Good Friday......

Yesterday was good Friday and in the morning my kids and I went to see a last supper live display. It was organized by a band club in Lija.

Mary Magdalene narrated her story on how she had met Jesus, then came Martha who told us the story of her, her sister Mary and their brother Lazarus. After this came Mary mother of Jesus and also Pontius Pilate. After that we were taken upstairs into another very well prepared room where there was the last supper's table prepared with food and all. Here we were presented with what happened during the last supper.

Last Supper / Maundy Thursday

The Last Supper was the last meal Jesus shared with his Twelve Apostles and disciples before his death. The Last Supper has been the subject of many paintings, perhaps the most famous by Leonardo da Vinci.

According to what Paul the Apostle recounted in 1 Corinthians 11:23–26, in the course of the Last Supper, and with specific reference to eating bread and drinking from a cup, Jesus told his disciples, "Do this in remembrance of me". Other events and dialogue are recorded in the Synoptic Gospels and the Gospel of John. Many Christians describe this as the "Institution of the Eucharist" .

Visiting seven churches

The tradition of visiting seven churches on Holy Thursday is an ancient practice, probably originating in Rome, where early pilgrims visited the seven pilgrim churches as penance. They are Saint John Lateran, Saint Peter, Saint Mary Major, Saint Paul-outside-the-Walls, Saint Lawrence Outside the Walls, Holy Cross-in-Jerusalem, and traditionally Saint Sebastian Outside the Walls. Pope John Paul II replaced St. Sebastian with the Sanctuary of the Madonna of Divine Love for the jubilee year of 2000



Photo taken from the Times of Malta online newspaper.

New President for Malta

Dr. George Abela will take the oath of Office as President of Malta today at noon in a special sitting of Parliament in the Grand council chamber of the President's Palace. George Abela will be the eighth President of the Republic of Malta.

Xemxija

Here are some more shots of Xemxija Valley.

Malta - Gozo - Malta

Gozo Channel provides a roro (roll on roll of ) service between mailand Malta and Gozo all year round. The service provided is for vehicles and passengers and is from the Cirkewwa Harbour in Malta to the Mgarr Harbour in Gozo. The pictures here show the Mgarr Harbour of Gozo.

St. Agatha's Tower a.k.a. Red Tower

St. Agatha's Tower in Malta is similar in style to the Wignacourt towers, though it was completed in 1649 during the Grand Mastership of Juan de Lascaris-Castellar to a design by Antonio Garsin. It is also known as the Red Tower due to the colour it is painted.


St. Agatha's Tower is commonly referred to as the Red Tower. The original structure is a square tower with four square corner towers with cannon ports in the towers giving interlocking fields of fire commanding the base of the walls and the gateway, with large cannon ports in the faces of the main tower. The outer walls are approximately four meters thick at the base and the interior of the tower is enclosed by a barrel vaulted roof. The corner towers are surmounted by very characteristic fish tail crenelations.

The Tower is situated in a commanding position on the crest of Marfa Ridge at the north west end of Malta, overlooking the natural harbour and obvious landing site of Mellieħa Bay with clear views over to Comino and Gozo, and also eastward to the line of watchtowers along the north shore of Malta that linked it with the Knights headquarters in Valletta. It was the Knights' primary stronghold in the west of Malta, and was manned by a garrison of 30 men, with ammunition and supplies to withstand a siege of 40 days.

Like many of the Knights' early defensive structures, during the 18th century it was strengthened by the addition of a much lower profile battery around its flanks. It continued to have a military function throughout the British period, and was manned during both World Wars. From the British period it continued its military function being used as a radar station by the Armed Forces of Malta.

By the close of the 20th century the tower was in poor repair with one turret completely missing and another turret severely damaged. The Tower was the substantially restored by Din l-Art Helwa starting in 1999, with restoration being completed in 2001, assisted by substantial industrial sponsorship. As part of the restoration work the damaged towers were replaced, the walls and were roof rebuilt and eroded stone facing replaced, the interior walls scraped and painted, the original floor uncovered, and the interior staircase to the roof rebuilt. Due to the extreme unevenness of the floor, this was recently covered by a wooden surface with glass apertures through which one can view the original slabs. The Tower is now in the care of Din l-Art Helwa and is open to the public.

Photo taken by my husband whilst I was driving towards the Gozo Ferry.

