Hot and too hot

Saturday. Went to Valletta for The Feast of San Pawl, Santo Paulus, or just Paul as in Acts 27/28. He is well known in these parts and revered to the point that if those offering displays of reverence and worship in his direction were to actually read what he wrote they may find that he'd be the first to object to the esteem in which he's held.

Morning services in St.Paul's, midday (?) procession of smartly attired local populace, even smarter clergy, effigies and statues carried, plywood columns (painted to look like marble and gold) lining the streets, exuberant brass band playing, fireworks, ticker tape covering the streets to such a depth that the kids treat it as though it were snow and general noise in confined streets hung with banners like an endless corridor of drapery draping. All in all a most exhilarating display primarily for the locals even though many forgot as it's always on 10th February. We enjoyed the experience, too. This year it was 30th January as it's usual date collides with Lent.  

There was a timetable of events prominently displayed but I think it was produced by the bus company.

A couple of hours was enough as was the temperature so we got out of town and returned to the flat. Via the hostelry by the Saluting Battery, naturally.

The trip back had me immersed in blog construction. Intending to "blog" a rather wonderful, probably my very best ever blog, full of colourful photos and appropriate captions but the laptop had other ideas. It declined to assist me in my pursuit of blog nirvana. All thoughts consigned to the dustbin of electronic frustration and intemperance. No grumpiness, though. Calmness was called for. It didn't answer.

I know it's been a bit dodgy although it was the burning smell that gave the game away, but it was not till after lights out when I wondered what the little green flicker that I thought I could see reflected in the window was that I realised that it was constantly shorting. I think that if it had managed a decent connection it would all have melted.

Seems the piece of plastic I put between the wires on the power supply plug had "gone" and once the black bits had been picked off it seems that the white internal insulation has gone all soggy. It's kind of working now, though it remains a tad too hot.

The battery tells me it's full but it's been on (and off) charge since last night and it's the next evening now. As soon as the green light went off and stayed off late this afternoon I backed up all my photos to an external HDD. Now I'm typing and I can't see any little green flashes in the window behind the screen so all's well, again! Possibly.

Anyway, Paul's Fiesta will have to wait till next year as this one's nearing it's end. The BBC has been telling us that the weather back home's not nice, that a Scotsman lost a tennis match and that Terry Wogan has died bravely. I have none of his music on the iPod, not even one of his singles and if I had I'm not sure that a listen to "The Floral Dance" would do him justice so I'm listening to Bob Dylan and The Band.

I'm hoping that the laptop manages to stay functional until I can get to Maplins for yet another 12.5x 5x2.5 DC plug. If it doesn't this could well be my last blog from this laptop on this island this year.

I know what you're thinking, do I have any blog posts left? To be honest, in all the excitement I really don't know.......

I bet that Clint was never let down by worn out power supply DC plugs .........  I'd use the iPod but that's in constant use and getting photos on it is such a palaver.

Is it really as grey, moist and windy as the BBC says?
Are the shorts and sandals going to have to be consigned to the bottom drawer or wherever it is they're kept?
Isn't it spring yet?