Now that it’s a little cooler, we’re starting to explore nature here in Cyprus. Close to where we live is Akamas National Park where an amazing variety of flora and fauna can be found in an area of 230 km².
But, it’s very dry now that we are at the end of the summer and almost nothing is blooming. Luckily I found this little creature to photograph, as well as the one and only plant with its white flowers.
On our way to and from the park we pass the donkeys and a very old olive tree. Sure, it looks like the donkeys are dancing..
We have now been in Cyprus for almost three weeks and these are my very first pictures from where we live right now, on the outskirts of Latchi Marina located between Neo Chorio and Polis very close to the sea.
A Farmer’s Salad is enough as lunch in the heat.
This is the house we rent.
This is the name of the house we rent, Korona 1.
We are not far from the Baths of Aphrodite where I’ve been a couple of times because of it’s sandy beach. —– 💓“Shaded by an old fig tree, amidst lush greenery, legend tells that the Ancient Greek Goddess Aphrodite used to bathe in the waters. According to Greek mythology, Aphrodite met her lover Adonis at this beautiful spot when he stopped for a drink whilst hunting, and fell in love with her the moment when he drank the water.”💓
Since we arrived it has been very hot here on the island, a heat wave is going on but the doggies are doing well.
Glorious sunsets in the west.
Polis Church
Polis and Neo Chorio are two very small villages while Latchi is a marina and holiday resort. We will not settle here permanently but on the other side of the mountains, closer to the city of Paphos which is about an hour from here by car.
I love color, color makes me happy! Being surrounded by colors affects how we feel, even though we don’t always know about it.
“We live in a rainbow of chaos” – Paul Cezanne
“Life is a great big canvas; throw all the paint you can at it” – Danny Kaye
Pre-Moving Checklist: Today all our belongings were packed and are now stored in a container here in Malta. Everything, except what is to be packed in our suitcases. We don’t know when the container will be shipped to Cyprus, first we have to find where on the island we are going to live…
Någon flitig skyltare har jag inte varit under de senaste åren men ett skyltinlägg känns som ett måste innan vi lämnar Malta för gott. Bästa BP håller i trådarna och där kan man verkligen tala om att vara flitig. Den tjejen kommenterar alla mina inlägg och har så gjort ända sen jag började blogga! Med tanke på hur många följare hon har känns det hedrande att hon faktiskt tar sig tid även hos mig. Stort Tack Beate!!! Du är fantastisk!!!
Här bor vi nu, på Triq Ir-Rgajja i Rabat. Nästa söndag flyger vi mot nya okända mål på Cypern.
Farmer Lucas notering på en sten i Majjstral Park. Nej, jag behärskar inte det maltesiska språket.
Här har vi gått många gånger utmed de branta lersluttnignar högt ovanför havet i Majjstral park, men nu har delar av stigen kollapsat.
Gneja Bay känner jag till men de övriga ställena är för mig okända, trots mer än 20 år på den här lilla ön.
Polisstationen i Mdina
En av Malta’s många fina gatuskyltar.
Ovan syns några skyltar från Malta medan de där nere är från Sverige valda från mitt minnesarkiv.
Minns ni Cykelfix? Skåningen som lagade cyklar med kärlek vid Slussen i Stockholm år 2014. Gissar att han inte är kvar och Slussen ser idag förmodligen inte ut som då.
Min ambition att lägga ut minst en bild om dagen fram tills vi flyttar fungerade inte men det känns bra att jag iallafall fick till det här. Nästa söndag lämnar vi Malta för Cypern och ett nytt kapitel i livet tar sin början. Det känns spännande, ibland nästan lite läskligt men framförallt, väldigt roligt och positivt.
Pre-Moving Checklist: Today I have gone through all the papers, forms, insurance, declarations etc… I need to decide what to store in the container and what to take in our suitcases when we fly…
It’s been a while now since I showed some of the colorful boats which are so typical for Malta, the luzzu’s.
