Life Lately: Déjà vu

I cannot remember the last time that I did a 'Life lately' post. Each day merges into the other and there's not much to share. Here in Malta we are exactly in the same place we were one year ago, with all but the most essential businesses and services closed. I am not complaining - just stating facts. Easter is in a few days and, once again, it will be a muted celebration, although, unlike last year, up to two families at a time can gather together. It seems like the more things change the more they remain the same. A part of my mind still can't quite accept the fact that we're in 2021. It's like a whole year has been erased, probably because most of  us made no new memories or experiences in 2020. But I think I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Highlights

The highlights of the past three months  have been, as you may imagine, quite mundane. I turned fifty in January but we haven't even gone out to celebrate yet. I laugh when I remember how I thought I'd celebrate my fiftieth: with a trip to Venice and a stay at one of the nicer hotels. Incidentally, it was Venice's 1600th birthday on March 25th but even the Queen of the Adriatic had to celebrate this significant milestone in a very subdued manner. 

My husband and I have been out on a number of 'photo walks' during these past three months to help me practise my photography skills. I've since found out that my camera has some innate technical limitations that will not allow me to use the exact settings that I would like. So I am trying to work my way around that. Anyway, my photography course has been a good excuse to get us out of the house. We've visited Isla, the cart ruts at Clapham Junction, Selmun and the dilapidated Fort Campbell, Fort Bingemma, Blata tal-Melh - an area of wild and rugged beauty that we hope to revisit soon - and the lower environs of Valletta (more about that in a future post). 

In February I managed to visit to The Splendid to see the Darkness At Noon exhibition. But just as I had lined up a few other exhibitions to go to, and hopefully share with you all, everything was shut down again.

Location: Blata tal-Melh

Gardening

Now that the weather is warming up it's a good time to take a look at our garden. Actually, it's more of a large tiled yard with a strip of soil along two of its boundary walls. The tiled area doubles up as a patio where we sometimes eat our meals in summer. We use plants in pots to supplement and extend the greenery. Last Sunday I spent almost 3 hours out in the fresh air, removing weeds and planting seeds. Since spring came so early this year, our freesias and irises have already bloomed. 

Hopefully, it will be the roses next. Then the hibiscus and hydrangeas. As you can see, we've got a lot of plants that are not exactly drought-resistant and that is why I am trying to read articles on Mediterranean gardens. We do have plants that thrive in warm weather, like lavender, rosemary and a few other herbs. But, apart from succulents, I would like to find more plants that do well in our hot climate. 

My search is still on and I plan to visit a garden centre in the coming days (they're open because pet food is, of course, essential for pets) to try and find some hardy varieties that are easy to take care of. I hope that, as usual, I won't be drawn to colourful flowering plants that are more accustomed to cooler, northerly climes.

Reading

As you may imagine, I am still doing a lot of reading and have just finished my 11th book. I will share a list of the books I've read soon. Unfortunately, I haven't yet read a book that merits 5 stars but I've read a couple of 4s. Two of my favourites were Like Water For Chocolate by Laura Esquivel, which I was going to review but, since it was first published in 1989 and has been made into a movie, I figured you're all familiar with it by now, and The Song Of Achilles by Madeline Miller, which will only be interesting to anyone who is a Greek mythology geek (I have to confess, I'm one of those people). Another good read, for anyone that enjoys thrillers, is The Girl On The Train by Paula Hawkins.

Easy recipes

I just love an easy recipe, don't you? Especially if it's something that cooks in the oven and which you can forget about while you get on with other things. These 2 recipes are not only easy but very tasty and are great for those cooler nights (yes, I know summer is round the corner but you can save them for when autumn comes along).

These Simple Beef Pasties by Fluster Buster are made from ground beef and vegetables cooked in pastry. I just add 1-2 teaspoons of  dried thyme for extra flavour and have found that the perfect amount of salt is 3/4 teaspoon.

Another simple recipe is this one for Chicken and Corn Savoury Rolls by Bake Play Smile. In this case, I add 1-2 teaspoons of dried rosemary and 1 teaspoon of salt for more flavour, especially since chicken can be rather bland.

Since it's lemon season here, I've been on the hunt for some easy lemon desserts and I've already made this Lightened Up Lemon Yogurt Cake twice. Incidentally, this is supposed to be a lighter version of Ina Garten's Lemon Yogurt Cake, although I don't see a big difference between the two recipes, if you ask me.

Easter Dessert

I've come across three recipes that would make a wonderful Easter dessert and I am still trying to decide between a French Almond Cake with Lavender Lemon Glaze by The Daring Gourmet, a Strawberry Lemonade Cake by Two Cups Flour or a Fluffy White Mini Egg Cake by The Farmer's Daughter. I've got a few more days to decide but will probably go with the first one as I love including lavender in desserts.

It will be another quiet Easter for us but I suppose it's all the better as we can focus on our blessings. Starting tomorrow I have six days off and I'm looking forward to having some extra time to do the things I enjoy and spend some time stockpiling photos before it gets too hot to venture out of doors during the day - I exaggerate a bit but all those that have been reading my blog for a while know that summer is my least favourite season. In the meantime, I'll make the most of spring. I wish all those that celebrate a blessed and peaceful Easter.