Monday, March 5, 2007
Saturday, March 3, 2007
Hello from a freezing cold Scotland and alternately, warm Mediterranean Malta!
We are dancing between the two at the moment, installed in a spacious Baroque townhouse in Sliema right on the seafront - see the green door below! But I have just spent the past 3 weeks with Oliver in Scotland where we've made the most of our time (believe me!) We spent the first weekend in Keith and Cullen - gorgeous coastal village famous for Cullen Skink (fish soup to die for!) - the most breathtaking sunsets over an Iron Age hill fortress and a Roman viaduct. Our second weekend was spent in a typical Scottish country hotel in Craigallachie (near Abelour distillery) on the River Dee - a beautiful room with 3 bay windows looking onto the river. And overnight we were blessed with powdery snow which certainly changed the landscape. Needless to say it was very cold! But lots of whiskey and divine Scottish fare....of course inevitably the chef is South African, the guesthouse in the area is run by South Africans, all in search of a better, safer life. And there are plenty of horror stories to go around which get a bit tedious since I cannot relate, having lived in Johannesburg for the past 4 years with not one incident to report, let alone a whole life time of never being directly affected by crime - I start to wonder if I've just been very lucky or these people just very unlucky? (One unfortunate couple who were restauranteurs in Natal had a terrible incident - a brutal attack which required major plastic surgery - brought them to Scotland. On holiday in the Drakensberg this past Xmas they were cleaned out by burglers in their rented holiday bungalow - just reinforcing their decision to move.)
We are still grieving over David Rattray's death especially as his roots are in Scotland and as I glance over a map which locates Rattray Castle, his family's seat. Of course the guesthouse owners here in Scotland know every detail and are keenly following the story, down to the last detail.My hopes are dashed when it is reported that it was indeed just a botched robbery - I was hoping it was at least part of a grand assasination plot, not just a random thing. Just a few weeks ago i would see him fishing on the beach at Natures Valley, his family enjoying what would be their last idyllic Xmas holiday together.
Last weekend we spent in Edinburgh, in Leith to be exact, in the Malmaison Hotel which was a real treat - very funky modern hotel on the waterfront in an area of Edinburgh which is fast becoming very trendy, full of superb restaurants, boutiques which are a far cry from the version of Leith one is exposed to in the movie "Trainspotting". But still, i was advised to hide my camera for fear of being mugged by prostitutes in the next block who would inevitably porn it and get instant cash for drugs - its still an edgy place.
It is certainly a privilege to be able to travel around to this exent and to be moving between 3 countries, 3 ways of life, and of course it is also a bit exhausting, trying to remember where everything is.....
For various reasons, including some unforeseen work commitments, we will probably only stay on in Malta till June and then find a base in Scotland which will be a lot easier for Oliver. So those of you planning on visiting after June, may find that we have already left, but you can catch us in Edinburgh.....a likely alternative. Watch this space!
In the meantime, back in Malta, the temperature is only 18 degrees and I can see myself swimming soon! The sunsets are gorgeous, people are very friendly and the food is great. As summer approaches, Malta will become busier and the ferry specials to Sicily will revert to their normal price - not much really, and the pace will probably increase - just a bit!
This week I shall join an art class in Valletta and provide some structure to my time - I am also waiting to join an Italian class - but things happen slowly over here :)
The countryside is green and very pretty in the winter but towards summer it becomes dry and dusty - not that pretty. It is an island full of contrasts - beautiful old houses next to modern architectural nightmares, very chic interior design shops in the middle of nowhere. The odd road is really very good but mostly they are in dire need of attention, with lots of potholes to negotiate. And then there's the driving! Its a bit like driving in Peru, worse than Johannesburg and Cape Town, by far. There are signs, rules of the road but nobody obeys them, so its each man for himself which makes driving a real challenge.
We are spoilt for choice when it comes to divine Italian/Maltese restaurants - just a short walk from our door are at least 4 or 5 and the sea is 1 minute from our front door - for morning and evening strolls, jogging and in due course, swimming....there' s ladder into the sea just minutes from our home.
Oliver is in Edinburgh this weekend with an old school pal and will join me in the next two weeks or thereabouts - he is completing his training for the offshore work he'll be starting in April in the North Sea. He hopes to be in Malta for Easter, along with friends from Italy as well as my brother Jeff and a friend.......