A luzzu is a traditional fishing boat and often considered as a symbol of Malta. They are usually painted in bright colours while the bow often has a pair of eyes.
“The Eye of Horus” These eyes are a symbol of protection and good health and are believed to protect the fishermen from any harm while they are out at sea.
Pre-Moving Checklist: Most of our winter clothes are now packed in boxes to be stored in the container and shipped to Cyprus. Who knows for how long….?
Pre-Moving Checklist: Has found out what requirements apply to bring our dogs into Cyprus from Malta. Passport / Rabies vaccination date / Microchip Number etc.
Have you ever thought about how many doors there are? Doors can really look different depending on where in the world you are.
I’m from Sweden, live in Malta and will soon move to Cyprus after twenty years on this small Mediterranean island. Here I have chosen to show a selection of traditional Maltese doors. Hope you enjoy!
Colorful red and a small extra door.
Here you also see one of the typical Maltese balconies.
A garage door.
Pillars can look magnificent, at least as long they are well maintained.
Yes, here we put our garbage bags outside the door for collection. Some days for plastic and paper and some days for organic.
Both the wooden door and the stone wall are old and worn. Someone has left food and water for the cats.
I guess someone from Sweden lives here. They have named their house “Blå Dörren” which means the blue door.
Blue doors are quite common. Of course, the shutters have the same color.
Pre-Moving Checklist: All our belongings (almost) are now packed and stored in one of the bedrooms in our rental apartment here in Rabat. The date for loading in a 20 foot container, shipping and storage is now booked.
It’s been a while now since the last post so I’ve decided to try to post a picture a day from now on. At least one image a day either from my archive like the one above or a newly taken image.
My thoughts right now are mostly about organizing our move to Cyprus. It’s getting closer now, we leave Malta for good on 25th July 2021. I need to dispel my thoughts… Nineteen days left.
“We walk from darkness to light, From light back to darkness again, From unknown to known, Known back to unknown” ― Eric Overby
Someone has planted roses along the path where I usually walk with my dogs here in Rabat. Every time i walk by the flowers have changed, sometimes there are no flowers at all but there are always new buds coming up.
“A single rose can be my garden… a single friend, my world.” – Leo Buscaglia
“I don’t know whether nice people tend to grow roses or growing roses makes people nice” -Roland A Browne
“My life is part humor, part roses, part thorns” – Bret Michaels
“Just remember, during the winter, far beneath the bitter snow, that there’s a seed that with the sun’s love in the spring becomes a rose.” – Bette Midler
The meaning of “A rose is a rose is a rose” is often attributed to the notion that when all is said and done, a thing is what it is.
“A woman is like a tea bag – you can’t tell how strong she is until you put her in hot water.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
“If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything.” ― Mark Twain
A lush green Malta just before the summer drought takes over while the sky and sea remain equally blue all year round. Will this be my last summer in Malta? After twenty yrs on this tiny island in the Mediterranean, it’s time to move on.
Blue scarlet pimpernel flowers.
Ghajn Tuffieha, Riviera Bay
Blooms from December to May.
Wild Borage…
Greenery, a blue sea and the blue sky. Enjoy it while you can!
Its leaves, flowers and stalks are edible and taste a little like cucumber.
The one way ticket to Cyprus is booked, we have rented a house by the sea in Neo Chorio, a serene, secluded small Cypriot coastal village. We have no idea what it’s like to live in Cyprus, an exciting challenge awaits.
The countdown has begun, only.………………………………………… days left!!
“If life was easy where would all the adventures be”?
With reference to yesterday’s green plant and the question, “What are you looking at?”. It wasn’t as simple as I thought but it’s certainly a kind of onion-plant. Onion is a vegetable cultivated species of the genus Allium, Allium is Latin for Garlic.
But the Allium family includes more than just onions so I had to seach by image of the flower. It took me some time to find out that it’s a garlic flower while Mr. Ohh.. was the only one who guessed garlic, without even having seen the flower!
