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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
Firstly, please ignore the date shown above for the posting of our latest news. The calendar software has gone haywire and I can't seem to fix it for the moment. This was written on 28/07/15.
For the past few weeks life has broadly been about trundling along in the slow lane - with one or two more hectic moments that I'll elaborate on in a minute. I think that's why we're both comfortable here.... these days it feels less like being on holiday and more akin to being permanent residents. There's something to be said for living in a marina with running water and electricity and heading out for day trips or longer stints at anchor whenever we feel like it. I know we're not being as adventurous as we were in the past, but there's no doubt we'll start proper travelling again next year. We would have gone to Greece this year if the place was a bit more stable financially. Because our circle of friends continues to grow it does involve rather frequent gatherings over drinks and food, but that's just the way things are done around here. The Mediterranean lifestyle is much more social than we're used to back in the UK and friends tend to spend lots of time together in a kind of celebratory atmosphere where the underlying mood is best summed up as 'life is for living". Who can argue with that! Pool parties and BBQ's go on during the week so that weekends are free for time on the boats, of which there are four in our little troupe. We had a five day visit from James (our son). This involved a bit of sailing (anchoring in a nearby bay more like), a day at a posh private lido set in luscious gardens, a BBQ day at Jane's rooftop terrace (with pool) and a day on the beach. It seemed sensible to hire a car for his trip and that meant we could squeeze in a bit of sightseeing as well. As ever, saying goodbye at the airport was tricky but we'll see him again soon I'm sure. Em (daughter) and her husband will be coming out in a few weeks, so another bit of family bonding is on the horizon. There's been a serious heatwave here and it's actually no joke. The temperature on the boat has topped 120 degrees during the day, with little respite at night. Standing outside in the sun is unbearable and the only comfortable thing to do is dive into the water and stay there. As I write (Tuesday 28th) things have eased up a little with a gentle breeze, but this weekend promises to be a scorcher with another heatwave forecast. We'll be going to a bay somewhere to make sure we can flop into the sea every five minutes or so. We recently met a group of friends at a trendy new restaurant in Sliema. The men (three of us) all ordered rib eye steak. Two things need to be said....firstly it was the most tender, succulent steak I have ever tasted in my entire life. Secondly, it was the largest amount of steak I have ever seen on a plate in my entire life. I guess you could call it a double whammy. Nicki had a tooth incident a while back which required urgent treatment at quite a significant cost. It meant we couldn't meet up with some English friends as planned, who were over here for a holiday. Another double whammy of the negative kind. We're probably nearing the half way mark for this year's sailing season in Malta and to mix things up a bit we booked ourselves into a waterfront hotel for three nights. This was also an attempt to alleviate the effects of the heatwave. We had a rooftop pool and air conditioned rooms (bliss) plus an English breakfast buffet included in the price (more bliss). It's months since I had bacon and eggs and boy did it taste good. We actually didn't leave the hotel for three days, taking full advantage of the four star facilities. Supper was taken on the seventh floor terrace overlooking the whole of Sliema and Valletta. One evening we watched a film crew at work below us on one of the quays at Manoel Island Boatyard. Nicki did a quick bit of internet research to find out what it might be and we discovered that we were only looking at Colin Firth and Rachel Weiss taking part in a new film about the life and times of Donald Crowhurst. Look up his name in Google and you'll find details of his fascinating and tragic story. We can't wait to watch the film and see the bits we saw being made - how sad is that!!! Tomorrow night it's our turn to re-pay some of the wonderful hospitality we've received over the past few months. I'm cooking dinner for seven friends, which will be a Herculean task given the furnace like temperatures in the galley. I've always enjoyed a bit of a challenge though, particularly of the culinary kind. My aim today is to hunt down a bottle of Pimm's to start the party off - the Maltese like a bit of quintessential Englishness from time to time. To maintain the theme the main course will be fish n' chips, although there will be a few twists to the traditional British version. Let's just say "exotic fish n' chips" - I'll take some pics to show you what I mean.
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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.
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