Monday 29 January 2018

Most people translate Fomm ir-Rih to ‘the mouth of the wind’. The translation is grammatically correct (fomm is mouth and rih is wind in Maltese) but I think it’s one of those names that cannot be translated literally as it loses its true meaning. So I would prefer to change the translation to ‘the breath of the wind’. You only need to visit this secluded bay to see why – a breeze always seems to be blowing here - even during the worst of the dog days of summer. Fomm ir-Rih (4)

Monday 22 January 2018

Over the past few years, the internet has been inundated with articles and websites dedicated to the art of slow living. Slow living is described as
“a lifestyle emphasizing slower approaches to everyday life”.
It is a way of life being adopted by many people as a counter-response to all the technology that surrounds us. I’ll be honest that I have grown so accustomed to clicking a few buttons and getting an answer, connecting with people without actually meeting them, looking at the 1000 best images of the Taj Mahal or the Great Barrier Reef or whatever, that I am starting to lose one important human trait: patience (and mine was already in short supply). If an app or a website takes a few milliseconds longer than usual to load, then frustration takes over almost immediately. It is quite frightening to what extent we are relying on technology of one type or another.
Gnejna Bay

Monday 15 January 2018

When the foundation stone of Valletta was laid in 1566, quirkiness was the last thing on people’s minds. Just months before, the Knights of the Order of St. John, who were the rulers of Malta, had defeated the army of the Ottoman Empire after a bloody 3-month siege. In the aftermath, Grand Master Jean de Vallette and his Council concluded that a fortified city needed to be built on the peninsula at the mouth of the harbour where their ships and galleons were berthed. And so, Valletta was born and, with time, it gained its own particular character and quirks that are now part and parcel of this unique city.
Valletta collage

Monday 8 January 2018

A new year always seems to creep up on me and 2018 is no exception. Just when I was getting used to the idea of 2017, bang, we’re in 2018 and I don’t quite know what to say about it except that it happened very quickly. But I will not think about that.
Instead I want to welcome you to my new blog. I hope you like my new digs. It took me close to a year to make the decision to stop writing at Stories and Scribbles. The reasons for the change are varied but, mainly, I felt that I needed a fresh start. I also wanted to make some major layout changes but I had no idea how to go about it without creating an unreadable mess. So, a new slate seemed like the safest bet. With that said, I am not taking down my previous two sites. You can access Stories and Scribbles and Snapshots of an Island from the About Me tab at the top of this page. I think that, in some ways, this blog will be an amalgamation of both but, in others, it is going to be completely different.
Dingli cliffs sunset

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Sincerely, Loree. Theme by STS.