19th March - St.Joseph's Day

The feast of St.Joseph the worker is celebrated throughout the Catholic world. In Malta the day's celebrations are most vibrant in the town of Rabat. This date was already dedicated to Saint Joseph in several western calendarts in the tenth century. It was accepted in Rome in 1479, and in 1621 it was inserted into the General Roman Calendar for celebration throughout the Latin Rite. Since it always falls within lent Episcopal Conferences may, if they wish transfer it to a date outside lent. The Eastern Orthodox Church celebrates Saint Joseph on the sunday after Christmas.

'FUL' - Broad Beans

In continuation with yesterday's photo here is a photo (still have more to post) of the Xemxija Valley area. This particular field had 'Ful' green broad beans.

Broad beans have a long tradition of cultivation in old world agriculture, being among the most ancient plants in cultivation and also among the easiest to grow.

Interesting Health issues about the broad beans

Broad beans are rich in L-dopa, a substance used medically in the treatment of Parkinson' disease. L-dopa is also a nutrient agent which might help in controlling hypertension. Some also use fava beans as a natural alternative to drugs like Viagra, citing a link between L-dopa production and the human libido. It is also said that in parts of the world the elders generally restrict the young children from eating them raw (when unmatured) because they can cause constipation and jaundice like symptoms.

For more interesting information about these beans just google green broad beans and check them out on wikipedia etc...

Xemxija Bay

Xemxija is a seaside village and is on the northern part of the island just outside St. Paul's bay and also a short distance from the holiday town of Bugibba. Xemxija is also 10 minutes drive away from some of the best beaches on the island. On the west side of this village lies some of the most fertile valleys in Malta, providing a beautiful sight during spring. Photos of these will follow on my next posts so stay tuned :)

Circular objects part 2

Series of circular objects around my town.......

As I have mentioned in one of my earlier posts, I have been browsing through some of the lessons on photography from http://www.skyepuppy.blogspot.com . So here I present to you some photos taken from around my town , this time focusing on circular objects and again different angles.

Birzebbugia

and it's slow destruction............... Once Pretty Bay lived up to it's name.
It leaves much to be desired now with the Malta Freeport dominating the landscape!!

Let's go fishing ...

Last week I went to meet some of my mummy friends for lunch. We met in Marsaxlokk and was delighted to see these hard-pressed fishermen putting things together for their next fishing trip.

Purrrrrrrr..........fect spot !!

Now wouldn't you want to be sitting in the sun in such a perfect spot? Photo was taken last week and location is the Valletta waterfront, however the idea to take the photo was of my friend Laetitia.

Straight lines and different angles.

I have recently discovered this blog http://www.skyepuppy.blogspot.com and have been trying out some of the lessons. Since the other day I was down with my friend Laetitia at the Valletta waterfront, where we also took the photos I have posted yesterday, I also had the opportunity to take some shots showing straight lines however using different angles.

HMS BLYTH & RAMSEY

HMS Blyth, built by Vosper Thorneycroft (UK) Ltd, was launched by Lady Charlotte Garnett on 4th July 2000. After her final period of fitting out she was formally accepted into the Royal Navy on 28th February 2001. Sea trails were conducted to ensure the ship was capable of operations in the most testing of conditions and then a period of Operational Sea Training provided the ship's company with the training they needed to ensure Blyth can achieve everything expected of her.

HMS Blyth completed her first operational deployment on the 22 May 2003. The deployment began 10 September 2002 and saw the ship deploy through the Mediterranean on NATO Exercises, then through Suez into the Gulf to support Operation Telic. HMS Blyth found and destroyed 5 mines as part of this Operation.

Previous Blyths
The ship is the second to bear the name Blyth, the first being a Bangor class minesweeper launched 2 Sept 1940. She suffered from excessive vibration and was not completed until Jun 1941 when she joined the 13th Mine Sweeping Flotilla (MSF) under the Plymouth Command. In December 1942, she was transferred to the 9th MSF as part of the Portsmouth Command. Due to her continuing problems with excessive vibration she was declared unsuitable for mine sweeping duties and as a result assumed an air-sea rescue role.

Notwithstanding her mechanical problems she was involved in a series of live operations earning her battle honours. She was placed in reserve in 1946 and sold in 1948 and renamed Radbourne. After a short career as a ferry she was broken up in November 1952.