Thanks for giving me a clue Mr. Ohh..!
In my next post I’ll show you some images of what is considered to be one of Malta’s most beautiful flowers. The question is whether it’s edible or not..?
… and some quotes that are not related to the images, or maybe they are in one way or another.
“The purpose of our lives is to be happy.” — Dalai Lama
“There are no mistakes, only opportunities.” — Tina Fey
“The secret of happiness, you see is not found in seeking more, but in developing the capacity to enjoy less.” – Socrates
“Life would be tragic if it weren’t funny.” — Stephen Hawking
My dogs and I usually have a lot of fun together. For me a picture doesn’t have to be perfect as long as you captured a valuable moment that otherwise would be forever gone.
Last weekend we went to Miġra l-Ferħa which is just a few kilometers from Rabat where we live. As you can see in the image above, the cliffs are high and plunge vertically down to the sea while people and cars look like miniatures.
There are plenty of paths to walk along the high cliffs, where you can walk for hours.
A plant is a plant, there are plenty of these but I’v no idea what it is. The color fits well into the slightly pale surroundings.
Felicia, on the edge.
They may not understand how close they are, but I trust them and I know them. Otherwise, I would never leave Felicia or Fanny without a leash up here.
It’s a quite barren area but I saw at least a few colorful flowers
Sky and sea merge on the horizon, the Mediterranean is calm, the boats are few, it’s a bit hazy and it feels very harmonious.
Felicia senses the smell of something.
Wonder who came up with the idea to build a window here!
In January, the almond trees bloomed. Today there are no flowers left but the fruits are now maturing.
I read that when the fruit ripens about seven months after flowering, it dries up and opens up. When mature, these turn into greyish-green, fleshy fruit, which split open to reveal the hard-pitted shell of the almond nut inside.
The word nut is mentioned several times while I at the same time read the following; The fruit of the almond is a drupe, consisting of an outer hull and a hard shell with the seed, which is not a true nut inside!
Conclusion, almonds are not nuts but seeds enclosed in a hard fruit covering. So, then it’s clear, what I always thought was a nut is not a real nut.
Apart from that, almonds are said to be one of the world’s most loved tree nuts. Yes, I read nuts! They are highly nutritious and filled with fats, antioxidants including vitamins and minerals. Nut or not, eat almonds, live healthily and stay fit.
Note: Twenty three almond (nuts?) is the ideal daily portion while an over-consumption can lead to breathing problem, nervous breakdown, choking and even death. So it’s important to be careful and not eat too many of these fruits nuts.
Next to Rabat, where we just moved, is Mdina. The ancient city dates back 4,000 years, is older than Valletta and was the capital of Malta from antiquity to the Middle Ages. Mdina is today also referred to as the ‘Silent City’.
This view was taken just a few steps from where we live. From a distance you can see where we used to live, in Sliema, closer to the sea but far from the countryside.
From Fanny’s and Felica’s point of view, they are much better off here. And so am I…
“How lovely yellow is! It stands for the sun.” – Vincent Van Gogh
English name(s): Crown Daisy, Garland, Chop Suey Greens
Indigenous. Present on the Maltese islands before man.
“Silence isn’t golden. It’s yellow” – Zell Miller
Species name: Glebionis coroniaria
“Some painters transform the sun into a yellow spot, others transform a yellow spot into the sun.” – Pablo Picasso
“Yellow usually means it’s not that serious.” – Bobby Unser
Above are some trifling knowledge, a couple of quotes and some flowers from yesterday’s walk with my doggies. I chose the yellow ones, there are plenty of them now. Don’t forget to click on an image to enlarge.
By the way, we’ve moved from Sliema to Rabat! Nature around the corner, the dogs can run freely and it feels great! Here we’ll live temporarily, finally on our way to “who knows where” to our new home in Cyprus. Meanwhile, now that the first move is complete, I’ll get more time for the blog and to visit you and others out there, in this amazing bloggosphere.
