Ta' Xbiex seafront

I must praise the national authorities for the near complete embellishment of Ta' Xbiex seafront where I am currently spending a few days in Malta, away from England. The new balustrade and paving have been placed to good effect all along the sea, including the addition of easier entry to the water for bathers.

But what is this I see sticking out like a sore thumb just a few metres offshore? Is it?... No!... Could it really be my old landmark... The Love Boat?

What sort of toothless local authority has allowed that burnt out vessel to sit brazenly on the water, completely bringing down the otherwise wonderful effect created by the new balustrade? What will the ambient lighting, once installed, be shining upon? Why the wreck that sits there, taunting us with its ugliness and ruining the restful view across the water!

And what do I find every few yards or so as I walk from Ta' Xbiex to Sliema? Apart from occasionally sliding and almost losing my footing on the highly polished tiles, I find that I can only reach my destination by performing a kind of dance along the street. Why, it's the dog-mess waltz! At night I do it with a torch in my hand, just to make it back home without my shoes becoming embellished with whatever I might have otherwise trodden in.

You know you are in Malta when you walk along the seafront - for all the wrong reasons! It's the same in England, I make no excuse for that. But the Parisians have really got it right. While their own selfish dog owners allow their animals to litter the pavements like some kind of post modernist artists, they have patrols of turd-removing motor cyclists who go around cleaning up the mess and leaving a nicely disinfected pavement behind.

Soon the hot sun will be here and the flies will come to enjoy what has been left behind, and the stench...And so I ask, what are the authorities going to do about this matter too?