M:

Joe had kindly organised to pick us up at 0930 at the Victoria Gate, just down from our place. Before that we had breakfast at the nearby Museum Cafe - a little hole in the wall (almost literally) near the .... museum. For 7 Euro we each had a coffee, Anne had an omelette, I had toast and 2 pastizzi - the breakfast of champions. (Well by comparison with the two locals drinking Coke!). This was much less trendy than the place the other day, with prices to match. (Didn't take a pic but you can see one here.

We found our way down to the gate, and Joe arrived very promptly. He leads a very busy and committed life between his day job, and his work as a teacher in the MUSEUM a group dedicated to catechetical work with young people. It takes up almost every evening and most of his weekend. Add that to his care of his mother and our Uncle Tony and you can see he has little time for himself, so making himself available to us was a generous gift.

He took us to visit Uncle Tony who had not been so well in recent times, being anxious about people taking advantage of him. A new medication has really helped, and while he is not exactly nimble on his feet, and his hearing and sight leave a little to be desired, he was still sharp enough to say that Dad was looking old! He proudly showed us his 42 year old doves and his other birds in the old stable which is his aviary. The house is very old, but even at 90 he still manages to keep it clean and organised.

Alex, our cousin the priest, joined us in mid visit. As we remembered he is a bubbly and outgoing personality. He is now responsible for all chaplaincy services to the aged in Malta, as well as taking care of a group of hospitals of his own. Joe passed the baton to Alex, who managed to persuade Uncle Tony to join us for a trip to Mosta, using some of the back roads through smaller villages. It is difficult not to be disturbed by the almost unchecked development that seems to be encroaching on any place with a view - and usually not terribly sympathetic to its surroundings. Several people told us that despite the building going on unchecked, over 5000 apartments are sitting empty. One even opined that it might be Mafia money! Despite this glut, real estate seems to be very expensive.

The church at Mosta is a "must" for every visit. (see picture) Its huge dome is most impressive, and the story of the bomb which fell through the dome into a congregation of 300 during WWII without going off is still a point of amazement.

I seem to recall in my earlier visits to Mosta that the church sat in fairly quiet surroundings. This is no longer the case, with a major shopping district all around and plenty of traffic to accompany it.

On the subject of traffic, I must say that I don't find it as chaotic as I recalled. I think if I had a good GPS I'd be prepared to give driving a go. Traffic patterns have been changed, and roads added and improved, but I sense a bit more order in drivers' behaviour too. (A: Enroute we went through a roundabout that was bulit around a cemetery- Alex pointed this out- "No Rest in Peace!")

We then went to Aunt Guza's for lunch. As always we got a great welcome. This was also the first time in ages that Uncle Tony had joined them for a meal, so we were doubly privileged. A lovely simple meal of ravjul and fruit- just what the doctor ordered! (A: Aunt Guza was happy to show us a very old photo of Mick, Paul and Andrew when they were all under ten years of age with Uncle Reno when he visited them in Scotland. Reno is George's brother who died 17 years ago and the father of Joe, Alex, Marthese, Bernard and Mario.)

Alex dropped us back "home" - at the area outside the Upper Barrakka which was becoming our regular pick up stop. He agreed to come back at 6.15 for the evening shift. Once again the generosity of family is amazing!

We had a little rest - helped my cold recover - then had arranged a meeting with a professional colleague - Christopher Bezzina. We began exchanging occasional correspondence when we both published articles in the same journal some years ago. I need to rush to assure you we are not (as far as we know) related in any significant way. The agreement was to meet for a coffee at 4 - at the Upper Barrakka (UB in future for the sake of brevity as it will continue to appear!). Instead he took us to his home at Attard where we met his new wife (he remarried in August) in his new flat. It was a great "catch up" and some collaboration may come out of it in the future. A highlight was their puppy Zoe - a Shiba Inu. There is a picture of her in the album just for Beth! (A: As a surprise for us Christopher had a bottle of Australian wine- Brown Bros Cienna 2008 which I enjoyed but was too sweet for Mick.)

