wordless wednesday

Turtles and swimming

So my maternity leave is officially over and tomorrow I am off to work in my office by the sea which however I can't enjoy at all-sigh- However, I spent a wonderful end of maternity today if one can say such a thing!

There was going to be the release of about 10 sea turtles back to the ocean after they had been treated for being caught up in fishing hooks etc. It was a great experience being there to watch such a beautiful event.

However this experience was tainted due to the lack of organisation of the governmental organisation who held this activity as they let the people get too near the turtles and didn't let them proceed as peacefully as they should have.

After this great event we remained at the beach me and Greg with my cousins and enjoyed the rest of the morning. Gregory really loves the sea and you can see huge smiles on him even in the coldish water :) I have some pics of him which my cousin will be sending me and will then post.

The above pictures were meant to be taken by myself but Gregory chose that time to feed so I had him in my sling drinking and my cousin Priscilla took the pics for me. Thanks Pris and great shots :)

Mnarja- tradition

This weekend we had a special celebration in Malta. It's called Mnarja- the feast of St Peter and St Paul - and is probably the most important date in the Maltese folklore diary. The feast was originally celebrated in Mdina and people from all over the island used to spend the whole night eating and singing besides the fortifications of Mdina. In the following morning they used to organise races. The procession in Imdina was organised for the first time around 1613. In the sixteenth century there were the races for men, boys, slaves and donkeys as well. The flags used to be presented in front of the Banca Giuratale, then there used to be an open air theatre, constructed yearly for the great occasion. Their 'trophies' were maybe swords, caps or handkerchiefs.
It seems that in the 18th century the feast moved to Buskett (our manmade forest done by the Knights of St John) where people used to spend the night before the Imnarja's feast. The agriculture show was initiated when Reid was the British governor of the island in 1854. Nowadays farmers take some of their best products to Buskett for the agriculture show. There is also an animal show and horse racing. Regarding food, many people like to taste the rabbit on that day which is a traditional dish. On the eve you have folklore singing still as well. We went on the day and here are a few pics I took.

Earth song

Today I was going to write a post on the chakras (which according to the East they are energy channels in our bodies). However with the death of Michael Jackson, I remembered one of his best songs ever that speaks loudly and clearly of our destruction of the earth. Earth song was released in 2006 and its video invoked emotions of sadness, anger and hope. I always cry when I see the video because the ache of the earth is palpable. You can feel every shot, every felled tree...the pain of our planet who's been trying to tell us in so many ways but we ignored and still do a lot really because although we want to help it, we don't want to give up our comfortable living. Our easy ways can't be compromised.....yet, the destruction gets worse every year and WE are the sole perpetrators. Don't you feel any guilt? when you go in a forest, by a lake, mountain or river don't you feel the calmness and happiness. Have you seen lions in the wild and felt that rush of excitement seeing them there in their habitat FREE! Don't you go to the zoo and see the sadness in the animals' eyes?

I got to know this song wasn't released as a single in the US and the video hardly shown on the music channels. That is a great shame for one of the best songs in favour of our earth. I hope that whoever visits my blog gets to see this video and pass it on to everyone else and I sincerely hope that more will take act of their actions.....

Going back on the track

So yesterday I spent a lot of time thinking (don't worry Dave nothing needs to disturb your peace- hubby is terrified when I think!). I sorted a lot of things in my head and came up with a sort of schedule so that time is spent evenly and not wasted. Today, I started and feel happy really as I commenced my day with meditation & yoga and felt so energised and calm. I also finished reading a great book titled Eastern Body, Western Mind by Anodea Judith (its on the chakra system---my next post tomorrow). I found it quite helpful and will now go through it again a chakra at a time and see if I can open up my energy system more :) and connect to the world in a better way!
I listed the things that I still wish to accomplish and have a fair idea of how to get about it....so far its not a long wish---maybe also due to the fact that my main wish used to be to travel and travel and even more travel but since Greg's been born that went down on the priority list (apart for the fact that its too expensive to do so with and without a child and not affordable if you live in Malta). So anyway, I feel like I am going back on track slowly I know its only a day and I might not keep up with my expectations but well we will see and this one day or rather morning still made a whole lot of difference to me.
Let me end this post with a link--Grounded in gratitude---its something you should really read and ponder about. Here is an excerpt from it:

