Back on a green island and a holiday to a hot and sunny one!

Alfie in the park

Well we've been back in Europe for near on a month now, spending time with family and friends as well as a trip to the beautiful island of Malta where we spent a chilled out couple of weeks but more of that later. It was great to get back to England in time for Easter, we actually spend Easter Sunday with two of our boys, plus their wives and children, which was lovely, if not a little cold and chilly.

After arriving at Heathrow on a cold March morning we took the train back to Bristol, it was wonderful to see the fields full of spring lambs on the rolling hills of England which seemed very green compared to the stark landscape of the Western Cape which is suffering from a server drought. We were welcomed home by Chris and Claire and the grandchildren, who had once again grown during the three months we were away (the grandchildren that is!). 

Our first night back in the caravan, remember our simple abode parked on the drive, was a bit of a shock to the system, especially after spending the last three months in the hot South African sun but we've now become accustomed to the weather and are feeling at home again!

Come on U R's

It was great to catch up with the little ones who were in the middle of their Easter holidays, and after a quick trip to Aylesbury to see Maz' Dad and my parents we joined Chris and Claire, and the children at Josh (or middle son) and Haddy's for Easter Sunday where we enjoyed a day of playing in the park and chillaxing in front of the TV.

Happy times as QPR win 4-1

On Easter Monday all the boys ventured to Loftus Road, the home of the mighty Queens Park Rangers (QPR), who were playing Norwich City in a Championship game that afternoon. I've supported QPR since the early 1980's and our boys have followed suit, however this was to be both Alfie and Eli's first taste of a professional football match and what a game it was too, with QPR ending up 4-1 victors in what was a 'total football' performance!

During the following week we purchased a new (new to us) car, actually it's over 15 years old but is in good condition, seems to drive OK and will be perfect for us as we are also purchasing a new (new to us) caravan which will not only be a more permanent base for us but one in which we hope to tow around this very green island and perhaps further into Europe as time and funds allow.

After spending some time catching up with parents, friends (Pete and Karen and also Trefor and Mandy) as well as family where Chris and Vik plus Faith joined us at my parents for a meal and the following morning a run/walk around Wendover, we returned to Bristol to fly to Malta for a two week break. 

Actually myself and Chris ran near on 20K along the ancient Ridgeway which was a joy, especially as I had been bought some new trail running shoes (thanks you know who you are!) which were a Godsend in the chalky mud of the Chiltern Hills. I will put these to better use when we return to South Africa for six weeks where we have both entered into a couple of trail runs in what will be the South African winter.

Birthday parties in Malta

We had been to Malta before in 2015, see this post from 2015, where we had spent time with Matt and Kat who we got to know during our time at the Village of Hope. This time we returned and although we were being hosted again by Matt and Kat they offered us their home in Buggiba as a base which gave us some private space. It was great to see them again and their beautiful children who certainly seem to love us.

Spent a day here, not too busy

Other than having the opportunity to run along the coastal paths in the morning much of our time was spent reading books, listening to podcasts and generally relaxing on the beaches or 'rocks' overlooking the stunning Mediterranean sea. We did venture around on the local buses with trips to Valletta and also to Mosta to visit the church there which has a dome to rival any that we have seen on our journey's around the world.

Enjoying a meal with Arry

Amazingly Arron was also in Malta visiting a 'friend' who is Malteses. We enjoyed a couple of lovely meals together, one in the gardens of the Palazzo Parisio at a restaurant called Luna which was delightful. It was great to see Arron again, trying to keep up with him as he travels around the world is always tough but he seemed in good spirits and kept us amused as normal with his stories and jokes.

Bocci league game

We did enjoy some time with Matt, Kat and their children, including a morning playing Bocci, a local game, similar to bowls or the French Petanque but with small balls and large cylinder shapes, two teams of three playing against each other. It's a very tactical and skillful game which is why Maz and Kat were much better at it than myself and Matt. On one evening we past the local Bocci club as we strolled along the seafront who were playing a league game which was very entertaining and great fun to watch.

the start of the Mdina 10K

During our last weekend we had entered into the 10K road race from Mdina, commonly known as 'the silent city', after collecting our tickets from Sliema and enjoying an afternoon there overlooking the capital Valletta we made our way to Rabat, a town that sits outside of Mdina's ancient walls, where we had booked an Airbnb for the night. The place was a traditional old Maltese home tastefully restored and after an evening meal and night wandering in Mdina we settled down with the race to look forward to in the morning.

All smiles to start to race

Unfortunately I had suffered from a pulled hamstring after a long run along the coast during the week leading up the the race so wanted to finish rather than race for a good time and position, of which I achieved, starting gently as we left the old city behind and ran out to the cliffs at Dingi. Maz however had a more challenging time and around half way into the race tripped on a raised manhole cover and fell onto the road which resulted in the medical team being called and the ambulance following the race stopping to make sure she was OK. This was a sad end to our short break and Maz is now recovering with both knees, left elbow and both hands badly bruised or scabbed.

Sunrise over Mdina before our 10K

We are now back in Bristol, preparing for our return to South Africa in early May where we will be spending a further six weeks extending the Emerging Leaders work into that nation. Before we leave we will be catching up with the Emerging Leaders team here in England as well as meeting up with Martin and Jackie, old friends from Whitchurch, who we will be joining in Zimbabwe in July and August.

That's the news for now, thanks for taking the time to read our ramblings and we hope to update you further once we are back in South Africa.