Over the last few weeks I have been working on the photography side of the walking book project. This involves going through my now rather extensive catalogue of photos to find those that were taken from these walks, shortlisting those that are suitable as illustrations. In some cases this has been rather straightforward, simply a matter of finding the various outings in the area and … Continue reading Abandoned Car
Yesterday I went for another walk, this time to revisit an area I had not walked in for some years. I was not anticipating much photography, as I would be passing by no chapels for my ongoing project, and I had already made photos of the main vistas. So I only took my small mirrorless camera with me. Nevertheless, I ended up taking quite a … Continue reading House On A Hill
Summer is at its tail end here, with the weather cooling down a little over the last week or so. And by cooled down I only mean that the max temperature has gone down to about 30℃ from the mid-30’s it was hovering around most of August. Which of course makes a bigger difference than one would think, particularly when out running, for instance. We … Continue reading Semprevivi
This week things conspired to keep me from blogging. Between a couple very late days at work, climbing, and a lovely evening where I had grilling duties, there wasn’t much time left for anything else. So to make up for that, today I’m sharing more than the usual single photo. This series of three photos is from my first pandemic walk back in March, soon … Continue reading Silla
Sometimes it feels like we’ve been forever in soft-lockdown. Maybe it’s just me quickly adjusting to life with less traffic and less contact with other people. At the same time it can feel like the whole change only happened yesterday, as in many ways we’re still adjusting to the consequences, particularly at work. So it feels weird to see the changes in the countryside that … Continue reading Xaħxieħ
Today’s photo, also from the series of flower photos from Wied il-Għasel last spring, shows inflorescences of the wild carrot, or Zunnarija Selvaġġa in Maltese (Daucus carota). This, too, is an indigenous plant, and commonly found in the garigue. These are really tiny flowers, but what intrigued me most, I think, is the shot of colour introduced by the deep purple anthers and reddish ovaries. … Continue reading Zunnarija Selvaġġa
This week’s flower photo, also from the spring session in Wied il-Għasel last year, shows the Hawthorn flower, known in Maltese as Żagħrun (Crataegus monogyna). It is indigenous to these islands, and can be found rather frequently. The same plant produces lovely plump red berries after flowering, that I still need to photograph. Continue reading Żagħrun
[Edited 20-Feb-2020: added a second photo.] Continuing with the series of flower photos from Wied il-Għasel last spring, this is what I believe to be the inflorescence of Silla tal-Mogħoż, or what is known in English as the pitch clover (Psoralea bituminosa). It’s a common plant, indigenous to these islands, and the Maltese name indicates its use as fodder for goats. Continue reading Silla tal-Mogħoż
Continuing with the series of flower photos from Wied il-Għasel last spring, for this week’s throwback I’m sharing a photo of a common little flower known as Erika in Maltese (Erica multiflora), or as the Mediterranean heath in English. It’s a common plant, indigenous to the islands, and one that was among the first I made a specific effort to identify. I recall noticing it, … Continue reading Erika
For this week’s throwback series I’m sharing two photos of a plant that to me is synonymous with the Maltese countryside. Readers of this blog may recognize this plant from a number of earlier photos. I’m talking about wild fennel (Foeniculum vulgare), known in Maltese as Bużbież. Its bright yellow flowers look joyful and the plant itself smells amazing. It’s also worth mentioning that dried … Continue reading Bużbież
I’m writing this post later than expected today, because for a few hours we were without internet connection (not even on my mobile). Pretty much everything grinds to a halt when that happens, nowadays, it’s insane. I spent some time editing photos, but even that proved difficult, as I found myself with no access to maps. I’ve come to rely on these (and GPS tagging) … Continue reading Beżżulet il-Baqra
This week I’m continuing with the long series of flower photos from an outing in Wied il-Għasel last spring. Again I’m sharing two photos of the same flowering plant, but this time both are close ups. The flowers are known in Maltese as Papoċċi Ħomor (Antirrhinum tortuosum), or the Greater Snapdragon in English. It’s not their first appearance on this blog, but this is their … Continue reading Papoċċi Ħomor
Muddy Boots 