On the surface, gratitude appears to arise from a sense that
you're indebted to another person for taking care of you in some way, but
looking deeper, you'll see that the feeling is actually a heightened awareness
of your connection to everything else. Gratitude flows when you break out of the
small, self-centered point of view—with its ferocious expectations and
demands—and appreciate that through the labors and intentions and even the
simple existence of an inconceivably large number of people, weather patterns,
chemical reactions, and the like, you have been given the miracle of your life,
with all the goodness in it today.

The halted journey

For the past month I neglected my yoga practice, meditation and when possible left my puppy to play alone if quiet. The reason quite simply is blogging mixed with general laziness. I was so wrapped up trying to do 1000 comments ( which I didn't more difficult than I thought) and simply reading blogs, that I neglected everything else. Couple that with Greg wanting to sleep with us rather than in his cot and so I don't sleep so well and the heat of Summer and I got lazy, without will to do much...just drifting with the flow, whatever happens happens.....
I suppose it doesn't quite sound as bad as that, and yet, I know my mind is all topsy turvy no idea of priorities and so on. I have to say that usually Summer always leaves me like that (not just blogging) but this year its been slightly worse than usual. So I will have to get everything in order again and so will leave less comments than I did this month ( nearly 500) and I will blog less frequently (also as I am starting work again) and I will hopefully have more interesting posts to leave here as my inner self will come back to the surface :) I might actually post less often than I did so far but I prefer that than posting silly nonsense of no interest at all.
I wish you all a good day while I go and start exploring my life again.....

wordless wednesday

Last Sunday he was playing iin his gym the next thing we see is him sleeping still holding his toys!

to teeth or not to teeth

I am really hoping my dear boy will have his first teeth SOON! This week, so far, we had a kind of tantrum, pain filled cryin that drove us over the wall. I felt so so bad that neither the gel nor the parmacetamol worked. In the end I put latin music on and danced his pain away....so far it always worked (hubby thinks that since he hates that music he thinks that its better to forget all and sleep!). What ever really as long as he calms down and sleeps peacefully I am fine. God today week is my last day at home for the time being...can't believe I am really at the last drops.
On a more brighter note, yesterday we received by post our Ergo and Bum genius yupppi. Now one question- do you just wash them normally in the machine the bum genius when soiled or do you use something before so they remain nice as new? They really look cute on him and am sure will buy him more.
On father's day he also turned 5 months and he sat down on his own for a few seconds (using his arms to balance). We also tried him on a piece of bread and he chewed at it like crazy-grin- I think he will enjoy a more varied diet n a months' time.

Father's Day-- my hubby

First I'd love to wish all you dads a wonderful father's day. Second a special mention goes to my great husband. You know recently, we were joking and he said I never mention him at all. So here is a special post just for him :)

Dave is a very sensitive person and he worries so much, while I, am the carefree and spontaneous one. He is now taking 3 months off work and care for our puppy. I am so proud of him for doing it because as all you mommys know, its no easy feat to do so. However, I know this will be a great opportunity for him to bond more with Greg (and possibly appreciate the multitasking we do!sorry I had to say it).

Anyways, hubby is a paintings restorer and also an artist. He has loads of patience in his work and actually would love to have more time to paint (which I admit am one of the reasons he doesn't have the time!). Yesterday we had an opening for an exhibition he is taking part in. It's not quite a big deal, but, I was so proud of him last night and more so when the person who opened the exhibition chose one of his paintings---HIS painting as the best one of all being exhibited (5 painters in total took part). You can view his works on the following artandconservation.net site and he also does paintings on commission and sells abroad (well if I don't do a bit of free advertising eh?)

My dearest I decided to go global and let you know here that I love you a lot and will be quite lost without you (since you are the one I can harass without actually being taken to court or something). Hugs & kisses!

aromatherapy

I tried this new recipe for a face mask which I really liked and so thought of posting it here; its good for all skin types apart for sensitive skin.