Chris took us back to UB and we had time to freshen up before meeting Alex again. Our great fear was that he might want to take us back to Aunt Guza's again for a big meal - as we had had the most generous of afternoon teas at the unrelated Bezzinas. We needn't have worried. Alex suggested we drive over for an evening view of the Three Cities. We started at Senglea (A: Senglea has received an award from the European Commission.), and walked around via the local church to the Pont L-Isla - the point on which Fort St Angelo stands (directly opposite our flat). We climbed up to the guard box (see the photos) for more stunning views of the harbour by night, then returned, and drove around to Birgu where we walked through the area that had been dry docks and British military facilities but now has become expensive restaurants and marina facilities. All the while, along the waterside and through the narrow streets and past the grottoes and chapels, Alex kept up an amusing and informative commentary. He admitted that, like us when at home, he really only gets to areas like this when there are visitors. All the while we were accompanied by the sound of fireworks. (I warned you about this earlier.) (A: One church in Birgu has a museum that houses relics of the Knights ie the hat and sword belonging to Grandmaster de la Vallette.)

Th icing on the cake was a late dinner of pasta at a rather quaintly named but excellent restaurant on the Marsamxett side of Valletta, called Cockney's. We capped off the evening with a chilled grappa, which Alex assured us was the only way to drink it.

He dropped us at UB, and we settled in to watch the fireworks in the distance over the harbour until about 11. That was OK because it was "fall back" night for the clocks.

The wind whistled around us all night, with the old windows and shutters proving less than adequate to the task of draught exclusion. It wasn't cold, so there was no real problem.

We had decided to go to the "Sung Mass" at the co-Cathedral at 0915. As we entered, it became clear that the title in the brochure was a little underdone! It was in fact a sung, Latin, High, Concelebrated mass.

It took me back to my days as an altar boy in Scotland, but from the way in which many around us were joining in singing the Latin responses, they were clearly no strangers to the Latin in more recent times.

There was plenty to look at in the magnificent Church, first dedicated in the sixteen hundreds for use by the Knights - the anniversary being celebrated at this Mass. It has also undergone significant restoration in recent times, so the gold leaf gleams from every angle and the paintings reflect the pride of the Kights of St John. The choir and the organ were magnificent, and the 8 priests (monsignori) reflect a clergy profile long gone in Australia. (A: Today would have been Theresa's birthday so we felt quite sad but glad we were in such a holy place to remember her, Uncle Joe, Aunt Mary and all the Canadian clan.)

Alex, having already said three masses (although I think we had three masses worth too) picked us up for lunch at Aunt Guza's and we saw all the cousins. Mario and Maria came for a little while with Julia and Sarah, Bernard came with Andrew. Marthese and Alex and Joe came as well. It was a delight to see Alex spoil his nieces and they clearly love him!

(A: Our planned skype with Beth was cut short unfortunately by the arrival of Mario and crew which, while welcome, meant we could no longer carry on our conversation- apologies Beth. This was despite Alex's thoughtful suggestion of getting to his mum's early so we could do this as we were having trouble hearing on the computer at the flat.)

Lunch was a more serious affair today with a lasagne followed by chicken and vegetables. Bernard provided ongoing entertainment, teasing his mother. Alex was kitchen hand, but all acknowledged Aunt Guza as "Commander in Chief" in the kitchen. There are a few pictures in the album.

Farewells to most - except Alex who will pick us up tomorrow for the ferry, then a quiet time (read / snooze) before we went to meet Massimo de Majo - our Italian landlord-to-be in Rome, who coincidentally lives in Malta and teaches at the university here - a jazz percussionist. On the way out we ran into our present landlord, Jasper de Trafford, and made the final arrangements and thanked him for a great stay. Remember the name when next in Malta- The Admiral's Suite.

We had a coffee and a chat with Massimo at the St James Cavalier Cafe right near the UB. He spent some years in Denmark, and is very comfortable in English. His wife, Biancamaria is a performance artist. We arranged to go and see them work in Catania next week, where they have a performance. A charming and interesting man.

We got back "home" before the heavens opened again, and began the process of getting squared away. Writing the blog, washing clothes, eating the leftover food for tea, tidying up, packing, reading ahead for Catania. Up tomorrow at 4.45 to be picked up by Alex to get to the ferry by 6.