Malta

Our journey was quite surprisingly unremarkable - there were no issues travelling, and we arrived without hitches to our destination (courtesy of our lovely taxi driver George - who did have to collect some cream for a random skin allergy - but, well, that couldn't be helped) which was an Airbnb right upon the harbour of Valletta. It was the cutest little place, and totally ideal for our stay. 

What distinguished Malta for me is the fact all the cats on the island looked content. Which seems like the most solid basis of any rating scale, if you ask me. Just how smug does a feline in your community appear? If, like Malta, there are lots of happy, fat and very satisfied looking cats, then already I'm going to be excited to stay. 

Of course, that wasn't all Malta had to offer. There's a deep, dark history to the island. Being in such a prime location in the Mediterranean, Malta has had it's fair share of colonisations throughout the years. Visiting the Fort Saint Elmo was an intriguing experience, offering a lot of insight into the Great Siege of Malta in 1565 and this continued with a visit to the Palace Armoury in the Grandmaster's Palace. So many weapons, including some of the armour that belonged to the knights from the Order of St John.

We also had the chance to witness the 50th anniversary of the Middle Sea Race. It's pretty amazing how all of the island (or so it appeared) ended up sitting and watching on whatever surface faced the harbour. 

There was a lot of wine and a lot of good food. Particularly, the people at The Pulled Meat Company, who went out of their way to accommodate us and were kind enough to give us complimentary bread and drinks when our food took a little longer than expected (not that we were in any rush). There was also a great seafood linguine from Ginger, and a tasty sea bass dish from La Pira. I highly recommend. 

Go visit Malta. Be it for the history, the food, the wine, the scenery...  Or the very smug cats. 

Always Wine

I guess there shall come a point where I won't talk about each camp session I do.

But every single time it seems weird yet wondrous things happen.

Peachy returned only for a brief stint. I received a phone call whilst I was in Mallorca, enjoying the sun and sand and all those good things. It was to say "Yo, Peachy, so you've said you're available, and now there's space, do you wanna do this yet again?"

Of course, I bloody did.

So off I went.

A summary of my experience is somewhat difficult. There was a trip to Bordeaux together, that included hitchhiking in a bug-infested van, weird green lighting, an art museum, drinking wine by the river, and an abundance of interesting get-to-know-you type questions (sidenote: try and describe your past relationship with a soda brand).

There were some interesting campers. One who may or may not serve some kind of prison sentence when they're older.

There were also discussions of Alaskan fish factories, human pyramids, and plenty of boxed wine.

And just so many quotes that I have enjoyed as a result of meeting y'all.

I had a delightful two weeks with a group of lovely people. Even when the kids were tough, you were all there to make things okay. I'm sad that it couldn't have been longer. But y'know, Malta awaits. I wish all of you the best in your future endeavours.

Come visit me on Canvey Island... (or London, I guess)

Peachy is gonna stay "on brand" and be "always wine" x