Cape Sorrel: The Weed That Brightens Up Our Winters

From mid-December to mid-April our fields and country lanes come alive with a wild flower the colour of sunshine. During these months, Cape Sorrel grows free and unrestrained. But things were not always like this. This plant was introduced to the Mediterranean from South Africa by an English lady around 200 years ago. The story goes that a few plants were grown in the greenhouses at Argotti Botanical Gardens. Somehow some seeds managed to escape and found the perfect climate and terrain to proliferate. From Malta, this pretty wild flower spread throughout the region. I found a good article by Leslie Vella on Malta Inside Out which goes into  more detail about this – you can read it here.

Although this plant was not always indigenous to the Maltese islands, it has adapted so well and become so common-place that few people so much as give it a second glance. Indeed, it can be a bit of a nuisance when it takes over cultivated fields and gardens and has to be pulled out or it will suffocate any seedlings attempting to grow.

With that peculiar Maltese penchant of re-naming everything under the sun, this wild-flower is called ‘l-ingliza’ – which means the English one, or in this case, the English weed. Children also call it ‘qarsu’ (which means sour) because it is not uncommon to find kids chewing the flower stalks and they are indeed very sour. I am speaking from experience here.

Like so many things in nature, these pretty flowers come and go effortlessly. No fanfare greets their arrival. It is as if we wake up one morning and the set has been changed. Suddenly our eyes open up to the simple beauty surrounding us as, for a few month, our fields seem to reflect the sunbeams.

Red And Regal

I love these old post boxes which you can find here and there in many of our old village cores. This particular one is probably about 50 years old. When Malta still formed part of the British Empire the post boxes were inscribed with the Royal Cypher of the reigning monarch. This particular post box was manufactured during the reign of the current Queen Elizabeth. However there are post boxes which are inscribed with the cyphers of other monarchs. These post boxes are even older than the one in the picture. Once Malta gained its independence from Britain the new post boxes no longer carried the royal cypher. However, they are still painted red and are definitely hard to miss even on the greyest of days.

Enjoying The Countryside At Chadwick Lakes

There are no naturally occurring lakes or rivers in Malta although, in the winter time, a few streams can be found in most valleys. Chadwick Lakes are, in fact, a large reservoir built in the 1890s at the suggestion of British engineer Osbert Chadwick.

 

However, being a valley, a stream of natural water does gurgle playfully downstream.

This stretch of water provides a picturesque backdrop for picnics and the surrounding paths are ideal for a serene walk. The photos I am posting today were taken at the end of December and the blue skies and bright sunlight made it feel more like a spring day. However, the leafless silver birch trees were a reminder that it is not yet spring and the greenery and wild flowers are also indications that the weather is still on the cool side (I dare not say cold ).

Once June comes along all the greenery that you see will be gone and arid land will be left in its place. The water too will dry up leaving a bed of hard, dry mud. So this simple beauty is transient and fleeting, like so many other things in Nature. I hope you’ll enjoy this little walk in our countryside  - it’s not very grand, I’m afraid. The island is too small for huge open spaces and it is something which a lot of us have a deep yearning for. So we make do with these little pockets of rural bliss.

And, being Malta, there has to be that wacky little something that you won’t see in many other places. Now tell me, how many of you have seen silver birches (on the left of the photo) and cacti within a few metres of each other?

Valletta By Night

As promised in my last post, I will show you some scenes of  Valletta after sundown. We locals like to divide Valletta into two parts: the upper commercial part and the lower residential part. In truth there are shops and residents all over Valletta and during the day there is hustle and bustle all over the city. But as night falls, the teeming streets quiet down and the echo of footsteps of a few strollers reverberates in the stillness. At night Valletta belongs once more to the ghosts of the Knights that built it. So come with me for a short walk through the lower city

past houses

and palaces

a trickling fountain

a church

and the old theatre.

(I would have liked to take you on a longer walk but the battery on my camera ran out which  means I have a good excuse to return soon and explore more charming nooks in the city.)

Omerta’ – A Secret Revealed

Omerta’ is defined by The Free Dictionary as a rule or code that prohibits speaking or divulging information about certain activities, especially the activities of a criminal organization. The word omerta’ has become synonymous with the Mafia and all its activities.

It also happens to be the name of a small restaurant which my husband and I discovered this past weekend. If quaint and cosy is the dining experience that you are after, then this small restaurant will surely not disappoint. Nor will the food. The fresh ravioli stuffed with prawns and lobster and served with a simple herb sauce that I had as a starter was divine – as was the rest of the food.

