inside us ready for when we come home in a couple of weeks. At the entrance to the mall a charming little shrine has sprung up, which replicates something that we saw in Paris earlier in the year. Lovers fasten a padlock to the railings and throw the key into the sea below. It kind of symbolises their lurve……soppy yes…... but hey……what's wrong with a little romance. Inside the mall the lights made us feel very festive indeed. So much so, that on the way home we stopped at Med Asia for bargain happy hour 2 for 1 cocktails costing all of €4.95. Now that's what I call festive spirit!
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After a week at Jane's house with my leg propped up on a plump cushion, we've been taking things easy back here on the boat, making sure my knee situation doesn't re-occur. Gentle daily walks and plenty of rest in-between seem to be doing the trick so far.
You may or may not be aware that, for the past month, it's been the annual Lampuki season. What's Lampuki you might ask - is it some exotic wild animal that's mercilessly hunted down for it's luscious fur coat, perfect for making warm winter clothing for the Maltese fashionistas. Thankfully not……it's a delicious fish that migrates to the waters around Malta at this time of year. Every day the local fishermen catch boatloads of the stuff. We've been making regular trips to our local fish shop to enjoy the Lampuki fest while it lasts. Various recipes have been tried and tested, but quite frankly nothing beats baked fillets with garlic, herbs and freshly squeezed lemon. The ideal accompaniment is a bean salad loaded with oodles of chopped coriander. Mind you, the Lampuki season only lasts till the beginning of December, so the end is nigh. In anticipation, I've been routing around in Comino's deepest lockers to find the slow cooker that we buried away after last winter in Gibraltar. It's now sitting comfortable in the galley waiting for the first signs of cold weather, when we'll pop in a couple of lamb shanks to stew in red wine for eight or so hours. Bring on the inclement weather I say……apparently temperatures of 16 degrees are forecast for next week……positively arctic like for this neck of the woods. So far, the predicted storm has only consisted of heavy rain, some of it in biblical proportions I might add, but no nasty gale force winds. However, a slightly different disaster struck on Sunday just when we were all least expecting it. Nicki and I joined Jane's family for a much anticipated traditional Sunday roast - the first in months. During the day my left knee started giving me jip, plus I was developing a temperature. After lunch, I decided to have a lie down, but things quickly went from bad to worse. Imagine a red hot poker being shoved under your knee cap. Now wire it up to mains electricity and you get an idea of the agony I was in. A fever had also taken hold, but even more concerning, were the chest pains.
To cut a long story short, before long I was in quite a bad way. The doctor was phoned and immediately he prescribed an ambulance. Minutes later, I was on a stretcher on my way to hospital in a state of slight deliriousness - no change there then! The hospital team were first class. I had wires and drips inserted very quickly, but more importantly a nice man with a large syringe full of morphine administered instant pain relief - oh I like that stuff very much. Over the next hour or five, the medical team did an ECG, chest and knee X-rays, examinations that involved a lot of tapping and, finally, a series of blood tests. With all the results now available, an orthopaedic surgeon was summoned to the scene. She diagnosed the knee problem with some long sounding Latin name, which basically meant I had acute inflammation of a fluid sack under my Patellae, which was crushing the nerves. The chest/fever issue was the early signs of Pneumonia, the two things being totally unrelated. A steroid jab and some other drugs later, I went home in the early hours and slept like a baby until late the next morning. As I write, I'm somewhat incapacitated, but each day brings a little more movement in my leg. Complete rest was the dictate from the doctor, so that's what I'm doing. The Maltese medics were fantastic and thanks to our reciprocal EU treaties all my care and attention was free. I must say though, before the morphine, the hospital team looked quite normal. After the injection, they suddenly loked more like this...... In the next few days an almighty storm is forecast to hit Malta. We're busy today checking over the boat to make sure everything is battened down and secure. Being the utter lightweights that we are, we'll be making a quick exit from the marina the minute the wind starts to blow. Our plan is to see out the rough weather from the comfort of Jane's house with a glass of wine in one hand and a plate of pasta in the other. The past few days have, however, been particularly calm with brilliant sunshine and temperatures in the mid 20's. It was so hot yesterday we even headed for the beach......how bonkers is that? Here we are in November and it's still beach weather. Some people were actually swimming, although to be fair when we dipped our toes in the water it was comfortably warm. Jane has been working in London this week, so it's given us the opportunity to take the car and do some more exploring. Perhaps the most spectacular place was the perfectly preserved medieval walled city of Mdina, also known as the Silent City. Without exaggeration it's quite breathtaking. Because the Maltese aristocracy and extremely well to do merchants didn't fancy the idea of living in Valletta, Burgu or Senglia, alongside the ruling Knights of St John, they built their very own private city on top of a hill surrounded by huge bastions to keep away any invading armies (and general riff raff presumably). What makes it so extraordinary is that there are no normal houses. It's just one grand palace or Palazzo after another, with a magnificent cathedral in the middle. All of these fine buildings are still fully occupied today....Lord knows who by.... but they must have a bob or two. My camera couldn't possibly do it justice, so all I can say is go there and see it for yourself.
We did tons more sightseeing, as well as using the car to restock the boat with fuel and supplies ready for the day we set sail again, hopefully after the storm has passed. With so many social activities over the past few weeks we still haven't made our pilgrimage to the Island of Comino....but we will do soon. |
A FEW PICS OF COMINO Click a photo to enlarge and use side arrows to scroll through. COMINO IS CURRENTLY HEREDID SOMEONE SAY SEAFOODOn our journey from Portugal to Greece we enjoyed amazing seafood almost everywhere we stopped. Finding the local fish market was always a priority because seafood was so plentiful and so reasonably priced. And, the displays were a feast for your eyes.
Locating a market sometimes meant pounding the pavements in searing heat, but if you kept your eyes peeled, you often came across a little clue. The pic below was a rather less than subtle advert for a fish market - it was eight feet tall.
Freshly cooked onboard, a plateful of giant prawns, baked in wine and garlic, washed down with a few glasses of local vino, was like heaven. Watching the sunset on the boat eating a meal like that was the epitome of "living the dream".
Now we're in Greece we've another favourite to savour. I'm talking about fried Calamari. It's usually good, but every now and then it's off-the-scale fantastic. At Natalie's Taverna on Kontokali Beach in Corfu, it was nothing short of epic.
We're based in Lefkas now and It's been a bit of a mission to find somewhere just as good. And we have. Rakias is a mere ten minute walk from the marina and this little fish market, with its very own taverna attached, is quite sensational.
Oh...and it's also worth mentioning that, on occasions, a bit of barbequed Octopus is on the menu at some of the tavernas we frequent. Can I resist....no. SUNSETS AND DRAMATIC SKIESNo filters, or any other monkey business, have been used to enhance these images.
OUR ADVENTURES FROM THE BEGINNING CATEGORIES
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