Yesterday I saw the first poppies of the year, one of my favorites when it comes to wildflowers. “The earth laughs in flowers.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson”
The purple is not as common as the red ones. Sure, they’re all beautiful! “If we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly, our whole life would change.” – Buddha
This look a bit like a butterfly. “Butterflies are self propelled flowers.” ― Robert A. Heinlein
With this post, I wish you all a Happy Easter Holiday! Now I’m takinga short break and I’ll be back in a week or so. And don’t forget…
This post is dedicated to my lovely dogs Fanny and Felicia. They bring so much joy and have completely changed my life and daily routines. Fanny came to us as a puppy in November 2017, Felicia, her daughter, was born September 27, 2020.
💚 Mother and daughter, soon to be the same size 💚
Unforgettable memories, that was then, 25th October 2020. Six adorable basenji puppies, Cinnamon, Paco, Luna, Milo, Felicia and Gin. Five moved to new homes when they were eight weeks old and they are all very well taken care of!
Fanny, just a week before she gave birth to six puppies
My precious dog Fanny almost disappears in this picture, but she can be seen down there, on the edge. And if you look closely, Felicia can also be seen among the bushes on the side. I didn’t even see her myself until I enlarged the image.
Here are a selection of photos from Malta’s countryside, along the sea. This is where I prefer to go with my dogs, in nature, far from home. Here we can walk for hours and forget the hectic traffic, high rise buildings, all the construction work and cranes that have taken over in the small town of Sliema where we live, where I feel I have lived too long now.
Hello!!
It’s pretty steep here!
Come on, the wooden bridge has been repaired so it’s not dangerous to cross anymore.
Look at the couple on the narrow walkway far ahead! It seems to be crowded here.
The walkways are narrow, the clay wall is steep and the sea is far down. It’s exciting to run here.
Already sunset and time to head back home.
These are the places where I can fill my soul with energy while my dogs enjoy freedom and new exciting discoveries. A valuable part of my everyday life here on the small island of Malta.
Ghajn Tuffieha, Riviera Bay & Il-Majjistral Nature & History Park Malta March 2021
This is one of many colorful wild flowers that can be seen here on the island right now.
The beautiful gladioli are sometimes called the sword lily because of the sword-shaped leaves of the plants in this genus but the most widely-used English common name for these plants is simply gladiolus.
This lovely flower appear between March and May and is quite common throughout the Maltese countryside.
Feel free to click on an image in the collage and it becomes even more colorful.
I’m happy that this year’s first butterfly that I managed to capture was this special species,”The Queen’s Butterfly”. The dry blade of grass may be seen as a disturbing detail, but I decided to leave it instead of wasting time editing.
I was lucky to capture another one of these rare beauties. I read that the Swallowtail is Malta’s only endemic butterfly and its scientific name is Papilio machaon melitensis where melitensis shows that it is a Maltese species.
This species of butterfly, the Red Admiral is on the wing all year round and is relatively common here on the island. Regardless of being rare or common, it’s the same joy every time I manage to get a butterfly in front of the lens.
It doesn’t take much to feel joy in our everyday life. Positive thinking!
The pandemic cannot be ignored, it is here and we are all affected in one way or another. Therefore, it’s so important to try to pick out the positive parts of our everyday lives. Even the smallest things can mean a lot.
I really enjoy the beautiful flowers and colors of Spring.
Being surrounded by greenery in the middle of nowhere can bring pure joy for most creatures.
I’m grateful and very happy about having my beloved dogs Fanny and Felicia. After all, Life is good.
Gerberas are believed to symbolize Beauty, Innocence, and Purity.
“Colors, like features, follow the changes of the emotions” – Pablo Picasso
“Whether the flower or the color is the focus I do not know. I do know the flower is painted large to convey my experience with the flower – and what is my experience if it is not the color?” – Georgia O’Keeffe
“We are all called upon to do small things with great love” – Mother Teresa
Why do two colors, put one next to the other, sing? Can one really explain this? No. Just as one can never learn how to paint.” – Pablo Picasso
The beautiful wild flower Narcissus Tazetta has flourished in diversity here on the island of Malta since time immemorial.
