'Lampuki'

Lampuki is the Maltese name for the dorado or mahi-mahi, a kind of fish that migrates past the Maltese islands during the autumn. The fishing season for lampuki is from the end of August through to November.

Fishermen cut and gather the larger, lower fronds from palm trees which they then weave into large flat rafts. The rafts are pulled out to sea, usually with the small traditional fishing boats known as Luzzu. During midday lampuki school underneath the rafts, seeking the shade. The fishermen use large mesh nets to catch the schooling lampuki. This method is known as kannizzati and has not changed significantly since Roman times. The lampuki are used both for local consumption as well as export.

When fishing for lampuki, the sea has to be as calm as possible. Larger vessels stay out longer at sea than smaller ones. When fishermen approach the anchored floats, first they have to be sure of the presence of fish underneath them.

Seeing that it is viable to cast the net, the vessel circles slowly around the floats laying the net as it proceeds. When the two wings of the net meet, these are hauled on board the vessel so that the fish caught inside are concentrated in a small area of the net. The float is slipped between the bottom of the net, which is now closed, but for a narrow slit between the lead line. The bottom ropes of the net are then hauled on to the vessel by means of a hydraulic winch thus confining the fish in the landing bag. The time taken for such an operation is less than 10 minutes when professionals do such fishing. This procedure is repeated every time the fishermen detect the presence of a considerable amount of fish under a float.
It is the custom for fishermen from the fishing village of Marsaxlokk to gather in port at the start of the lampuki season and have their vessels blessed by the parish priest.

Lampuki can be fried and accompanied by different types of sauces, such as green pepper sauce or caper sauce. They can be baked or made into a pie. My favourite is fried Lampuki with green pepper sauce.

Brimba tal-Widien 'Lobed Argiope'

This spider spins its large orb web to trap its prey. The web is quite strong and can endure the struggling of insects and if the insect is strong and large the spider waits until the prey is exhausted to spin a silken case around its prey. Pray can be large example a cicada orni. The Female is larger than the male. The lobed Argiope can deliver a painful bite and is the largest spider found on Malta.

Thank you

Thanks Zen (http://anecdotesfrommalta.blogspot.com/) for thinking of me and rewarding me with this award.

It's Festa time in our village......

With nearly 60 Maltese feasts throughout the year (mostly during the summer months), and nearly 20 on the smaller sister island of Gozo – the Maltese feast, a religious event, is very much part and parcel of the long, hot summer months on the island. and part of culture in Malta. The Maltese feast pretty much follows a long-established pattern, one that has been passed on from generation to generation, from century to century.
Our village's festa is dedicated to St. Peter and it is a custom to take the statue of St.Peter around our shores on a boat and then being brought to shore with a welcoming band and fireworks.

Malta experienced it's hottest July in 21 years!!

According to our online newspaper, a lethargic lull fell over Malta yesterday as the mercury hit a sizzling 41.6˚C, falling just 1.1 degrees short of the highest recorded July temperature 21 years ago.
The hottest day recorded in Malta was in August 1999 when temperatures soared to 43.8˚C.

Xlendi bay by night .......

Xlendi is situated on the south east of Gozo and just 3 km south of the capital Victoria. It is a picturesque bay that will give you hours of enjoyment. Xlendi bay is a small fishing port with a small pebble beach.

Ta' Kola Windmill - Gozo

It was built in 1725. Ta' Kola is one of the windmills built by the Fondazione Manoel in the 18th century during the reign of Grand Master Manoel de Vilhena. It is situated just off Ggantija Temples in Xaghra and houses a folklore museum.
The miller used to be a skilled craftsman who was very often trained in a wide range of skills. Thus, apart from maintaining and operating the windmill, he used to perform many other secondary jobs. When wind conditions were favourable, the miller used to sound a large shell, locally known as bronja. This served as a signal to the locals who would take their wheat to be processed by the miller. This is one of the very few remaining examples of 18th century industrial heritage in the Maltese Islands.

il- Ggantija - Gozo

Ġgantija is a Neolithic, megalithic temple complex on the island of Gozo. The Ġgantija temples are the earliest of a series of megalithic temples in Malta. Their makers erected the two Ġgantija temples during the Neolithic Age (c. 3600-2500 BC), which makes these temples more than 5500 years old and some of the world's oldest man made religious structures. Together with other similar structures, these have been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Megalithic Temples of Malta. They are more than 1000 years older than Stonehenge. Originally the temples had roofs. The precise purpose for which they were built is still a mystery, although they are believed to have been places of worship.