1 slice of wholemeal bread
approx 1 tbsp honey preferably organic
3 drops pure cedarwood oil
1 drop pure lavender oil

toast the bread till blackened then blend it till almost dust. Add enough honey to form a thick paste and add the drops. Apply to face and neck, leave for 10 mins and rinse with warm water.

The fishes & random thoughts

I wasn't going to post today really. Wasn't quite in the mood but then while I was blog hopping, returning comments and thanking , I went into this blog that I like reading and saw that I was mentioned as due to be given credit. This was such unexpected yet beautiful surprise, that I had to post in the end. So thank you very very much Karie for your mention and who sees this post it would be nice to drop by the fish family. Experience the good, bad, ugly & also funny of 2 wonderful parents and three kids ( twins and singleton). You will not regret it for sure and want to return for more! I hope you passed a great day Mrs fish.

xxxxxxx

Greg hugs my neck nowadays when I pick him up :) and I love the feeling that it gives me ( loved, needed & wanted). He's also rolling the whole way now which is sweet to see. Will miss my days with him now I am about to go back to work!

xxxxxxxx

Saw this slide show on treehugger of beautiful waterfalls and thought of sharing it; so if you wish to view it please go on the hereunder link.


http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/06/amazing-waterfalls-around-the-world-slideshow.php

wordless wednesday

My puppy discovered his feet 2 weeks ago, here he is playing with them and trying to put them in his mouth

Malta is the place we love most

Since a lot of my readers seem to be American or any country other than Malta anyway, I thought of sharing some facts of our little island and way of life.

Malta is the biggest from a group of islands forming an archipelago. These can be found in the middle of the Mediterranean sea between Sicily and Tunisia. Malta is 316 sq km and basically should you own a car you can cross it north to south in under 2 hrs! We have got a long history and own the oldest megalitic temples dating to 3500BC. We also have our unique language which is called Maltese and is a combination of a lot of other languages really (since we had been taken over by basically all powers that dominated in the world)called a semitic language. Our population reaches approx 400,000 and we are mainly Roman Catholics. Since 2004, we form part of the European Union and have also adopted the euro as our currency.

Facts on the Maltese way of life:

• 75% of the Maltese own at least one car- making it difficult to find parking especially since everyone tries to find parking exactly underneath his destination lest he needs to walk more than out of the car and into the place he is going to.



• most Maltese go out to eat and/or view a film at least once a week- even if we complain that life has become expensive and we can't keep up with the bills and usually the bills are the ones that suffer since we don't want to loose out on the fun



• we have more rocky beaches than sandy ones so we tend to over populate the sandy ones as we prefer those.



• any excuse is good for a celebration be it a football team or political party winning to birthdays, anniversaries etc



• 50% speak more than 2 languages - Maltese and English are our official langauges



• we tend to spend a lot of money on things we don't really need- every season needs new clothes and shoes and every new gadget that comes out needs to be tried out!



• most Maltese go for a weekend break in a hotel in Malta or Gozo (the sister island) more than once a year and travel out of the country once a year.



• there is no weekend if we do not meet family & friends so its picnics in winter and beach bbqs in summer



• when we go to the above mentioned, we need to take everything with us to make it comfortable ie table, chairs, gas bbq, generator (if its night time), 3 coolers full of food and drinks, radio for music and were it possible even a toilet I suppose - life is simple see...



• we talk loudly as if we are in a talking competition, are vain, love to boast with our neighbours (telling them how better we are then them) and we prefer a grocery store than a big store so we can keep up with the gossip



• we love eating and drinking and basically enjoying ourselves


• most of us are with a big mortgage as we buy houses rather than rent and I think we are one of the countries that have most people who actually own houses


• we have free public health but complain that it takes too long for an appointment


• 90% of the population own a cell phone


• children are normally taken care of by grandparents so the parents can both work and maintain the high standards they set for themselves ( but a lot of times also out of necessity really)

Ggantija Temples

We love complaining and I think its a way of life but we live in a cushy place things considered and as we got a low crime rate its great to live here. I'd love to live abroad for a while but I simply know that eventually I want to come back home. Home, the place were Summer starts in April and I complain non stop about the heat (which can reach 40 celius in August) and the fireworks that characterise our feasts (and between June and October you have at least one every week). Home, the place where Winter is very short and not too cold but we still complain of the cold (the lowest temp I have known is 5 celcius at night). Home, where I can leave for work only 30 mins in advance and usually get there right on time. Home, where what I don't find to buy in our localstores I can now get it on the internet and love it. Home, where family is only a max of an hour away by car and reachable by phone, cell phone and internet.

