Carless – walking in the rain

Whilst waiting for the licence label to arrive in the post, it is best not to drive!

Russ and Sue headed off to Bormla, bank, post office and other life stuff, clad in sweaters and rain jackets

Malta is looking very green (and red) after all this rain.

We purchased a post box to send some of our summer stuff home, before we depart for colder temperatures, and ordered a new Visa card (as mine appears to have a faulty chip). In Oslo’s cashless society we will need to have an operational card.

Flowers are blooming as the humidity increases – and the two wandering Kiwis we’re getting very warm inside their gortex jackets!

We stopped for a coffee at our regular Rouge Cafe and then decided to catch the bus back up the hill.

This is where the excitement begins. With 20 minutes to wait, we perched on the yellow seat – advised by a large elderly man at one end to avoid the centre as it was wet – very kind of him.

Russ and Sue quietly perusing our phones reading the news from home, a couple of other men standing to the side, all avoiding the rain.

Next thing I hear a loud thud and the man next to me has rolled sideways and was out cold, eyes rolling and in danger of falling off the seat onto the pavement. Russ and I leapt up and tried to hold him (he was very big) and by this time grey and not conscious. I grabbed another Maltese man who started yelling, one on phone ringing ambulance, and police I think. The episode got decidedly worse and he slid onto the ground and more yelling and more people and Russ still trying to hold him up (after me doing all the carrying for the last eight weeks I did not want Russ to fracture his back again). This was very traumatic and we thought he was actually going to die before help arrived! 10 minutes later the bus turned up and everyone just started getting on it!

One Maltese man was holding this guy and it looked like he was leaving too – so Russ and I did not get on the bus. However, then two police came running and took over so, at the last minute, we left with everyone else! By this time the man was roaring like a bear – back on the seat but looking like at any moment he would collapse again.

We felt rather in shock and realised that we do not know the emergency number here in Malta.

Our hearts have stopped racing, as we have now completed our shopping trip and back at home before the rain sets in again.

On a brighter note – the succulents are flowering

And our housewarming present (from Rols), on our initial arrival in Malta has come back to life! This ones for you Trudi!

Daily life in Malta is full of surprises – some that we would rather not be subject to. Russ is now resting and I’m about to follow suit!