Weekly Chat (Non-Osprey), 9 February 2020

I agree that 'well done' might be best, OG!

Lindy - Yes, that is St John's RC Cathedral in Valletta - where I managed to catch a bit of the service last year. All in Latin, with a really good choir singing a setting of the Mass which I knew, so could hum (sotto voce!) along with. The other picture is a figure known as The Recumbant, part of the Siege Bell War Memorial to those who died in the Siege of Malta in the Second World War. It's pretty impressive. The ship berthed right next to it, so excellent photo opportunities.

Talking about Malta...
The year after I lost my first OH I took my girls 11 and 14 to Malta. Scary but all turned out well as it’s a family orientated country . We had a car for 2 weeks and went to off the beaten track places and felt so safe.
Things to remember when driving most signs are behind you, they drive in the shade and on Sundays all the locals hit the road and it becomes a race track :-)

Thank you all for your positive comments about Malta. I think we have made the right choice.

Annette, Do you mean the ones with the less fattening centres (as in the Chocolates? Malteser's!) advert?

We are staying in Valletta, and I like the idea of taking the bus round the island (perhaps not on Sunday though).
OH managed to get holiday insurance today. It was not cheap.

Sorry you are not feeling great today Lindy. I hope you can both enjoy the special meal tomorrow.

I think you mentioned that you were looking for a plant for your sitting room OG. I love palms, but they take up quite a lot of space and are slow growing, so it is expensive to buy a decent size plant, They tolerate low light levels, though. Parlour palms and Kentia's are good.
Also good is grape ivy (cissus rhombifolia) or Devil's Ivy. They both grow fast up a wigwam of canes. I had to prune my
Devil's ivy drastically last autumn as it threatened to take over the hall. It is growing back very well.

Sorry that your brother has been unwell Lynette. I hope he continues to make good progress.

I cannot remember any more now from previous pages. Apologies to those I have missed out.

Rosy - never been to Malta but hope you enjoy it. I was so fortunate with my appts - 1 op aborted because I couldn't get comfy, 2nd one successful so do hope you have some luck with them soon.

OG - pleased to hear new consultant is on the ball. Do hope he can sort you out satisfactorily.

Lindybird - glad you managed to replace your sauce pan and also a Christening gift for Rosie. Hope all goes well .

Looking at the weather forecaste it seems pretty grim for the weekend in the South, South Wales, North West and Scotland with Storm Dennis coming in. Do hope those affected will stay dry and warm. Weather down here has been pretty good the last few days although we had some heavy rain overnight on Wednesday.

Progress at last on the Grand Design house behind us. The wooden frame went up this week – it does look high. Much discussion from our back window. OH is dreading 2-storey while I am predicting (hoping) for rooms with high ceilings. Even worse there seems to be a large space (window) facing our back yard. Surely no one would have a north-facing window DownUnder . .  or are they planning lots of a/c.

Next Door has cleaned up his front yard (dirt & clutter patch), laid a sprinkler system followed by instant lawn. The 2 garden beds remain unfinished – OH calls them ponds!

We continue our nearly-every-day clean-up in garage. He is finding lots of cables, electrical bits & pieces & stuff he has no idea what it is for. But he can’t bear to throw out “in case. . . .” I am trying to confine the mystery stuff to a single box. We did clear a lot out yesterday that being rubbish & recycling bins collection day. I am finding more of MY missing boxes hidden beneath HIS in supposedly his section of the garage.

Evening all:  

Wendyb:  Most driving signs are behind you? And they drive in the shade?    I'm intrigued....

Rosy:  I had no idea Maltesers came with low-calorie centers - that must've been way after my time. I don't think there were any low-calorie food versions of anything back then....

AQ: Good luck with the house behind you.  Maybe you could plant some fast-growing trees just in case you find yourself overlooked?   Glad you're finding your missing boxes - I think....   :-)

Have a good Saturday everyone - and good luck with Dennis.

Dennis is already proving to be a menace - and he's not even here yet! Our Sky aerial is not working. Hey ho - no golf for me today!

Good Morning. Damp grey and drizzly here, again. Will wrap up shortly and sally forth for provisions, including buying sausages for the much requested sausage rolls once again, for tomorrow's feast.

I laughed at the descriptions of the roads in Malta - we hadn't been there for 24 hours before we realised that very few cars, buses and vans didn't have dents in them! The driving standards are atrocious! When on the bus, you have to hang on tight, even when sitting, as the driver will be constantly braking hard, shouting at other drivers, and sounding the horn. The cars move across the road to avoid potholes, drive too close to the one in front, and ignore traffic signs. And don't mention the roundabouts! -- a complete "free for all" with every vehicle piling in and doing whatever they like to get to their desired exit!! We hired a car for a couple of days and my OH was clinging grimly to the steering wheel for all he was worth!