With all our problems, I love it and I won't change a single thing....well maybe our bumpy roads

Village Festa

Yesterday in the village where I wasbrought up Rabat, they had the feast (or as we say in Maltese festa) of Corpus Christi. In this feast, the sacrament of Christ is taken out in a procession followed by the children whp just did their First Holy Communion. Here are some pics I or hubby took on thge day.

The Church of St Paul all dressed up for the occassion and the congregation

The Archpriest coming out under a canopy to shield the Sacrament

The Brass Band playing along with the procession

My mama and niece Rebecca ( 9 months)

My puppy fast asleep

my babywearing stash

A blog I follow Adventures in babywearing decided to do a babywearing stash day(yesterday sorry I'm late), I can't claim to have loads- only 2 though last time I said 1(since I don't use this carrier I nearly forgot it)-
That's a chicco carrier, I don't think it comfy and hardly wear it but hubby uses only that as didn't like the sling




And here is my maya ring sling with a pouch as well which I find very convenient. I love it and so does Greg. Also its perfect to breastfeed in public. This was the first time I ever used it :)



I'd like to get a mei tai and ergo now that my pup is getting heavier and also coz I wish to try the back carry.

Thanks in the end

I missed posting yesterday but I was trying to do loads of comments and the time slipped by.....its very difficult leaving so much comments actually and sometimes you find that certain blog interesting and you spend more time on it than expected and well you know suddenly you need to do dinner, the baby woke, husband arrived from work, time for yoga class.......


Greg is back to normal-nearly- well no more fever since Saturday and the throat is ok and he is playful and his usual self....but he is hoarse and been so since Monday. He's getting a dry throat at night which of course doesn't help and sometimes his nose gets blocked and since it s allergy season, am wondering if he ain't got an allergy. So decided to wait till after the weekend and if still hoarse will take him again to be checked! The great news is he is sleeping again through the night with just a short wake for a snack and when he gets up (around 6 am) he is happy and smiling....I am not however...got used to sleeping late and really groan when I hear him chuckling and try to get me to play with him -sigh-

When I started my blog, the idea was mainly to put my thoughts down (kind of online diary) and try and expand knowledge on eco issues etc to others. Yet, I also wished to be recognised- in the sense that people ackowledge my sharing thoughts with them- but never got feedback or rather nearly none. In fact am disappointed really that whom I was kinda expecting to follow my blog don't - or got no knowledge that they do- and others I wasn't really thinking of do. However, I am happy as well that many people now pass by and leave comments and appreciate when I leave comments as well. So, I thought to thank all of you who follow my blog and all those who pass every now and again. A special thanks goes to that person living in San Fransisco who I know comes by regularly (feedjit is quite good to know where ppl come from) but don't now who this is and as far as I know never left a comment but that's ok, thank you!

Not my normal post but felt the need to say this....wish you all a great weekend.

wordless wednesday

I do not know its name if someone does please let me know...but I liked it!

yoga retreat

I finally managed to go to a yoga retreat. It was touch and go since as you know Greg's been sick. However, yesterday he woke up quite well and we also needed to see how it goes to spend the whole day with daddy now my return to work is imminent and therefore I headed out of the house.