HMS Ramsey is the tenth of the Sandown Class of Single Role Minehunters to enter service and the third Royal Navy ship to bear the name. Constructed by a sophisticated modular process, Ramsey was built from glass-reinforced plastic by Vosper Thorneycroft (UK) Ltd at their Southampton yard.

The ship was launched by Lady Alynne Dunt on 25 November 1999 and was accepted by the Royal Navy on 26 July 2000. HMS Ramsey has a ship's company of 5 Officers, 7 Senior Ratings and 22 Junior Ratings. HMS Ramsey is affiliated to the town of Ramsey on the Isle of Man; The Isle of Man Steam Packet Company; the Ramsey Charitable Trust; the Manx Sailing and Cruising Club, Ramsey Grammar School, the Ramsey Branch of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution and the Sea Cadet Unit TS Whitehaven. In addition to the official affiliations that HMS Ramsey has on the Isle of Man she also has a strong link with Ramsey's Royal Naval Association

Forgot to say that both ships are berthed in Valletta at the moment and my friend and I went there this morning to take some shots.

Beautiful Sunset photo

Yesterday on one of our local newspapers (online) I found this beautiful photo of a Sunset taken by Mr. Fsadni. The photo was taken from Mellieha. Well done Mr Fsadni, this is an amazing shot!!

600th post Wishing you all a happy Valentine's day

On Valentine's day we think about the people who are dear,
how much they add to life's delight whenever they are near.....

here's to you all fellow bloggers and friends ..........

Valentine treasures are people who
have often crossed your mind,
family, friends and others, too,
who in your life have shined
the warmth of love or a spark of light
that makes you remember them;
no matter how long since you’ve actually met,
each one is a luminous gem
who gleams and glows in your memory,
bringing special pleasures,
and that’s why this Valentine comes to you:
You’re one of those sparkling treasures!

St. Paul's Shipwreck - Malta

Today Malta celebrates the shipwreck of St.Paul to our islands.
St.Paul's Bay is found in the northern part of the island (no. 55 showing on the map). Birzebbuga the town where I come from is found in the southern part of the island (no.15). To give you an idea how small Malta is, to drive from my town up to St.Paul's town it will take not more than 45 minutes.

In the year 60 AD an event took place that is comprehensively described in the Bible: the shipwreck of the apostle Paul (Acts of the Apostles 27 and 28) . According to the legend this shipwreck took place at St. Paul's Bay. Saint Paul stayed in Malta for three months and performed a number of miracles, like the healing of the father of Publius, the Roman governor. Publius became the first bishop of Malta. Tradition has it, that St. Paul converted the Maltese to christianity, but there is no historical evidence to prove it. The first signs of the existence of a christian community in Malta date back to not earlier than the fourth century. Nevertheless Saint Paul is regarded as the one who brought christianity to Malta; Saint Paul is the patron saint of Malta and the cathedral of Mdina is dedicated to him.

The shipwreck of St. Paul in 60 AD is recorded in some detail in the Acts of the Apostles, and a Pauline tradition of long standing supported by archeological excavations carried out at San Pawl Milqghi prove beyond doubt that his arrival in Malta is a historical fact and it is also a fact that during his three-month stay on the Island he sowed the first seeds of the Christian Religion to which Maltese people overwhelmingly belong, but inevitably, a number of legends have grown up over the centuries, some verging on the impossible, but others not without a grain of truth.

The Apostle Paul was, at this time, being conducted to Rome under arrest to be judged before Caesar as was his right as a Roman Citizen. Amongst the other prisoners was the physician St. Luke who recorded the account of that eventful journey.

The nearest habitation to the place of shipwreck was the villa of Publius, the Chief Man of the Island. All those who had been shipwrecked spent three days there and after they had regained their strength they moved on to Melita the chief town of rile island. In the city Paul cured Publius' father of a fever after which the Chief Man of the Island was converted to Christianity and later ordained Bishop by St. Paul. St. Publius was the first bishop of Malta. After three months, by which time, the sea was again reckoned to be safe for navigation, and loaded with gifts from his Maltese friends, Saint Paul sailed away to Rome and to his subsequent martyrdom. When the Roman Emperor Constantine embraced Christianity and made it the official religion of the Empire it may be assumed that Christian worship was better organized and that a number of places of assembly were built in various places in the islands. Tradition has it that one such church was built on the site of the palace of Publius, where St. Paul had cured the father of the Chief Man of the Island. Many times rebuilt, the site is now occupied by the Cathedral Church dedicated to Saint Paul at Mdina.

