Yesterday was a public holiday here, and unexpectedly I spent the day outside climbing. Didn’t get to do a lot, but at least I ticked off a route that Hendrik had opened last Christmas season. (And which probably has not yet seen another ascent since.) Which is just as well, as today was predicted to be a rainy day. So to round off the week, … Continue reading Gozo Sea Cliffs
For today’s throwback I’m sharing a final photo from a walk around Aħrax a little more than a year ago. From the cliffs at the north east of the ridge one has excellent views of the islands of Comino and Gozo (or more properly as they’re known in Maltese: Kemmuna and Għawdex). And this channel is on the way for those sailing (or by sea … Continue reading Sailing the South Comino Channel
The throwback photo this week takes us to another walk I did in spring last year, around Aħrax, covering the eastern half of Marfa ridge. The first part of this walk goes through the beaches on the north side of the peninsula, which are all popular with bathers. It was in Armier bay that I made this particular photo. A local traditional fishing boat (known … Continue reading Luzzu and Kemmuna
This week’s throwback takes us back to early spring last year, and a short outing with Roberta around the narrow streets of the old city. I remember it was an enjoyable outing, on a late afternoon when almost everyone else was already heading back home. This was also the perfect lighting for those narrow streets, as the golden light bounced off the limestone walls. I … Continue reading Norman Window
I’m starting this week by sharing a couple of photos, taken within a short time of each other, on one of our short ambles along the Dingli cliffs over the last few weeks. I don’t often take sunset photos, not because they’re rather cliché, but simply because I find it hard to translate the sense of the experience into a photograph. Sometimes I do come … Continue reading Sunset
Taking a few quick moments to share some older photos, mostly from the same walk in Lapsi last autumn. One, however, is from another walk a week later at Il-Majjistral, under similar conditions and with the same friends. I thought I’d group these together, as they follow the same pattern, adding a few more examples to my permanent collection with the same title. You’ll find … Continue reading Crepuscular Rays
For this week’s throwback photo I’m sharing two very related photos from a walk in Lapsi last autumn. After a few weeks of rather hot weather, just looking at these photos and reliving those moments brings some relief. With rain on the forecast all that weekend, we scrapped any climbing plans and instead headed out for a walk in the afternoon. We started rather late, … Continue reading Distant Rain
The photo I’m sharing today takes us back to a walk I did in autumn last year. Starting from Baħrija, I meant to reach the Blata tal-Melħ area, and from that point find a suitable way back, possibly by connecting with a path I had walked before from Mtaħleb. The walk was exhilarating, if a bit too adrenaline-inducing in places, but unfortunately I did not … Continue reading Solitary Fisherman
I’m slowly working my way through my older photos, sharing these in the end-of-week post. Today it’s another one from my first walk in autumn last year, this one on the downhill approach to Ġnejna. The bay was lovely this time of year, much quieter than usual, even though it was a lovely day. Il-Karraba and the nearby clay slopes can be clearly seen in … Continue reading Ġnejna and Lippija Tower
It already feels like summer here, if a bit windy, so today’s photo feels like it’s from such a long time ago. In fact it’s barely been seven months. Still, this is from the first walk I did during this season of cooler months, and so much has happened since then. On this particular occasion I headed out to Mġarr for a longish exploratory walk, … Continue reading Ġnejna and Lippija Tower
For the last few weeks (except yesterday, as it turned out, because I felt too tired to bother) I’ve been enjoying the last walks in the countryside before the weather becomes too hot for that kind of thing. In a way, perhaps it already is. These weeks have been the perfect time to observe those birds that either live here, or stop on the way … Continue reading Male Whinchat
I think for the next few weeks I’ll keep sharing nature photos. But I’m skipping ahead of myself here. Yesterday I woke up rather early, and having no climbing plans this weekend I headed up to Xemxija for a walk. I was tempted to do this walk a week ago, but with the (short) spring hunting season open I thought better of it, and left … Continue reading Female Eurasian Kestrel
Muddy Boots 