#hal-balzan

[maltadoors]

The red door with the pointy hat which speaks in a foreign tongue.

I know I have no reason to be, but even after 10 + months door hunting around the islands, I am still amazed at the residential architecture which we are so blessed with, yet which we seem to be largely oblivious to. 

This patriotic duo, purposely captured, was discovered, or rather properly taken note of, only recently, even though I spent a good number of years living a couple of roads away from this street. 

The wires and electricity boxes are admittedly a little extra, yet an accurate reflection of our times and context.

Hal-Balzan, Malta 

[maltadoors]

The Orangery

What is it about front gates that makes them enchanting and enticing all at once? Perhaps it’s their “vedo-non-vedo” quality, which allows passersby to peek in and catch a glimpse of the treasures within. Or is it perhaps, that I end up fantasising about flower and herb gardens, whilst sipping a hot cuppa and reading a good book on a rocking chair, with a kitten on my lap? 

I can’t help myself. When I see a high, ornate, wrought iron gate, I simply have to linger a little longer. (Apologies for the alliteration. It wasn’t planned.) After all, a front gate, is like a second front door, yet it allows people like me to experience much more than its timber counterpart affords. 

So, what is it about front gates? Even if they can’t be seen? 

Hal-Balzan, Malta

[maltadoors]

So this door has got to be one of my all time favourites. It’s just so regal, so perfect. I look at it as it seems to have been captured in a small village in the UK rather than Balzan. 

What’s also peculiar, is that I had already seen this door in photos. And I had consciously looked for this door, simply because when the creeper surrounding the doorway is in bloom, it is a feast of yellow and orange, which is quite uncommon. Generally the pink or reddish bougainvillea are favoured. 

I’ve come to the conclusion that some doors will simply have to captured more than once - it’s just like Monet’s Impressionist paintings. Sometimes it’s not about the subject itself, sometimes it’s about the weather, the seasonality, the light - elements which can completely alter an image. 

Hal-Balzan, Malta