[Daphne – That’s certainly not the case. It’s an urban legend. Maybe if you’re a drug-addled, 17-year-old boyfriend, but definitely not if you’re an adult in a relationship with the patient.]

Ghaziz Uncle Gahan,
Wasluli it-tislijiet tieghek, mate. Tathomli Lukarda.
Nibghatlek best regards minn-Down Unda, u ibghatomli anke lil cousins tieghi f’Malta, namely: Derston, Jason, Charlon, Brendon, Gordon u Anton.
Guza tibghatlek many kisses, u she looks forward for the torta tar-rikotta (or is that irkotta?)…
Sorry jekk ma nafx haffna Maltese.

Clayton

gosh, that can’t be true !!

I wish I could, but I would have been shot before too!

One can’t carry it through customs in one’s hand luggage.

Joey thinks that by following Mintoff’s practices, he can go to these countries with an air of entitlement (should he ever become PM) and expects favours without giving anything in return.

He will ban illegal immigration, cut the electricity rates in half, reduce taxes, convert Delimara station (and extension) to gas and buy back the shipyard from Palumbo so he can hire back 2000 workers and cut the number of unemployed.

Too bad we have to wait almost another three years for the new ‘salvatur’!

Possibbli li nofs Malta tivvota ghal dal-Gahan? Veru idjota, vojt u bahnan, biex nuza ftit aggettivi prudenti!

Insejt inwahhlilha bolla u baqghet Malta.

Ghaziza ohti Lukarda,

Qed niktiblek dawn l-erba’ kelmiet biex nghidlek li ahna ninsabu tajbin kif nispera li din l-ittra ssib lilkhom hemm l-Awstralja qawwijin u shah u fil-grazzja t’Alla.

Ghadu kif wasal Dr Muscat hdejkhom, ara ma’ jmurx xi hadd jipprezentalu xi kelb tal-pudil ghax jehodha bhala insult. Sellili ghal-Guza u ghidilha li meta terga’ tigi insajrilha torta ta’ l-irkotta kif thobb hi.

J’Alla l-Bambin izomm idejh fuqkhom u fuq il-familja tieghek u ta’ uliedek Karmena, Grezz, il-filjozz tieghi Karmenu, Guzi, Pawlu u l-ahhar imma mhux l-inqas iz-zghir Clayton.

Inselli ghalik
Huk l-ghaziz
Gahan

I meant occupied not preoccupied.

I thought that Sunshine was a Maltese terrier not a poodle. It was, I suppose, suggested as a light hearted gift to the visiting Maltese Prime Minister. It carried the name Sunshine because Sunshine was a suburb of Melbourne preoccupied mainly by Maltese migrants at that time.

But such is the Maltese’ (in Malta) penchant to turn such gestures into political mileage it was deemed inappropriate to take Sunshine to Malta … ara x’ġabilna mill-Awstralja, kelb tal-pudil.

That’s why Sunshine never got to Malta, not for questions of quarantine or transport costs. At that time (post Mintoff) the success of a visit to another country was measured by such silly “gains”.

Being the proud owner of a Maltese terrier called Pupa I say that the High Commissioner’s gain was Malta’s PM loss. They are such loveable and loving creatures. Doesn’t every PM need them when their own popularity plunges?

If you keep on insisting on calling Sunshine a poodle, please bear in mind that a cross between a poodle and Maltese Terrier is called a Moodle. But I’m sure that Sunshine was pure Maltese.