Today, there are significantly fewer of these beauties seen in nature, mainly due to its attractiveness and delicious scent which leads to man being tempted to pick them.
It may be easy to be tempted, but given that they may soon be gone forever from the islands of Malta, makes it feel easier to leave them where they belong…
Fanny, her daughter Felicia and their best friend Freja running and playing in a sea of greenery and white flowers.
Running together in nature without a leash is pure joy, both for the dogs and their owners.
My dear husband, our best friend Fredrik, two basenji’s and a very cute American beagle.
Here we go!!!
…and here we were, in the area of Miġra L-Ferħa.
Located along the sea from where we could see the small island of Filfla. It was a very nice day! Thank you Fredrik for taking us to this for us unique and unknown scenery. Malta February 2021
I bought a bouquet of tulips, in two different colors, three pink and four red. That was then, now they have begun to fade. But my images do not wither, they remain as long as I choose to keep them, I can keep them alive.
“You’re only here for a short visit. Don’t hurry, don’t worry. And be sure to smell the flowers along the way.” – Walter Hagen
“I’d rather wear flowers in my hair, than diamonds around my neck.” – Unknown
It feels like quite a long time now since I visited the island of Penang in Malaysia but sometimes memories last forever. These images are a selection of pictures that I took of the amazing Street Art that can be found in the city of George Town.
“Kids on a Bicycle” Mural by Ernest Zacharevic in Armenian Street
This is one of my favorites, the children do not hide much of the painting.
The “Skippy For Penang” mural is the biggest of the “101 Lost Kittens” art pieces.
“Love Me Like Your Fortune Cat”
Don’t miss to pay attention to the little mouse!
These are painted by ASA, Artists for Stray Animals in George Town, Penang.
Little Girl in Blue mural by Ernest Zacharevic in Muntri Street
This mural can certainly be seen with mixed feelings. A young child balancing herself on top of two window frames. Awesome or creepy…
Indian Boatman by Julia Volchkova in 75 Stewart Lane.
This is in my opinion the most impressive of all the fantastic murals I saw. I only wish I had taken more pictures of the Indian Boatman from different angles, to emphasize its greatness. But I’m pretty happy with this one anyway.
Nu är det väldigt länge sedan jag var med och skyltade tillsammans med Beate så här kommer några skyltar från Malta, trots att söndagen passerat. Bilderna som syns här ovanför är dagsfärska och har en tydlig gemensam nämnare, SÖTT!
Sött kan ju vara både gulligt och gott medan den här skylten är mer åt det motsatta hållet.
Avslutar med några skyltar från mitt arkiv som iallafall för mig förmedlar en känsla av charm och återblickande retro. Har många skyltar och fotar ofta skyltar så jag kommer säkert vara med igen. På söndagar…
Trogna deltagare som håller sig till reglerna och inte skyltar på vilken dag som helst hittar du hos BP
Last Sunday we visited the small and picturesque fishing village of Marsaxlokk which is the largest fishing harbour of Malta and has been so since antiquity. Here, among many other things, you’ll find the colorful and traditional luzzu’z.
The luzzu is a sturdy carvel-built boat with a double-ended hull brightly painted in shades of yellow, red, green and blue. The bow is often pointed with a pair of eyes, “Eye of Osiris”, said to protect the fishermen while at sea.
There’s much more than just the colorful boats to discover in this village, especially on Sundays. More to come…
The other day I took Fanny with me and went to Victoria Lines for a long walk. The view from here is amazing and in the distance you can see the island of Gozo.
Here, in the scenic lush nature, you can walk for hours.
“Nature is the place where your soul go free”
Cape Sorrel A common yellow flower found all over the islands
“In nature you don’t get lost, you find yourself”
Arisarum vulgare Friar’s Cowl, Arison. Present on the Maltese islands before man