To be continued.....
We are dancing between the two at the moment, installed in a spacious Baroque townhouse in Sliema right on the seafront - see the green door below! But I have just spent the past 3 weeks with Oliver in Scotland where we've made the most of our time (believe me!) We spent the first weekend in Keith and Cullen - gorgeous coastal village famous for Cullen Skink (fish soup to die for!) - the most breathtaking sunsets over an Iron Age hill fortress and a Roman viaduct. Our second weekend was spent in a typical Scottish country hotel in Craigallachie (near Abelour distillery) on the River Dee - a beautiful room with 3 bay windows looking onto the river. And overnight we were blessed with powdery snow which certainly changed the landscape. Needless to say it was very cold! But lots of whiskey and divine Scottish fare....of course inevitably the chef is South African, the guesthouse in the area is run by South Africans, all in search of a better, safer life. And there are plenty of horror stories to go around which get a bit tedious since I cannot relate, having lived in Johannesburg for the past 4 years with not one incident to report, let alone a whole life time of never being directly affected by crime - I start to wonder if I've just been very lucky or these people just very unlucky? (One unfortunate couple who were restauranteurs in Natal had a terrible incident - a brutal attack which required major plastic surgery - brought them to Scotland. On holiday in the Drakensberg this past Xmas they were cleaned out by burglers in their rented holiday bungalow - just reinforcing their decision to move.)
We are still grieving over David Rattray's death especially as his roots are in Scotland and as I glance over a map which locates Rattray Castle, his family's seat. Of course the guesthouse owners here in Scotland know every detail and are keenly following the story, down to the last detail.My hopes are dashed when it is reported that it was indeed just a botched robbery - I was hoping it was at least part of a grand assasination plot, not just a random thing. Just a few weeks ago i would see him fishing on the beach at Natures Valley, his family enjoying what would be their last idyllic Xmas holiday together.
Last weekend we spent in Edinburgh, in Leith to be exact, in the Malmaison Hotel which was a real treat - very funky modern hotel on the waterfront in an area of Edinburgh which is fast becoming very trendy, full of superb restaurants, boutiques which are a far cry from the version of Leith one is exposed to in the movie "Trainspotting". But still, i was advised to hide my camera for fear of being mugged by prostitutes in the next block who would inevitably porn it and get instant cash for drugs - its still an edgy place.
It is certainly a privilege to be able to travel around to this exent and to be moving between 3 countries, 3 ways of life, and of course it is also a bit exhausting, trying to remember where everything is.....
For various reasons, including some unforeseen work commitments, we will probably only stay on in Malta till June and then find a base in Scotland which will be a lot easier for Oliver. So those of you planning on visiting after June, may find that we have already left, but you can catch us in Edinburgh.....a likely alternative. Watch this space!
In the meantime, back in Malta, the temperature is only 18 degrees and I can see myself swimming soon! The sunsets are gorgeous, people are very friendly and the food is great. As summer approaches, Malta will become busier and the ferry specials to Sicily will revert to their normal price - not much really, and the pace will probably increase - just a bit!
This week I shall join an art class in Valletta and provide some structure to my time - I am also waiting to join an Italian class - but things happen slowly over here :)
The countryside is green and very pretty in the winter but towards summer it becomes dry and dusty - not that pretty. It is an island full of contrasts - beautiful old houses next to modern architectural nightmares, very chic interior design shops in the middle of nowhere. The odd road is really very good but mostly they are in dire need of attention, with lots of potholes to negotiate. And then there's the driving! Its a bit like driving in Peru, worse than Johannesburg and Cape Town, by far. There are signs, rules of the road but nobody obeys them, so its each man for himself which makes driving a real challenge.
We are spoilt for choice when it comes to divine Italian/Maltese restaurants - just a short walk from our door are at least 4 or 5 and the sea is 1 minute from our front door - for morning and evening strolls, jogging and in due course, swimming....there' s ladder into the sea just minutes from our home.
Oliver is in Edinburgh this weekend with an old school pal and will join me in the next two weeks or thereabouts - he is completing his training for the offshore work he'll be starting in April in the North Sea. He hopes to be in Malta for Easter, along with friends from Italy as well as my brother Jeff and a friend.......
To be continued.....
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