The retreat was held in Buskett in an oldish but sweet bungalow. I was told this place is used a lot for retreats and infact the place looked catered just for that with about 20 bunk beds, toilets & showers for ladies and gents, a kitchen and big sized dining area. I would have renovated the place a bit as its starting to look rundown, yet, I felt it was quite perfect. We started the day with a 2 hour asana practice in the back yard and as the sun wasn't showing much of itself and there was a fresh breeze it was perfect. I loved the quiet, with just the birds in the background singing and my breath working in unison with my body movements. The 2 hours seemed to pass in just a second and afterwards I felt so relaxed and stretched (after 3 days sitting on the sofa cradling my infant and not daring to move as it would cause a bout of crying, my body felt so light). We went inside for lunch as it was by now 1230pm and enjoyed a light yet filling vegetarian meal, while discussing everything and nothing in particular. We were only about 12 people and all quite different from each other, but we got along fine and felt at ease with each other. After some more talking, napping or whatever your heart desired to do we watched a bittersweet dvd. Its called the circle of life and basically showed the animal kingdom and the difficulties they go through and the ones we human beings are creating for them. I was smiling when I saw a polar bear popping its head out of the snow followed by 2 cubs but my heart cringed and I felt like crying when you see another dying for the simple reason that due to global warming the ice is melting quicker and so the bear had to swim a long way rather than walk to the hunting grounds and by the time he got there he was so exhausted he couldn't hunt..he tried but failed and he just sat down waiting to die....its so horrible! I wished to shout and scream and bang because that bear died and he died coz of our selfishness and nothing else! Also it was sweet seeing the elephants caring for their little pups but agonizing seeing the same pups lie down exhausted as they had been travelling for over 2 weeks without a drink. The matriarch pushing them and coaxing them as the water was near. But, the route they have to travel is becoming longer due to human intervention and one wonders if next time they will manage to get to the water in time or worse if the water would fail to be there due to more dryness coz of global warming. So so bitter and at the same time you see those wonders and just wish to immerse yourself just for that fleeting moment and live in harmony with the rest of the natural world. It made me quite nostalgic of my African and Amazonian trips and wish so much to go again and show all that beauty to my son and teach him to respect the world he lives in so that it can sustain him and future generations to come.

After our film, we did an hour or so of yoga nidra (conscious sleeping) and meditation. I never tried yoga nidra except the last 10 mins of each practice which is more relaxation really and never did meditation for a long time either. However, much to my pleasure, I saw that nowadays I could manage to control my mind more and started finally to visualize (something I couldn't do before. I can't do it a lot yet but just the fact that I do fir that split second is good enough for me). I drifted in that hour or so, feeling acutely, where my body touched the ground and yet so far away from myself that I wasn't aware of much else around me. The voice of our teacher droned on guiding us throughout; I heard it and yet it was like it wasn't there. When it was time to open our eyes and go back to reality I didn't want to...it was so peaceful . After that we read vedic poetry and had a short yoga philosophy explained and the day was suddenly over. I was at peace with myself, carefree and in love with life. I walked out to the setting sun and made my way home as fast as possible ( my boobs urgently needed some milk expressed---yeah I broke the romantic mood but it was a big necessity). I scooped up my son and kissed him a million times, I was now ready again to care for him with a clear mind :)

And for who is wondering how the day went for hubby, it went great and so we are both happy...

4 months ago from facebook

I wrote a note on facebook and then thought it was worth putting it down here as well....

Since my blog started, I haven't written here which is a bit of a
shame....but then everyone I have on my friend list received a notification to
visit or follow my blog....anyhow, today I decided to write again.Greg is now 4
months, he smiles, chuckles, rolls, grabs things, gets angry when he can't do
something and started to prefer mommy and her boobys ......daddy gets angry at
this but I can 't do anything! He's been sick since yesterday, but already
better. Greg also loves going for long walks till late at night and hanging out
with people (till he tires out that is then he just wants home and quiet). It is
amazing seeing these changes happening and a character might soon be forming. My
friend Jenny who's son is a month younger and I had posted about her birth
misadventure, is doing great and Heath is progressing very well.....a shame our
sons won't play together...I still miss her as she is a woman with whom I found
easy to talk to and being both mommies, we would have had both someone with whom
to share our happiness and worries. Yet, I have found a lot of help and support
from other mom bloggers who write their experience to share...not the same
really but so much grateful for that.Life till the end of this month has been
relaxed and happy, keeping house, playing with Greg and meeting family and
friends...now have to go back to work....I can't truly say I missed it, but, I
won't mind a slight change in my days again to see which I like most. Actually I
do think I already know but still.....Dave will take over as prime caregiver and
housekeeper. I know he's up to the challenge and I got no doubt he will manage
it (possibly with some help from his mom) and actually am proud of him for doing
it. Greg will cry and refuse to eat the first few days due to his mama obsession
but they will then get on like a house on fire.Do I mind staying home, not
travelling, not going to concerts, late nights out etc? the answer a big no! I
am impressed of myself especially since travelling is my passion but having a
child is also a journey full of wonders and I am loving every moment of it.

