Challenges

Two issues currently affecting the work on the house, one political, the other personal.

An ongoing industrial dispute between the Malta Environment and Planning Authority and the Union Ħaddiema Magħqudin has led to a breakdown of communication between the authority and its clients.
People calling Mepa to enquire about planning applications or requiring any other information are being left high and dry as employees follow 10 directives issued by the union last November. These include not answering phone calls and e-mails.
Times of Malta

Our architect needs to ask a simple question related to a change in plans, whether this change is a major one, requiring a long wait after re-applying, or a minor change, taking a much shorter wait. Until this industrial dispute is settled, decisions cannot be taken and work stops.

Second issue is one that cannot but place one in a dilemma. Our mason's father has been told he has days to live. Work has been halted for the moment as our mason needs to spend more time with his family. It has now been 2 weeks. Contractor is worried. I am worried. Will the work be done in time? There is a timetable but sometimes life makes its own decisions.

Which size Solar Water Heater?

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In an effort to promote the use of solar water heaters, the Maltese Government has introduced rebates on such heaters purchased this year. As mentioned before in my blog, I had already planned on making La Indulgenza as energy efficient as possible. This rebate was great news. The issue now is what size of heater to go for. I have decided to go for a Siemens and a local company called SOLARSOLUTIONS, as many had recommended both. The sizes differ in their Collecting area, the ones within my budget being 2m², 2.3m² and 3m². Any one have any idea which one should be used for a 2 person household? I suppose I shall just have to search further on the net.
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Carnival colour

Doesn't carnival give you the same weird feeling that clowns do? It's tragic and comic at the same time. Must say, it did not help that I went to Valletta on my own and was trying a bit too hard to enjoy myself. Must say it was still a fascinating experience from an anthropological viewpoint. I'm sure I would have acted differently had I also had a mask. Birgu had its own festivities complete with traditional village fair games but I gave that a skip this time.
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Latin inscription

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The phrase "Ubi dubium ibi libertas" will be engraved on the wall of La Indulgenza, right on top of the doors to the roof garden. The house's proximity to the Palace of the Inquisitor makes this and other subtle references to religion and the Inquisition rather relevant. The name of the house is also a reference to the Indulgences granted in the past by the Popes or by the Church (and not, as many have suggested, to the Order of Perpetual Indulgence in NY).

Anyone with any knowledge in latin or on the Inquisition is kindly asked to contact me.

Indulgence on the tiles

The upstairs room in La Indulgenza that will eventually lead unto the roof garden will be a good size room. This gives me the opportunity to make a statement with its white walls and ceiling offset by the jet black hand made Zelig tiles on the floor. On one side of the room, four tiles will be chipped with the design above, the initials of the house Divina Indulgenza (Divine Indulgence). I still have to hear from the producer in Morocco as to whether the fine lines of the design can be reproduced.

The boss visits

My parents and Mike at Cordina's

Mike being shown the graffiti

The graffiti

One of the hardest things for Mike and I on this project is being apart for so long. Thankfully, Mike manages to slip away from his busy schedule and pop over every month or so, mainly to check I'm not just simply skiving (Mediterraneans aren't to be trusted, you see?) and enjoying the warm weather. Only, this time, he found out Malta can be just as cold. The weather has been unusually cool this last week. Hopefully it will warm up by Mike's next visit in March.

The doorway

The doorway 1. Currently, 2 & 3. Proposed options

One of the architectural elements that we are considering bringing back to the original is the doorway. The stone slab currently there (seen in the first picture) was added on at some point in the past. The dilemma is always the same: an add-on is still part and parcel of a building's history so does one keep it or should one restore it to what would have been the original layout?

In this case, after we discussed it with the architect, the decision was to take it out. There is no practical reason for it being there and it robs the doorway of its original glory. Furthermore there is also a similar cornice a few doors down the road and that still holds the original design.

The next dilemma is what kind of door to install. The one currently there is not big enough so a new one would need to be made. Although the house with the similar cornice further down has a door with panels, the original is more likely to have been more plain (similar to the one we have now). Would love to hear what others think about this.

Our mason's father has been taken to hospital with a bad case of cancer so work on site has stopped for this week. Hopefully work will start very soon.

Improvising

Il gatto reale (the royal cat)

I was after a cast iron floor grille, preferably Victorian, to place in the thick wooden trap door we're installing in the spiral staircase. The idea is that air would flow through and the books on the wall to wall library downstairs will not get damp. The trouble is it was going to prove difficult finding anything of the sort on the island. Not particularly common here, so I had to widen my net and not restrict myself. After all, what was needed was a decorative grid with enough gaps to suit the purpose. It also had to be strong enough to take the weight of a person. Et voila! Car boot sale came to the rescue again - hot grille for pots with a pretty feline face with what seems like a crown!

Chapel in La Indulgenza

The arch leading to the room

This morning I showed the architect the graffiti in the bedroom. She said that this coupled with the feature on top of the arched doorway all points to the room having been the house chapel at some point in time. One has to keep in mind that the house would have been much bigger (the houses on each side were one with ours) so it makes sense that the household would have afforded to contain a chapel.


A chapel in a more affluent Maltese house