President George Abela has resumed his public engagements, six weeks after he suffered a hairline fracture of his spine in China and had to restrict his activities to recover.
Surrounded by children, who have strongly supported him during the healing process, Dr Abela yesterday spoke of the emotional time he had experienced following his fall in a Shanghai hotel during a state visit. Despite the "best care and attention" in China and at Mater Dei Hospital, it had been "hard", he said.
Speaking about the strong support from the Maltese, he said he particularly marvelled at the encouraging words he had received from children, who designed and sent him greeting cards. "You need it and it helps you fight back. Even when you have a mishap, you have to look ahead with courage and never give up," he said.
"When you are face up in bed, many thoughts go through your head. I learnt to better understand the elderly and we should encourage them because there are beautiful horizons after troubles. Trouble comes fast and leaves slowly but you cannot lose hope," was his message.
Although he has not yet fully recovered, Dr Abela's schedule has returned to normal, even if he is exercising caution.
"I am much better and, today, I thank God I am standing. That is already something for me because there were times when I could not even step on the ground due to the pain."
The President is now doing a lot of walking and avoiding sitting for long stretches, in accordance with doctor's orders. But it will be a while before he returns to the jogging he loves.
Yesterday, he even crouched down to pick up potatoes with the children from the primary schools of San Anton and Birżebbuġa, who visited the palace's kitchen garden, which supplies its own fruit and vegetables.
The potatoes were sown in January in a section of the fields, stretching over 9.5 tumuli, and the fruit was reaped yesterday.
On the initiative of the education and agriculture departments, Frott Artna is taking schoolchildren on weekly outings to get close to nature, particularly because many live in apartments and do not have much hands-on experience of what the land could yield.
The palace's fields were open to the public for the first time yesterday for them to witness the land being tilled in a traditional way, using a 27-year-old mule, the faithful and strong Beglinu, and a plough.
The children picked bucketfuls of potatoes, which will be sold at the Ġonna Mdawwla event, scheduled for June 19, the eve of Father's Day, in aid of the Malta Community Chest Fund.
Dr Abela said a limited number of guests would be able to attend the evening activity, which would see the illuminated garden opened at night for the first time. It would include entertainment, food prepared by the President's chef, using the garden's fresh produce, and even a big screen to air the World Cup football match of the day, the President being an avid fan.
Dr Abela augured that the palace's kitchen garden would be opened for more public activities next year.