I’m one of those people who find more pleasure in Maltese winter than in Maltese summer. Walking to work invigorates me every morning and helps me get into the right mood to wake up my students at nine o’clock!

 

Living in Malta teaches me how to appreciate small things and the peace that is so easy to find here.  Now, in February, it is about at sunrise that I leave home. First I walk downhill among factory buildings. Cats everywhere.

 

 

Can you spot the cruiseliner in the second picture? It reminds me that even though I can’t see, it is already the sea there. That’s how small Malta is. Is it a different ship every morning?

 

Soon I’m in Birkirkara, walking along small streets where kids wait for the school bus and housewives rush to the grocer’s.

 

 

Maltese windows and doors fascinate me.  The way they are painted and the colours often result in something unique, something quirky. Houses often have names. This particular one often makes me wonder if I will still be living in Malta when I’m 88? Will Our Nest still be Our Nest?

 

 

Next, I find myself in Balzan.

 

 

And then, at the school. The pool makes me smile every morning. Water and reflection: what else do I need?

 

Time to get ready for the morning class…