Catches the sunrise in Malta

Not quite in the Timezone – wide awake and working on the terrace at 5am – as the sun rises over the city – the temperature still a pleasant 33 degrees and humidity still workable! I have two hours on the terrace before I need to retreat to the airconditioned inside. I am so not complaining – this is what I signed up for and enjoying every sweaty moment!

Today was a home day – I took myself off at 9.00am for a walk to the local square – wearing as little as is respectable was sweating within 1 minute of leaving the apartment. As today is a public holiday the usual bustle of roller doors opening to exotic hole in the wall shops was absent. In summer here shops only open from 9am until midday and close until 4pm. Today it was just the cafes and convenience stores (corner dairies) who had any signs of life. Ducking into a shop just to soak up their aircon for five minutes were few and far between. However, on the square, their was life …..

The Paola church had its doors wide open – but as I was sleeveless in my attire I could not venture inside!

I plonked myself down at a shaded table in the kiosk cafe on the square…

Ordered a cappuccino and watched the world go by. $2.30 for a brew and a number of others wiling away the morning.

Then wandered back towards the flat and popped into our local convenience store – where the girl behind the counter was chatting away on her phone (as they all do here). Ok for all my fellow smokers (us outcasts) I asked about a mild tobacco pouch, she put down the phone but didn’t hang up and was very helpful. Here’s the thing – in NZ a packet of tobacco (30grams) is $76.00 and here a 40 gram pouch is €7.70 (for you kiwis that is $14.00 NZ and 10 grams more) my vice is a cheap one here!

While I didn’t need any, as this lovely lady had gone to so much trouble for me(like putting down her phone), I felt I had to buy one! I now have 3-4 weeks supply, when I really should be giving up haha!

The rest of the day included another walk to the supermarket – ftira (Maltese) bread and vegemite(kiwi) for lunch and another couple of hours work – culminating in cracking a nice cold cisk(beer) in the late afternoon. Kev and Rols have gone to a friends for dinner and I have made a fabulous Caesar salad for dinner (one can still get Caesar salad dressing here where it has disappeared off the shelves back in NZ).

So day three has passed and I am feeling relaxed again!

This one’s for you Julie! I have a big responsibility ahead!

From leaving NZ soil to touching down in Malta was an exhausting and testing experience to say the least. Did I sleep, no! Dozed for the odd hour on the longer legs! The planes were all full to the brim, no option of shifting to a less cramped position. Due to my departure times in the countries of each flight I qualified for breakfast each time..,,I felt I was breakfasted out with a variety of waffles, hotcakes, bread rolls and jam, and a handful of chopped fruit! Where were the scrambled eggs of old? Offered once and declined due to its serving companion – baked beans!

Needless to say as I was either stuck in a window seat – unable to move as my neighbours slept the 11 hour flight, except when I did manage to get out at the 10th hour to trial the restroom area – I was abruptly told to “sit down seat belt light on” by a very busy Turkish hostie, legs crossed until the terminal!

Travelling alone, through large international airports, catching trains between connections, packing and unpacking for customs checks – what seems like an unnecessary exercise on arrival in transit and departure from the same place,when the legwork needed from terminal to terminal mostly did not make provision for a bathroom stop let alone shopping time!

So it was up and down. Running through airport cites, undressing and unpacking for various men at customs checkpoints and sleeping with one eye open to ensure one didn’t miss the only distraction (meals arriving) in the shoulder to shoulder , knee to seat confinement of the 2 foot square of personal space allocated for the duration. No longer the glamour and excitement of international travel as planes packed with kiwis and Australians leave the antipodes in hoards!

Along the way we lost the mask wearing – somewhere around Istanbul where temperatures of over 30degrees C were starting to creep in. My first day was a blur of overtiredness… my second day was a work catch up and try and manage some Maltese admin tasks – will let you know how that goes..

View from my home for the next couple of months! One way and

Construction the other way. Today is a public holiday – The feast of St. Peter and St. Paul – shall go for a wander and get into the mood for the day which will be full of fireworks and festivities!

Have confirmed that lemon and Lime (the Irish pub in Marsacala) will be playing the live Allblacks vs Ireland rugby test at 9am on Saturday (Maltese time) – it will be breakfast for breakfast (not dinner) as we Don our all blacks jerseys and support the minority on the other side of the world!

7.30am checked in and ready to fly! Dan and Lex shovelled me and my bags into the Ute at 4.30am and saw me through to the gate. In good Jaxon style “if you’re not three hours early you’re late”

So here I am in a much changed Auckland International Airport – three seats to myself so legs up – before the 38 hour journey ahead.

