Yep, the 7th of June is actually a holiday in Malta (I’m half Maltese – we’ll get into Q’s split national backgrounds another day) It’s a day to commemorate four lives lost shortly after World War One during a civil uprising against the colonial Maltese government and the British. I’ve never actually read a lot about it before but it’s one of those things that you read and thin “if those responsible had acted differently, the course of history might have been changed.” The next couple of paragraphs are a summary of a pretty grim episode so skip down a couple of paragraphs to the weekly update if you’re so inclined.
GRIM HISTORY SECTION
After the war, things became pretty precarious in Malta; the cost of living rose; shipping was interrupted and Malta’s this tiny island in the middle of a vast sea – shipping is the lifeline. As fewer food supplies come in, the price of what’s there goes up and no one can afford it. Couple that with some political differences – become independent or remain “British” – and you end up with a tinderbox waiting for a spark.
So before the June 7 meeting of the National Assembly (the government) the police were worried about a planned demonstration but they didn’t actually do much about it. Then the crowd of people who showed up noticed that the Union Jack was flying above the Maltese flag and they got pissed. They broke in and took down the Union Jack. They went through the capital getting places with British names, or in British named buildings to close – basically no where with a Union Jack was safe. The army was called for help but only a handful of soldiers came in against thousands of rioters. One of the soldiers must have felt threatened, or thought a shot in the air would calm things down (weird no?) and a shot was fired and a Maltese man died. One soldier fired and others followed. Four Maltese died that day. While there were more uprisings the next day the point was made that the Maltese couldn’t live as they had been – people were starving and feeling like they had no voice in their own governance. That couldn’t last. Within a coupe of years, a new constitution was introduced and a new governance structure put in place.
BACK TO YOUR REGULARLY SCHEDULED PROGRAMMING
so another week – and 2 more pounds lost since last Friday or 20 total from May 1. Last Sunday I went and had a facial as my “20 pounds lost” reward. A little early I know but my nephew is in town now and I have a 5k race this Sunday so I took it a little early.
This week’s favourite meal was made with leftovers! Toby took some leftover steak and stir fried it with broccoli and almonds and spicy sauce. It was awesome. I also made that low carb almond chocolate cake and Toby made some very yummy brownies.
I’ll promise to include more recipes and food pics in the future!