Kittens in Gozo…
I sat on a wall admiring the view when I was staying in Xaghra. I heard some meowing coming from the hedgerow below. It was very faint and I wasn’t quite sure where it was coming from.
I decided to get a big stick and try to separate the hedgerow to see if i could find where the sound was coming from. As I poked the bushes I heard another cat meowing and realised there was more than one in there somewhere. I wondered if maybe a cat had given birth in there.
A little while later, I spotted a plastic bag off to the left. I poked it with the stick and it felt like there was some meat or something in there. I began to climb down the wall so I could get closer to the bag.
I was then joined by some tourists who asked me what i was doing. They got involved and held onto my arm while I fished out the plastic bag.
I managed to hook it with the stick and put it on the wall. One of the girls opened the knot on top. There were two sheets of newspaper inside which we unwrapped to reveal two tiny kittens clutching onto each other for dear life.
I asked the tourists if there was anywhere we could take them but they said there would be no such place in Gozo. We found a clearing within the hedgerow and lay the newspaper out flat so they could at least breathe freely.
I made the decision to walk away then as I didn’t know what else I could do.
I don’t know their fate after that…
Breadman of Xaghra…
While we were waiting at this bus stop in Xaghra…
We saw the breadman out on his daily delivery.
He drives his van around the town and beeps at every street corner .
The people come out of their houses with bags and buy fresh bread and cakes from him.
Some people didn’t come out, they had left empty bags hanging on a nail outside their front doors and the Breadman filled it up with bread for them to bring inside later.
Dogs of Gozo…
I love dogs.
When I was in Gozo I found myself taking more photos of the dogs than of the scenery. Most of the dogs used to hang out on the roofs of the houses and they would look down at you and give you a few barks as you were walking past just to show who’s boss.
Good Guard Dog - Angry Bark - Xaghra, Gozo
Dog at Dusk - Xaghra, Gozo
The envy of all dogs - Xaghra, Gozo
Best looking dog in the neighbourhood - Xaghra, Gozo
Feisty Dog from afar - Xaghra, Gozo
Cute little dog - Xaghra, Gozo
Dog on Balcony - Xaghra, Gozo
Dog on Balcony, Gozo
Dog on distant Roof - On way to Ramla Bay, Gozo
Clean up after your dog!
Go to Gozo…
I am just back from Gozo!
It’s one of the Maltese Islands, south of Sicily… I would definitely recommend visiting the island if you are looking for a quiet getaway.
The first thing that I pointed at after I hopped off the plane were the giant cacti…
Cacti in Gozo
It is everywhere!
You would expect the land to be barren when you see all the cacti growing and it is in places, but it is surprisingly green everywhere else. Every corner of every field is blooming with cabbage, potatoes, figs, lemons, artichokes and other things I didn’t recognise.
The roads are quiet and perfect for long meandering walks, all you can hear are birds, loads of birds and would you blame them for hanging around Gozo when the land looks like this:
Gozo Fields
This is a very Catholic island… The first give-away are the names of the houses; they are all named after Saints. I passed this house which was called “St Joseph” and another called ”In God we trust” and they often have a plagues like this on the front of the house too…
Holy Plaque in Gozo
One thing you sense immediately is how safe the place is. I passed several cars with the keys left in the ignition. The front doors of houses had keys left in them too… even the shops…
Keys left in the door - Gozo
Wherever you have Catholism in large doses, you have supressed sexuality; I found this torn porno magazine discarded in a hedge at the side of the road. Torn up in shame I imagine; guilt and shame…
Porno Mag in Gozo
The people of Gozo are warm and friendly.
Gozo (Malta) joined the EU in 2004 and they are now using the euro so it’s handy for the other countries in Europe.
English is their second language and all of the signs are in english. This makes it easy for dopey tourists like myself. The food is outstanding… They are fond of eating rabbits. I reckon they should start eating cats as the island is rampant with them… rampant!
Yes…
In November 1966, John Lennon went to the Indica gallery in London, where Yoko Ono was preparing her conceptual art exhibition.
He was impressed by her Hammer & Nail piece:
He was also intrigued by her Ceiling Painting:
This required the observer to climb up the ladder, pick up the dangling magnifying glass, which was needed in order to read the micro print on the framed piece of paper affixed to the ceiling.
There was only one word on the piece and that was “YES”.
I like that.
I find pieces like that very uplifting in a world where there are a lot of “NO”s.
Word on the street has it that, that is how they met.
My world is so very full of “NO”s at the moment, is it because I am on the wrong road? Or must I just battle through the “NO”s to get the the “YES”s?
I wish I knew that in advance and then I could decide which road to take.
But that’s life…
John was my favourite Beatle. George was my next favourite. Paul is my least favourite. He’s a pain.
There you have it…
Willie the Chocolate guy…
This guy Willie the Chocolate guy, have you ever seen him?
He is a deeply annoying human being. I hate the way they continue filming him when he has chocolate all over his face after one of his fancy chocolate tasting evenings. It just looks foul. Channel 4 obviously think his passion for chocolate surpasses any need for personal hygiene.
Despite this, I still find myself watching him when he is on TV, to be annoyed is to be entertained.
Since watching his Documentary/Series thingy on chocolate making, I have been buying good quality chocolate, sometimes with 70% cacao in it. I am turning into a bit of a chocolate snob…
Anyway, I bought this bar today…
and let me tell you, it is very very satisfying!
Go out and buy it and taste it and tell me what you think…
Horizontal Man…
I was in Central London today. I walked past this building and there was nothing remarkable about it at first glance…
but upon closer inspection, I spotted some shoes…
And attached to the shoes was a man…
He may have been asleep, he may have been dead…
I didn’t take it any further…
The Thames Seal…
This is another photo of the Seal.
I saw him the other morning at the crack a dawn again.
Seeing him is almost a religious experience I tellya… especially when it’s just me and him and we’re looking at each other in the peace and quiet of the morning.
Me looking at him and him looking at me.
Dog of the sea.
We dwell in two different worlds, yet our daily routines are entwined. I wonder where he is when the tide is out and he’s not on his wooden floating pallette.
I want to swim in there and go with him for some adventures under the sea.
I really wish I was a selkie…
Bit of a wreck really…
This man is a bit of a wreck.
Saw him on Old Kent Road…
He had a dog that sat on the ground and repeatedly scratched his snout with his paw.
The man stood in front of me and was chatting on a mobile phone. I heard him tell his friend that he was “just sittin’ on a bench having a drink, just chillin… ”
His eyes told me that he had been doing that for a very long time.
He said his ‘Key Worker’ just passed by and saw him with a drink and gave him grief. He said the Key worker nagged him saying ”what are you doing with your life and you shouldn’t be drinking and blah blah blah”…
I then heard him say that he was just a bloke and that’s what blokes do…
Mean man…
This man was mean to me.
I sat in front of him on the bus this morning and he said something. I turned around and said “sorry?” (politely) and he mumbled again and I said “sorry?” again and we went round and round until he lost his patience and shouted “turn your head around, I’m talking to him” (nodding at the fella on the right of this photo, who didn’t know him from Adam as he got on at the same stop as me).
So I duly turned my head around and while I was doing that I decided to sit somewhere else altogether, somewhere well away from him. As I did so, he muttered “good choice”.
Then he said “You’re all fools”…