A last wander around wintery Waiwera yesterday afternoon – rugged up for the kiwi winter…after a long day of last minute panics, drowning myself in Petrol while filling the car, RAT test (not needed) visit with dad and a yummy lamb Roast cooked by Dan!

The calm before the storm, I leave my family and friends to another wet week ahead.

7.30pm Monday night I should be touching down in my second homeland, almost three years to the day since Russ and I left for what was his last time (sad face). It will be really odd travelling all this way on my own for the first time! The very nice lady at check in did advise me if I needed any assistance on my journey to just ask! So the old people thing is creeping up on me fast! Well really, getting up at 4.00am and no coffee, what do you expect!

So soon it’s off to Brisbane (first transfer) and the biggest hurdle of the journey …. forms etc.. unload baggage but after that my very helpful lady said I won’t need everything scanned – can stash away for the duration thereafter!

For now it’s goodbye to NZ, mask wearing and constant covid chatter to a world that has put this behind them…hallelujah! A big thank you to Dan Lex and Trudi for helping me make this happen xxx

After a month of Winter, the south is blanketed in snow and the north island humans have been drowned with rain and storms, a glimpse of sunshine is teasing us with hope!

The sun rose to a clear blue day, cold but clear….my power bill the proof of heatpump overuse and thermals getting worn out! A little gasp before the next system “weather bomb” sweeps through in the weekend!

To top it off the media “mainstream” is touting the threats that more lockdowns are not out of the question…..just letting us all know that they are grasping at control!

Meanwhile, every kiwi that has the wear-withal has left or is leaving for new adventures, while businesses are struggling to employ workers and the health system is collapsing! So they say…

Which brings me to…. Three more sleeps, lots more work, bag to pack, lightly, except for shoes as these big kiwi feet do not fit into the tiny little Italian sandals sold in Malta.

While I wait for my “negative” RAT” test on Saturday afternoon, I am playing the hermit game – I can board a plane with flu or gastro bugs but NOT with a hint of covid! Soon these games must end.

As I wing my way to the other side of the world, George is heading to Texas to our American family (wish I could be there too!) Dan is breaking the back of my house Reno’s (weather permitting), Jaxon is going in for surgery (kind of feel a bit guilty I won’t be here) and my friends slog on with their work routines!

My family has had some harsh lessons over the last few years and we all know life is unpredictable, but we hold each other up from near or far, and know that we need to take the opportunities and roll with the changes when we can! Being there for each other is all that matters!

And we still come up smiling – well most of us – Dog does not like the cold – he is a summer child!

It’s the final countdown – two and a half years of waiting and finally the flightless kiwis can once again spread their wings!

The infamous OE for young graduates appeared to be a thing of the past (for a while) but now they are hopping on the first plane out! Those who dared to hold onto their dreams.

Which brings me back to yours truly et al! Almost three years to the day since Russ and I last departed our beloved Malta I will be returning to continue our dream.

The last three weeks in kiwi land have been a whirlwind of activities…a Thelma a Louise roady to whanganui to visit family…..saying goodbye to the youngest offspring (George), who is currently leaving his footprints in a few states of the USA.….farewell to one of my longtime friends in my community who has sold up and left for greener pastures in the South Island…and three weeks of crazy busy work with the dreaded COVID putting my work colleague down hard, leaving me to wear yet another hat – 10 hour work days plus three hours travelling (every day) has taken its toll on this old gal!

It sure has been a fortnight of rinse and repeat…on the road at 5am in the dark, work at 6am…try to leave by 3pm before the traffic – never happens…heading home at 4pm, arriving 6pm in the dark! Grab a snack, shower and sleep to be rudely woken by alarm to plough through another day!

One evening I arrived home as the sun was setting and drove the waterfront to get a Glimpse of the sea before darkness fell! ‘‘Twas the calm before the storm! “

The renovations on my house are coming along in leaps and bounds – in between weather bombs – not ideal to concrete or cut holes in walls when rain and hail are lashing down on a 45 degree angle!

At last a waterproof garage, the feijoa trees survived, alas the lemon tree did not! This was a big job, when your house is at the bottom of a big hill and water likes to flow down through your property to the sea! Very excited to see my new home when I return!

So a week from now I will be racing off to get my rat test to allow transit through Brisbane en route for my happy place! Only Brisbane applies a plethora of restrictions for a transitting passenger – the rest of the world has moved on! So for the next week I will be lying low, avoiding crowd funded places, and finally back to working from home! Give my body a break from the sitting position and hours in the car!

But wait – there’s more, our Blues team has had a blistering season – a run of 14 unbeaten games and takes the stage “Eden Park” tonight in the final – Russ will be jumping for joy wherever he is, as an avid supporter when the chips were down (for years) ! We will be donning our blues attire and watching on the big screen(at home) Our time to shine!