 

The atmosphere was quiet and intimate  – perfect for a romantic evening. The fact that the restaurant is housed in a converted 500 year old building was an added bonus which contributed to a wonderful evening. And when our meal was over, we strolled around and explored the oft-forgotten charms of our capital city. But more about that in a future post.

Omerta Trattoria & Wine Bar

92 Old Bakery Street

Valletta

Wayside Chapels (6) – The Nativity Of Our Lady at Fiddien

I could not find much information about this chapel except that a small church was built in the area in 1550 which remained closed for many years. The present chapel was re-built on the same site in 1615 by Gregorio Xerri and his wife. These days prayer meetings are held in the chapel.

       

 

The area where this chapel is situated is known as Tas-Salib (salib is cross in Maltese) because of the stone cross on a column situated just a few paces away.

The Tas-Salib area forms part of the beautiful, unspoilt valley of Fiddien. Fiddien is still a rural back-water with scattered farms and fertile fields. It is a place where silence reigns, broken only by the cheerful twittering of birds and the occasional distant yapping of farm-dogs.

 

When Night Falls On The Silent City

The shadows lengthen and the golden glow from the lamps casts mysterious shadows on the silent buildings. Each house seems to be slumbering, dreaming.

The windows are shuttered and the doors are barred.

The streets are deserted – not a sound breaks the stillness except for the chiming of the cathedral clock every quarter hour.

Silence. Stillness. And mystery.

Perfect ingredients for a romantic walk on a chilly winter evening.

This tiny walled town on the hill never disappoints.

Mdina on a winter evening is the perfect place to escape and walk back in time.

Heavenly Voices At The Carmelite Priory

The Carmelite Priory in Mdina was the venue for a Christmas Concert by the Jubilate Choir. The melodic voices soared beautifully in the ornately decorated refectory in which the friars used to eat their meals.  This amazing room is a fine example of a total work of art where the architecture, paintings and sculpture come together to form a unique Baroque gem.

It was a perfect and intimate setting in which to enjoy wonderful renditions of traditional favourites such as Silent Night and O Come All Ye Faithful together with a medley of Italian and Maltese carols.

         

Concerts at the Refectory are held on a regular basis with proceeds and donations going towards restoration of the paintings on the breath-taking ceiling of this room. The Carmelite Priory Museum is open daily to visitors between 10.00 and 17.00 hours.

The Carmelite Priory Museum

Villegaignon Street

Mdina.

 

With this last post for 2010, I would like to wish all my readers a very happy new year.

It’s Christmas Time In The City

The decorations in Valletta this Christmas are very simple but quite striking.

I suppose it was the local council’s way of bringing an ‘icy’ feel to our Mediterranean Christmas.

   

Our capital city may not be as large and imposing as other cities but it has its own innate charm.

And I think it photographs beautifully, even when night falls.

(I do hate those overhead wires though and I hope that they do something about them soon).

 

Photographs taken  in Republic Street and Merchants’ Street, Valletta.

Maltese Traditions (1) – The Calends (L-Irwiegel)

In the days before weather forecasts and satellites, the people of these islands (mostly the farmers) adopted a curious method of trying to predict the weather for the following year. Starting on the twelfth day before Christmas, they would observe the weather of each day noting shifts in the wind, the amount of clouds in the sky, and any rainfall or sunshine. The first day on which this was done, December 13th, would correspond to January, the next day to February and so on. In this way they thought they would have an idea of what the next year would bring. This ancient way of predicting the weather is common  in most parts of Europe, although in some countries, the calends (irwiegel) start on different days. Countries whose calends start on the same day as Malta are Portugal, Sicily (from where this tradition was most likely adopted), France, Croatia and certain provinces in Italy. Each day started at midnight and farmers, or anyone else interested in predicting the weather in this ancient fashion, were supposed to take note of the weather variations that occurred throughout the course of each day.

Anyone inclined to follow this tradition can start noting the weather patterns each day from next Monday until Christmas eve. So, we will soon know whether we are going to have a warm February (which has not been unusual these last couple of years) or hail in August (highly unlikely). Although there is no scientific data to back this tradition, some elderly farmers claim that they used to use this method with success. Nowadays, this tradition has all but died out since it is considered to belong to the realms of superstition and ignorance. Personally, I think that there is no harm in trying this out, just for fun. After all, there is usually an element of truth in all traditions that have spanned so many generations. So, rain or shine? If the irwiegel are to be believed, I guess we will find out soon.

(Believe it or not, this photo of a cloudless sky was taken last February).