What a nice sunset....

As a person I love sunrise more than sunset, however there are times when I think sunsets are magical. The setting wasn't ideal but hey you can't postpone such a shot !! I hope you all like it. Good Sunday to you all.

Me to You !!

Love is in the air ........... After our morning ritual my friend Laetitia and I needed to go to Msida a town 20 minutes drive away from Birzebbuga. Little did we know that we were about to come across this cute 'little big bear'!! We even told him that he looked cute!!

Departure's Lounge

Here is the departure's lounge at Malta's International airport. I must day it was pretty quiet the day I took the photos.

Arrival's Lounge at Malta International Airport

Once every other day my friend Laetitia and I go for a coffee at the McCafe which is found in the grounds of Malta's International Airport. After our coffee we usually stroll down to the main lounges and visit the magazine/book shop. If you would ever fly to Malta this is the arrival's lounge. It's modern, clean and pretty small too. Outside the arrivals you will be able to find Taxi's and also a bus stop. The other photo is also found in the arrival's and is a stand for the holiday representatives and English language schools. I will post a photo of the departure's lounge tomorrow.

EU Fair and EP Elections

Do you know what the EU can do for you? This is the banner you will find before entering this fair. The Europe Close to You Fair, a yearly information event bringing EU institutions closer to the Maltese citizens, kicked off at Freedom Square in Valletta on tuesday 20th January and will be running throughout the week.

'il-Pjazza'

'Il-Pjazza' meaning the square or for us Maltese usually the church square. This 'Pjazza is where the previous two photos have been taken from. It is found in the fisherman's village of Marsaxlokk. You can see the red telephone box and also if you enlarge it you will be able to see some of the fisherman's boats.

Old, Red and Maltese

I really like this photo. It has so much going on in it. The red telephone box, the letter box standing nicely close to it. Then there is the typical old Maltese house behind it with Roman numbers on top. I hope you like it too.

Some history on the Red Telephone boxes..... The red telephone box, a public telephone kiosk designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, is a familiar sight on the streets of the United Kingdom, Malta and Gibraltar, and despite a reduction in their numbers in recent years, red boxes can still be seen in many places. The colour red was chosen to make them easy to spot.

The first standard public telephone kiosk introduced by the United Kingdom Post Office was produced in concrete in 1920 and was designated K1 (Kiosk No.1). This design was not of the same family as the familiar red telephone boxes.

The red telephone box was the result of a competition in 1924 to design a kiosk that would be acceptable to the London Metropolitan Boroughs which had hitherto resisted the Post Office's effort to erect K1 kiosks on their streets.

Sea and sand.......

Since today is a day of rain, wind and grey skies I have decided to post a photo I have taken last Saturday whilst out for a walk with the kids .

Oil tanking /Malta freeport

Here's another aerial shot of Birzebbuga, this time I am showing part of the Malta Freeport and the Oil tanking.

Marsaxlokk Parish Church

Marsaxlokk is the largest fishing village in Malta. I have previously posted photos showing the port side with all the colourful boats. Today I am posting a photo of Marsaxlokk's church, dedicated to our Lady of the Rosary The Madonna of Pompeii. Inside the church one can view the statue of the Madonna and child, which came from Lecce in Italy in 1900.

Southern part of Malta .....

Whilst on the plane I took some great shots of southern Malta, that is Birzebbuga the town where we live and it's surroundings including Marsaxlokk, Delimara PowerStation, Malta Freeport and oil tanking. As you might already know Malta is a very small island and it's shaped like a fish (sort of!!) anyway this photo is showing the mouth of the fish!! that is Malta's southern part of the island.

'Is-Sena it-tajba' - To a Good year

 

Maltadailyphoto is back. My family and I were out of the country for the last two weeks. Coming back yesterday I took some shots of Birzebbuga area. In the photo you can see 'pretty bay' , part of the maltafreeport, the fish farm , the chimney for the delimara powerhouse/station, st.George's bay and Marsaxlokk village and it's bay too. I will be posting some more shots. Thanking you all for your comments and wish you all a Happy, Healthy new year...