I took the photo on the last day of March as I walked the cliff path between Marsaxlokk and Birzebuggia. I haven't been along there for a while and it looks great at this time of year.
I have been caught up in a flurry of new routines and activities. The establishment of our family site has taken more and more of my time as I enjoy feeling connected to the different members of our clan scattered all over the world. A year ago, I could not have imagined that there were so many of us or that we had such an extensive photographic record of our diverse histories and lives. Having the website changes how I think about family support because it means that I no longer have to rely on physical proximity to feel connected to people I love.
This week I also started work on the Queensland Writers' Year of the Novel Online course. It has made me realise that if I want to complete my first novel, I will have to stop playing at being a writer and start to be a bit more disciplined. I want to keep this blog going as I move into the next phase of my life but it will need to drop a little down the list of priorities. As I travel back to Australia, I'll try and post whenever I can. When I get back, I'll review the motivation to continue after my year of travel. I am so glad that I have this record of the journey I've taken and I think it will be a worthwhile project to continue perhaps with a different emphasis.
There are three huge projects for me in the coming year - the novel, my Australian choir's planned trip to Cuba to sing at a choir festival there, and my move to live in Malta. It's going to be a very full year!
Over the past few weeks, I've found myself saying more frequently that something will have to be left until I come back to Malta next year. I decided not to go on the Ramblers' walks or the Arts and Cultural tours or the Geographic expeditions. It's a kind of withdrawal, a preparation for leave-taking. I still go up to Valletta to the concerts at St Catherine's but I usually combine that with walking down to my new flat and exploring around the block where it is located.
There are also two conferences this week both associated with the part-time work in TEFL teaching that I'm hoping to take on when I return. On Friday there is a conference about the Further and Higher Education Strategy 2020 at The Dragonara Resort in St Julian's and on Saturday, a workshop run by Malta TEFL in Sliema.
On Monday, I did make it up to Valletta for the Historical Society's lecture on "Medical aspects of the Great Siege". It was held in the Palazzo Parisio where the Ministry for Foreign Affairs are housed and it was another excellent presentation in the Historical Society's series. The small hall was full to capacity once again and I was glad I got there early to get a front row seat and check out the building which I haven't been into before. The lecturer was a medical doctor and I liked the approach that he took which was to compare the knights preparations for war with the planning strategies needed for any major confrontation such as the 2nd World War.
I'll have to miss the next lectures in the series but I'll be looking out for Historical Society events when I return!
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