The site consists of two separate temples: the South Temple (3600 BC) and the North Temple (3000 BC). The Temples were excavated in 1826.

Mgarr Harbour Gozo

Blue Lagoon - Comino

Comino is a tiny island half way between Malta and Gozo. A delightful, car-free little island just 1 square mile in size, with a jagged coastline and many small creeks, sea caves and a pretty lagoon. Largely infertile but luxuriant in wild thyme. A tranquil haven from busy everyday life. It has two small, sandy bays with excellent swimming and a stunning lagoon of brilliant turquoise blue (overcrowded with day-trippers at weekends).

St. Mary's Tower is the most visible structure on the island. Its background dates back to 1416, Finally, in 1618 the Knights of Malta under Grandmaster Wignacourt erected St. Mary's Tower (Maltese: it-Torri ta' Santa Marija), located roughly in the center of the southern coast of the island.[4] The tower formed part of a chain of defensive towers

Part of an olive pipper

The five old bells of the Gozo Cathedral

Gozo - Citadella

Cittadella is one of the ancient cities in the Maltese Islands. Based in Gozo, Cittadella had the task of monitoring the battles in the Great Siege. Cittadella has similar features as Mdina, in fact it is considered to be another Mdina in the island of Gozo.
In Cittadella you will enjoy the views that it provides. Being a fortification, you will encounter with many historical monuments and other sources of useful information.
One can also view the historical architecture that can be found in Cittadella. You will also love to see the walls of Cittadella and the church based in this fortification.

Gozo...

Gozo, meaning 'joy' in Castilian, is the second largest island of the Maltese Archipelago. Gozo is more rural than Malta and it's inhabitants have their own distinct character , identity, lifestyles, accents and dialects. Like Malta, Gozo too has a wealthy history and I will post some of this in the next few posts. I hope you will enjoy them.

FIGS

The common Fig is a large shrub or a small tree native to southwest Asia and theeastern Mediterranean region. They can be grown in climates with hot summer like our dear old Malta.
Some interesting information about Figs and health : Figs are one of the highest plant sources of calcium and fiber. Dried figs are richest in fiber, copper, manganese, magnesium, potassium, calcium and vitamin K, relative to human needs. They have smaller amounts of many other nutrients. The have a laxative effect and contain many antioxidants.

Update......St.George's bay -Birzebbuga

Hello all, sorry I have not been very consistent with my updates lately, however the heat and being nearly 30 weeks pregnant is not helping me with my hunt for new photos of our beautiful islands. However I do not wish to stop as I love taking pictures and posting them here for you all to see.

This is a photo of a very small bay you will find once you enter Birzebbuga. This is found in front of the restaurant photo I have posted earlier.

Birzebbugia

This is also part of the Birzebbugia waterfront. Here you can see a very small beach and behind it a nice restaurant where one can come have dinner and enjoy the evening breeze (or not) of a Maltese summer evening .

Reflections of Sunset - St.George's Bay Birzebbuga

After dinner yesterday we went for an evening stroll. This is a photo I took, it shows the sun which was about to set on these buildings and their reflection on the water.

Tradition and Entertainment in Gozo

An annual event : 'Lejlet Lapsi' got underway yesterday and will carry on all day today. Entertainment includes cultural activities, Rock and Retro Festival and children musicals. There was also a dance festival.

Photo and information taken from a local online newspaper.

Grand Prix in Valletta

Around 50 cars dating from the pre-war period to 1970's took part in the Valletta Grand Prix this weekend. The cars were driven around Valletta for three times.