A Place in the Sun

As of the beginning of this year, plastic bottles have been introduced for soft drinks in Malta. Until recently, only glass bottles were being used, so that there was a system of bottle returns, that obviously saved much on waste being produced. The introduction of plastic bottles has created some dilemma in my mind. While of course some still threw away the glass bottles, their disposal was not half as harmful as plastic bottles. One can argue that, with all this waste separation, we can recycle those bottles into other plastic items, but how much? It will definitely increase the necessity for plastic-skips, which are already often full to capacity as things stood until now. This may of course sound very conventional, and as though the author is not willing to change. However, having studied various aspects of environmental law, including aspects of anti-dumping legislation (though this in the maritime context), one tends to continue to be sensitive to such issues. Let us hope that N...

Yesterday I had the pleasure of working from home. Sometimes I choose to do it when my resources happen to be at home, rather than at the office. Because my office is really, mine (as opposed to being an employer's), it feels hardly any different from home. Indeed, being a freelancer has that benefit of allowing you feel that your office is an extension from home. I have set up office in Qormi last June, and am still in the process of decorating it. I recently hung up a few lovely paintings to try to liven it up. The place is rather old and so I'd like to give it a modern touch while keeping its quaint look. I started to work from an office because the pressure of having people turn up on my mother's or my boyfriend's doorstep was a bit too much to handle. I must say that I am strongly in favour of having a home office, but not at the expense of having an external office, where to keep client information and where to meet clients. www.geraldinespiteri.com

Today I was quite shocked when, passing through our capital, I happened to pass near some toilets and went in to wash my hands. There was one woman trying to force-feed her four-year old child one of these babyfood jars. The public toilet was not, in my view, the best place to force feed this little girl, who was crying and threatening to throw up. The grandmother was telling all who would listen that this child never eats. No wonder, when she is fed in places such as the public toilet in Valletta!! It may not seem much to most. However, in a place where many worry about obesity, I find it hard to accept force-feeding, especially since a child will eat when he or she is hungry. How very strange!!!

When I first started writing on blogspot, I had only one nephew. some eighteen months ago, or perhaps a little more, we had another addition to the family. Julian (Juju) has not yet featured on blogspot, so here is a picture of him for those who are or have been following. I am now the proud aunt of two nephews who are growing fast. Jacob is three and a half years old, and forms sentences relatively well. Julian is eighteen months old, and a crafty little bugger at that!!

I am back again ! I had lost the details of this account and had forgotten even my user name, so I had to reactivate an old email address before re-using, and here I am again Much water has passed under the bridge. The house I used to live in has been demolished and we have nearly completed the three maisonnettes we have built instead. I am looking forward to seeing my place finished, even if I am not sure whether I will be living in it at all. I will soon be telling you of all I have done or been through over the last two years. Watch this space :)

We went on a trip across Europe over Easter week and returned on Good Friday. We started off near Birmingham and travelled to Dover where we crossed to Calais. The Channel Tunnel service is really efficient! After we travelled across France, we went to visit a dear friend in Switzerland. Then we went to Italy and took three to four days to travel down south. A lovely break all in all.

Nikki is a noseless dog. She is completely deaf and partly blind from an eye too, and every seven heartbeats she misses one... she's 14 years old and she lives with gordon...

Today is a BAD HAIR DAY. My hair won't stay in place, and calling it straggly is the underestimation of the year. Im feeling tired and befuddled and not very feminine, not lease brought on by the state of my hair ... Ah well the weather has not been to helpful i must admit and though i washed it yesterday it looks like it needs a lot of TLC ... ah there goes my healthy lifestyle and resolution to start to take care of my self one day....

I was sitting in on some criminal cases today. God how awful! I had to assist a client and I had to hear some criminal cases meanwhile. One of these related to some brothers who went for each other with intent to injure each other, and one of the brothers even went to fetch his air gun. They exchanged insults and their mother witnessed it all, and was even powerless to prevent it. How horrid, I thought, these things exist in a small community like ours? ah well ... Have more sittings tomorrow so i'd better push off. must get my sleep ...

I have one gorgeous little nephew named Jacob. Nickname Bubu. Quite an adorable little child he is, though very naughty too. I take lots of photos of him, which you will be seeing here from time to time. He is expecting a brother in about 2 and a half months, so soon this will change to 'my nephews'. He is so cute that I keep wanting to bite him ... In this photo he was just waking up at 7 am one saturday morning, after having slept over at my place for the night. At the moment he is one year 7 months old, and this photo is about a month old. ...

I will always remember the first time when I went into court. Well not the first time. One of the first times. I hated the first time so much that I have blanked it out. Completely. I simply do not remember when I first walked into the building. I swear. Well anway! I hated it, so much that each time I tried to enter the place to 'practise for the future' I left with a screeching migraine and a bad back. I did wear sensible shoes you know - please don't blame my walking, my shoes or my posture. For christ's sake, the corridors are freezing even at the best of times, and one walks in and out of heated halls (rooms if you like) and catches one's death of cold with the draught. The next blow was when I wanted to use the lift ( elevator if you will be fussy). Out of order. A few years later, the occupational health and safety authority earmarked the family court lift as unsuitable for use. Stayed that way for a few months... but well. So I'm now all lawyery and all ...