When I was a child I used to go every day to buy the newspapers for my dear father, the late Wilfrid, from a tiny shop called Ta’ Kolinu.  Kolinu was a staunch Labour Party supporter, like we were.

Politics was always a hot potato, as far as I can remember. On my way back I used to read the sport pages, in a jiffy, so as not to arrive home late.  Although party politics kept families apart to a certain extent it never harmed our childhood friendships. 

I have been reading non-stop the Times of Malta and The Sunday Times of Malta since childhood, and I was amused to read in the Sunday before last about the abandoned baby being called Cristiano by Magistrate Joe Mifsud, an avid Juventus supporter. You have to love Magistrate Mifsud’s wittiness!

Another interesting article I read was one by Kristina Chetcuti, another witty person. She wrote about the nutritional value of prickly pears, which are very easy to grow in our climate.  Instead of growing prickly pears for consumption we often use them to prevent people from getting into private property, as though they were some sort of barbed wire.

I also enjoy Michela Spiteri’s writings.  Her style is inimitable and she seems always to remind us of the fun of the good old days.  She has a very good reputation and her articles are usually well balanced.