Finished product

It’s taken me six years and many hours of hard work, but I have finally finished making my hooked rug. It nearly got destroyed last year at the three-quarters-finished stage thanks to a little mouse who found it whilst I was having a break from working on it and decided to chew big holes in it. Fortunately, the damage was repairable – I had some spare canvas with which to patch the holes and then had to re-do those areas. I’m really pleased with the end result, especially as the patches are barely noticeable even on the underside of the rug.

A close shave

The beard is no more. A day of meetings with important clients meant that Michael finally felt it was time to shave it off. I was actually a little sorry to see it go. First went the beard, leaving just a moustache which definitely wasn’t a good look (I took a photo in case he is ever tempted just to grow a moustache) and then my husband was clean-shaven once more. And looking so much better, it has to be said. It was a novelty experience but when all is said and done, I think I prefer my husband beard-free.

Pre-tap exam tension

Holidays are great, but you never manage to sleep quite as well in a hotel as you do in your own bed. Having a good night’s sleep is just so lovely, waking up in the morning feeling refreshed, stretching out and then… suddenly getting a really bad leg cramp. Not the best way to wake up and it has left me with a very sore calf muscle all day, which was not so good considering tonight’s tap class is the last before Sunday’s exam. Still, I managed to get through the routines but am starting to feel a little nervous.

Babblings on beards

It had to happen sooner or later – after being clean-shaven all his life, Michael decided that being on holiday was a good opportunity to try to grow a beard. My first reaction was dismay as I’m not a big fan of beards (apologies to all my lovely bearded friends) but to my surprise, I quite like the novelty of seeing Michael with a beard (especially now that said beard is looking much more beard-like). That said, I won’t be sorry when he eventually decides to shave it off – despite the novelty, I think he really looks much better without it!

Malta - day 8: Comino

Our final full day in Malta was spent on Comino, the smallest of the inhabited Maltese islands (population c.5). We took a ferry across to the island, and relaxed on the beach around the Blue Lagoon, one of the most beautiful bays on the island. The sea was a little on the cool side so I was quite happy to stick to paddling, but Michael had a swim (keeping an eye out for jellyfish as there were quite a lot around the island) whilst I took a wander across to St Niklaw bay on the other side of Comino.

Malta - day 7: scenic flight

Before I did a fear of flying course just over four years ago, my flying phobia was so severe that even the thought of getting on a plane would send me into a panic. Thankfully I’ve managed to gradually overcome my phobia (I’m now just a little anxious during take-off and landing but not panicky). Still, going on a scenic flight around Malta on a sea plane was a big step forward for me. The views over the island were amazing, and doing the flight towards the end of our holiday meant we were more familiar with the landmarks below.

Malta - day 6: Valletta

Our day exploring Valletta, the capital of Malta, started with a tour of the Standing Battery, overlooking Grand Harbour, led once again by guides in Victorian army uniform, where we watched the firing of the noon gun. We then visited St John’s Co-Cathedral, the cathedral of the Knights of St John before taking a horse-drawn cab ride around Valletta which was a nice relaxing way to see the city. Our afternoon was spent visiting Marsaxlokk, a very pretty fishing village on the east coast of Malta, before driving back across the island to Naxxar, where we visited the Palazzo Parisio.

Malta - day 5: The Three Cities

Our day’s explorations of the island took us to the Three Cities east of Valletta – Senglea, Vittoriosa and Conspicua, which are similar to Mdina in that they are all quite old-fashioned and quiet. We visited the Inquisitor’s Palace in Vittoriosa, the Maritime museum in Vittoriosa and then went for a guided tour of Fort Rinella, a coastal battery built in the 1880s, led by tour guides dressed in Victorian army uniform who treated us to a display of gun-firing, sword fighting and different types of signalling and showed us the 100-ton Armstrong gun that was part of the coastal defences.

Malta - day 4: Mdina

Mdina is a tiny walled city in central Malta which once was the capital city. The city itself is pretty and except for the occasional parked car, seems almost to have been frozen in time. Its maze of narrow streets is tranquil and serene. We had our lunch in a cafe in Mdina where we were served by a waiter who displayed a degree of sullenness previously only experienced in teenagers which slightly spoiled what otherwise was a lovely day; the Maltese have generally come across as very friendly otherwise. We also visited Ħaġar Qim and Mnajdra – two ancient temples.

Malta - day 3: Gozo

The day started off warm and sunny and so we decided to take a boat across to Gozo, Malta’s smaller sister island and spend the day there. We started at Dwejra at the west end of the island with its beautiful natural coastal scenery, taking in the Azure Window, Blue Hole and Inland Sea, before heading to the Ta’ Pinu basilica and then back across the island to Calypso’s Cave and Ramla Bay. By the time it got dark a lightning storm was brewing across the channel between Malta and Gozo which made for a somewhat choppy boat ride back.