Still sick

Good morning to all! Another hot Summer day in sunny Malta. Will probably spend the whole day blogging since my puppy is still awfully sick. He did sleep all night bless him (woke only once for a feed at 2.30 am) and is sleeping now (for the next few mins as the gas man is soon passing hooting his horn and I know Greg will wake crying frightened). This morning he woke at 5.30 and gave us a couple of nice smiles, so that hopefully means getting better. Than soon after he threw up:( first time ever and he started crying, I felt so bad for him. Still with fever too poor babe and when he looks at you his eyes are red, swollen and tired. Although sleeping on me creates more heat for him, he prefers that during the day and is in fact snuggled up against my chest. I've put a damp cloth on his forehead to cool him down, but he isn't fond of it so I stopped and slept nearly straight away. I am positive thinking mode and believe he will be soo much better this evening!

Send ALL YOUR POSITIVE THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS THIS WAY TODAY and may God bless you all.

Leave a comment challenge

I decided to take part in a challenge, that of giving 1000 comments to other bloggers by the end of the month.....its quite tough considering, but interesting anyhow and I end up going into a lot of interesting blogs. The contest/challenge is being held by a blogger called Harriet. She seems very sweet and interesting to get to know.

On a different note Greg woke up sick today....throat and was given antibiotics....I should have asked if I can do anything else rather then antibiotics, but I felt tonguetied and possibly was hearing my paniced husband in my mind to - he ain't much for natural therapy...maybe one day I'll convince him- anyhow its only 3 days so I guess that's not bad....feeling however down seeing my puppy in pain, hot and confused. At least he is sleeping a lot (of course he wants to do so on me heh so I cant move or he wakes crying shikes!) which makes life for him hurt free and mine noise free.

I also went in a new site today...5 minutes for faith and it is really nice. Maybe you too can have a look see, it gives nice insights to us Catholics.

wordless wednesday

Sunset at the Majjistral National Park, Malta

pls note this photo is by Jozef Lubina

Summer conundrum

My puppy is refusing the bottle, claims my breast as pacifier and when crying he most often calms down on me only. I should worry, especially since I am due to go back to work in a months' time. And yet, whenever it happens my heart sings....I wonder sometimes if that is normal or just my selfish feelings. Hubby gets angry sometimes that the baby wants me more and that what he's been doing since birth, seems not good at all right now. I do feel bad for him coz if you think about it, its quite frustrating that your son, the one you are used to feeding in the evening and calming at night now wants only mummy and nothing else will do. I'd be quite jealous myself if it happened to me. However, my instinct tells me that puppy will know his mamma is not around when the time comes and he will be ok feeding from the bottle and letting daddy snuggle him and calm him to sleep. I do still worry about it, but, I suppose it is natural and when it happen s I hang on to my instinct and believe in it.
Since nowadays I read a lot of blogs from other mummys, I have that awareness, that once I stop spending my whole day lazing at home, playing with my son, I will loose so much of his development and it will nag me for the rest of my life. In this respect, who's been following, knows that I'm gonna try convince my boss to start working from home and if you think that's ok, please note here in Malta that is not the norm yet, though slowly growing in popularity. I haven't gone far into thinking and what if he says no....I'm keeping positive and will look on a decision if the need arises; I'm betting he will accept but if you people pray I will appriciate all the good vibes coming our way.