14 June 2013

Go with the Flow...!

Friday 14 June 2013



We are painfully aware that time is marching onwards.  

The days slip by as we enjoy the beauty of Sliema Creek and a mooring we have picked up which nobody seems to mind.

Richard is having constant back pain which limits him in every way.  He is limited in what he can do on the boat, cannot walk far without pain, cannot stand in one place for long and when it hurts only gets relief from lying down.  We never thought this would be us when such a short time ago Richard was so fit and strong.  

We have been lucky… so lucky.   On the good days we are close to sailing out of here, but then Richard’s pain grounds him and we know we will stay in the hope that things can be made a little better. 

Malta is a really nice place to be.  Quirky, ancient, dusty, untidy, cars everywhere and a truly lovely Harbour here on the Marsamxett side of Valetta.   Maltese is mostly spoken amongst locals, – a very unusual sounding language with its roots in Arabic and Italian, but English always an option.

Our Medical Insurance has covered Richard for an MRI scan and the specialist he has seen has suggested hydrocortisone injections into his lower back joints to relieve the symptoms of arthritis.  We are currently working through this option.

Many of our friends both on and off the water are quietly getting on with much worse than this and living each day with major health issues.  They are a huge inspiration to us at this time.

In the meantime, small things amuse small minds....

The Duck Village at the entrance to Manoel Island is a source of much amusement and time spent looking over the fence as we pass by on our way to visit friends.

Naturally we are talking about the feasibility of our future on the boat, but not making any decisions at this stage until this suggested treatment has been undertaken.


Currently back on the breakwater at M’Sida, but thinking of grabbing a free mooring again in Sliema Creek.   



In the meantime we are enjoying the company of friends on board boats here and doing what we can, pottering through those jobs which keep on popping up.  








Summer is just tentatively showing its face, with nights still cool, but warm enough to swim during the day for the past two days.  Hopefully this will mean more stable weather, less gales, less red dust… that would be good.  We know its summer because suddenly we are blinkered by sunglasses and hats as we walk the streets of Sliema.

Hopefully our next blog will have some better news and we will be on our way.


Signing out…. Cap’n Buck and Pippy

1 comment:

nnickbb said...

Hi Richard

Did you see the All Blacks/France game in Chch last night?? It was so good I almost want to put a jersey on again myself.

My guess is most of those players will be getting a shot of cortisone too, after the ponding they've taken.

Nick and Karen