Malta Day 2

Woke up bright and early, and went for a short walk before breakfast.  It was dull and windy, not promising.

But by the time I got back to the hotel the cloud was breaking up.  The rest of the day was sunny and windy, as promised – in many ways almost perfect for our needs.

Had 2 breakfasts.

Then we were off on the opening tour of the island.  This is always fun and gives everyone a chance to get a feel for the place.

One of the things I love about Malta is the churches.  This is a small town church, totally funded by the locals…

Wigsf wanted me to find a Maltese Falcon.

It was a gift shop…

Lunch was had at my usual cake shop – this time I had loyal followers with me and we totally swamped the guy in the shop.  Not that he was complaining, of course.  We left him to rearrange his seriously depleted stock, and count his cash.  My lunch...

Now I am back in the hotel, still sharing.  I had the choice of having a room to myself, but that would have meant shoving 4 students in together. I am not that mean, and don’t mind sharing with this guy – he is a nice guy and is pretty quiet, apart from the snoring but that doesn’t bother me.

The rest of the day?  A shower comes first, then, before dinner, I will find a corner and write some more of a story that came to me the other night.  Zombies in Malta.  Could be great if I can stick with it – please feel free to bully me into finishing it.  You will love the hero, who is a very modest, ruggedly handsome guy who just wants to save as many people as possible and then get back home to his wonderful wife…

After dinner I can see a few beers meeting their end before I head to bed at a sensible time. Tomorrow is the day we tackle a river valley, and who knows what will be there this year?

More soon!

Malta Field Trip, Day 1

Arrived in Malta for the annual field trip.  Everything went fine until we got to the hotel, where a rooming mix-up meant a bit more sharing than intended - not to worry, all will be sorted tomorrow.

This is the view from my current room. 

 It was a bit hazy with a good breeze going.  Tomorrow threatens to be quite hot with a strong wind - perfect for sunburn.  Going to cover up well tomorrow...

The Day of Rest

My day so far:

Slept in until after 11am.

Mrs RC made me something to eat.

Had a bath.

Laid on the bed and fell asleep.

Woke up and decided I did not have the energy to get dressed, so crawled under the covers.

Slept until after 4pm.

Got up, put on fluffy gown/robe, went down stairs for food and drink.

Feeling more human now.  Mrs RC called me Sleepy Rock Chef.

Will now get dressed and offer to walk the dogs.  (When I offered Mrs RC just laughed "Yeah right".)

Been a long day.

Hope you had a great weekend!

Coasting in...

This time of year is always busy at work - assignment deadlines pile up as the end of term approaches, meaning that lots of students are wanting help with maps and statistics.

On top of that, the field trip to Malta is next week, so in between helping the students I am printing off handbooks and putting together packs of maps and stuff for each of the students, plus the usual stuff.

[pause to gather breath]

I am usually good at pacing myself, on Monday I knew I could get everything done without any trouble, but then other things took a day and a half away from me.

Argh!

So I decided to go all out and clear the decks by the end of today, so that when I go to London tomorrow (with a bunch of colleagues) I won't be wishing I was at work - no need, my work is up to date.

Then, next Wednesday we are off to Malta - yes, they are taking me with them again.  Watch out for photos of the trip.  Hoping for some sun, this winter is really dragging on, I am actually getting fed up with getting cold and wet.

Not long now...

This is getting silly now!

A boy and his toys, continued

So, as part of Mothers Day, I made pasta for dinner.

The machine, flour and eggs - all you need!

The dough.

You run the dough through rollers in the machine several times, with the rollers closer together each time

By the time I finish the table is covered with thin sheets of pasta.

With a chicken in the oven and the pasta rolled (I find it is good to let it dry slightly before cutting it into tagliatelle) I took the dogs for a walk.  The weather was horrible today - we got caught in rain/snow/hail. Mrs RC was settled on the sofa watching True Blood DVDs with Cherry Coke and chocolate at hand.  I think she got a good deal there, don't you?

Back in the kitchen and slicing the pasta into strips.

The finished product in cheese sauce, with chicken, garlic bread and pesto on the side.  Mrs RC supplied the basil garnish at the last moment.  Mmmmm, good stuff.  Now all I have to do is tackle the washing up!

A boy and his toys

Had a fabulous Saturday.  My wonderful wife, Mrs RC had encouraged me to host a wargame and invite a friend round to play, s who was I to refuse?

We played a game set in around 1450, with the Turks (played by me) invading the Holy Roman Empire (commanded by my friend).  We played from 11am til 4pm, with beer, snacks, burger and fries to go along with it.  This is only the 4th game I have played against this friend, who I met less than a year ago.  We both have a similar approach to our games, focusing on the fun and social aspects rather than on winning.  This made for a great day as we played, chatted, drank and ate our way through the game.

Turkish cavalry prepare for battle.

The Turkish left flank tries in vain to halt the Imperial advance.

Near the end of the game - the Turkish centre (archers and cannon) is solid, but the rest crumbled n the face of the heavyweight German knights.... Yep, I lost convincingly, but it was still great fun.

That was yesterday - now it is Sunday, which is also Mothers Day!  I am letting Mrs RC take it really easy, making pasta for dinner later.  Today, her wish is my command...