The debonair Basil Marigold's

Before I was married I studied, while working, successfully for a Masters degree in Classics. Over this three year period, one of the hardest periods of my life I developed a heightened sense of procrastination. There were some times where I could quite happily go out and run for three hours to avoid reading about the role of the 'Athenian Chorus', or the excessive nature of 'Medea'. Disappearing into the wilds of Underwood Felley for hours on end was a great pleasure and in a way helped me form my thoughts too. Today, life is that little bit different. My ways of procrastination have altered to reflect my changing circumstances. This below is where I am now, essentially, at.  Raymond the Squash - Big Budget Raymond the Squash (cut price) I am convinced, as was my daughter, that Raymond the Squash visited us today. Sadly, I haven't thought far enough ahead to consider what her reaction may be when Raymond, the squash becomes Ryamond the 'chopped

It tends to happen when I go abroad or visit somewhere in the UK mainly out of the way and very rural, the best place so far was when we visited a cottage site in Northumbria last year. What happens is that you get a chance to see more of the night sky. In Malta on a clear night I could not quite believe just how clear and definable the moon’s surface was from the balcony that I sat on one evening. The Villa was in the north of the island of Malta, and although in quite a built up town. It was located midway down a valley and with few street lights the night sky was less polluted than seen from home. The great grey craterous areas face you like lunar continents. If I ever have to move to Malta then I am beginning to think that before I purchased the sofa and the television and the rest of the furniture I would need to consult the Maltese Yellow Pages and buy myself the most powerful telescope I can find as the night sky there would prove a suitable compliment to that telescope I woul

It is, quite frankly, stunning. From the high and very solid looking fortified walls to the narrow, high walled 'Triq's or streets that spidered off some open squares and Palazzo's. These facets reminded me of my day out to Toledo, taken many years ago as there are many similarities between the two; both were historical capitals superseded by a bigger, more affluent city; both are surrounded by large fortified walls that sit on high plateaus that dominate the surrounding area which is mainly central and inland; In modern measures the resident population is quite small and the main people seen within the walls are the tourists who duly arrive daily with hire cars and buses. Yet they both, as cities, retain a lovely sense of historical dignity and a feeling of importance. Both contain large Roman Catholic Churches, Toledo’s more ornate and imposing, as befits the old capital of a once great and wealthy kingdom, indeed at the time one of the period’s world superp

I have run In a few countries now. It is always an interesting experience. The change of terrain, the different weather, etc.   You also get some great sites and views; I have finished a marathon in an Olympic stadium, I have crossed the finish line outside of the Colosseum, run through slate mines in north Wales and jogged over a beach in the south of France will the sun went down beyond the horizon. What I have never experienced, until Malta was the full on car sex experience. As I turned around a bend to get onto the seafront stretch of a landing, there sat a small, white Vauxhall Corsa.   Only as I got closer to the car did I notice what was occurring inside, as the lady's head began bobbing up and down, for me to realise there was a gentleman's head underneath as the sudden realisation that, at 9:30am, in Malta, on the seafront the couple were without clothes attempting to increase the population while I went past. As I have said, I have seen many sights and many thi

Malta was conquered by the Romans 200 years before the birth of Christ, (It was a side effect of the Punic Wars) and it became another piece of land annexed by chance more than design as other pieces did by way of Rome's world war with Carthage. Beginning the long history of Malta ’ s strategic place  in relation to the Mediterranean made it a strategically useful place to be in possession of. Yet, there is very little of Rome's footprint that remains, particularly in way of discovered towns and cities, which is a little odd as there will be by definition of its size, no Pompeii, no Londinium, but there is nothing of a smaller size, no defined town or capital as there would have been. Through works by historians such as Livy we know there were towns in Malta, indeed it would have by Roman standards, a municipal centre, where the appointed governor, or governor legate administered Rome's interests. Visiting the Roman Domus (house) today, I was struck by the wealth th

Nothing is quite as beautiful or as awe inspiring as a good, old fashioned thunder and lightning storm over head. Here in Malta, there has been one building for a while and it came across tonight, not as fork lighting but just flashes of lightning and strong sounds of thunder, or as Pink Floyd described it, ‘ The Delicate Sound Of Thunder ’ ). It reminds me of Macbeth's soliloquy where life is full 'sound and fury', that is the encapsulation of a thunder storm, 'sound and fury'. Of course, Shakespeare then had Macbeth say, that it 'signified nothing'. I am not sure that applies here, and it always feels as though it is the sound an angry world would make. Indeed on some planets in our solar system you would of course be subjected (could you survive in the environment, to witness it), a lifetime of continual storms that would make ours seem like a small firecracker when set off next to an atomic weapon. …As a bizarre end note, on the day I returned to w

The moon is clearly visible tonight and seems so close that I can make out features. I presume that the reduced light pollution, compared to he UK makes the night sky here much more visible. And while I am out, how nice is it being able to sit out in short sleeves at 9pm and you feel just lovely and comfortable. In Kirkby even in summer you'd need a coat and a snood!

Right now, I am writing this sat on a balcony. It is now dark, but enough light pollution to see the shadowy outlines of swaying palm trees. I am listening to Acrobat by U2 on the iPod. A song I love and certain lyrics I try to live by, but that is by the by. The palm trees mean I am not at home. Not even close. Probably closer to north Africa than home. Maybe the furtherst south I have been. Sat on a sun bleached rock set within the med. Malta, here I am. 2000 yrs after St Peter was shipwrecked. I have arrived, by big silver bird. My initial impression is that Malta feels a good place to be. How it has survived I do not know. It is not a place that you feel is self sustaining and the modern age, like most southern Mediterranean countries varies between cutting edge modern life, and on the other hand almost medieval, labour intensive farming and that particular southern med craziness, you cannot help but love. Driving through the island was an experience as a passenger, crazy pot