The first Gethering of the Forum

[MWP admin]

I would like that very soon, members of the forum would meet together and go for a hike during one of the typical beautiful sunny winter days in Malta where the rest of Europe are shivering inside while having a cup of warm tea and watching the rain from their window sills


I want some suggestions about the place and date of this event before I announce it.

I had in mind the following dates:

1) Sunday 4th December
2) Thursday 8th December (Public Holiday)
3) Tuesday 13th December (Public Holiday)

Time: around 9:30am (since it gets dark early)

The site to chooses is open to discussion. One suggestion of mine is maqluba at Qrendi - quite abnormal zone.

Foreign members are also welcome of course, but the website cannot sponsor your trip for the moment

[IL-PINE]

I can come on any of the 3 dates mentioned. I can also suggest Wied Babu (limits of Zurrieq).

See ya!

[wolf]

I would be interested in 08/13dec ( public kolidays are always a bit boring )....and yes wied babu is definitely interesting ...I am also reliably told wied hoxt is also interesting for flora but the terrain is very tough - only been once there with a friend but we found what we were looking for - birthwort plants ( arisrolokja )

wolf

[IL-PINE]

A public holiday would be a good day for some adventure. Anyway if we travel by car, we might be able to visit 2 or more places. I have never heard of Wied Hoxt let alone visited it Wolf! I still have to visit Wied Incita by the way, if you would mind taking me and Stephen there for a tour, it would also be appreciated

If you wish to organize some other thing before, let me know.
Owen

[MWP admin]

OK, let fix it to the 8th of December. if it turns out 2 b rainy, we have another chance - 13th Dec.

Regards the place, we decided by the end of this week. Keep sending suggestions. For me wied Hoxt is curios and do fine if it is not flooded. I am used to off road no problems

[wolf]

PINE / STEPHEN
why not ? shall we try next saturday 12nov say 1pm we go traipsing down to wied incita - maltaweather is forecasting rain but we could recheck and reconfirm friday afternoon / evening whether to call it off or not - we could meet main gate of mount carmel if you two are game - as I said before there IS an unsightly quarry BUT there is also a beautiful ravine and some interesting stuff. Walk downstream to near Attard/Zabbug road and back shud not take more than two hours and we will not get lost - trust me.
Wear suitable clothes because the rubus ulmifolius gets tough in places !!

pls tell me but if it rains we call it off ...i got drenched real bad last year there

wolf

[IL-PINE]

Well, I work till 2pm next Saturday, so I can't manage at 1pm. But if you arrange the time at 2.30pm I'll be able to make it there in time.
Owen

[MWP admin]

I can any time on next Saturday, so we can make it 2:30 near mount Carmel Hospital.

We shall be myself, Wolf and il-Pine.

I am starting loving this forum

[wolf]

OK we make it 230 if you wish no problem
will reconfirm friday..have to start watching weather now....
will you join us dear site administrator ?

wolf

[wolf]

your post crossed mine Stephen - 230 it is by main gate of mt carmel ( behave normally ha narafkhom !! )
of course if a couple of others want to join theyare welcome o suppose

[IL-PINE]

Heh, ok will meet you there by the gate. hehe first meeting in front of Mount Carmel. Seems to be a good start.

[wolf]

pine ...i havent forgotten the beer
no qormi lowenbrau ok ?

[IL-PINE]

Ok ok! I'll bring my big friend Cisk with us. I hope we do not cross the path of an Euphorbia! lol
Heh, it seems we will remain hooked with the forum tonight.
Btw do you have an email wolf?

[MWP admin]

Pine, in the member list link there is the email of everyone. Search for wolf's email. better not to post it live due to hackers scanning forums for emails.

Also you can use the forum's Private message.

Mela all clear for the meeting of next saturday. Hope the forcast is bad as often it is.

[HC Weber]

Hello Stephen, Wolf & Il-Pine, I am jealous of your saturday meeting because I would like to attend but am not able to do, as you can imagine! Wied Incita is beautiful, have a look at the top of the Wied close to the hospital the retention basin where I found 1 year ago Wolffia arhiza (the smallest flowering plant in the world). Just a few steps in front of this basin there are nice populations of Gynandriris and in the small rock pools is Callitriche truncata and Crassula vaillantii. Later, in the area of some hunters, there are some very small rock pools with the very small Juncus sorrentini (from the bufonius group)- very nice, and at the edge of the Wied where a small path gows down is a beautiful shrub of Rosa sempervirens. I wish you a nice saturday and not to much Cisk or Loewenbraeu, due to the horrible Rubus ulmifolius at the bottom of Wied Incita.
Regards, HC

[Ke!tH]

Hi people, it beeen quite a long time since I last wrote something on the forum! My Bsc Agric is taking up quite some time for me, especially in the evenings.

I am now seeing this topic and would be pleased to join you next saturday, espesially because Wied Incita brings me memories!
Dont get me wrong here, I only used to go with my neighbours when I was young as I live very very close to this site.
This is where my love towards nature started.

so cu next sat!

[wolf]

Hi alll...this is going to be quite a crowd then - that's four plus one in spirit .
Dear Mr.Weber - are you quite sure there is rosa sempervirens in the valley? Reason I ask is that I am told it only exists in one location ( where there is a small concentration ) but nowhere else ...and up to May ( when rosa flowers ) I was frequenting the valley but never saw it ...so you will keep me going there !!
If rosa does indeed inhabit incita then i suppose there is a good case for vallley declared a protected site.

PS... weather forecast is not looking bad - finhers crossed !!

WOLF

[IL-PINE]

Wow! This is going to be a big gathering! Well, I hope we encounter at least one of the plants our friend HC Weber, told us! Well, I hope we get a good Saturday there. Fingers crossed, and charge your camera (or batteries)! Wolf, you are the guide Like you Wolf, I thought Rosa sempervirens was confined to Wied Anglu, but it seems we were wrong. See ya!

[wolf]

pine - you must be joking ...i never go out without two 80minute batteries fukky charged and two 128mb memory sticks...and you know what ? once or twice i managed to use all my resources on a day out

wolf

[HC Weber]

Hi- from the parking area you walk on a small road around the hospital and will reach the end of Wied Incita. Following the valley direction, use the top of the right rim. Leave the road and stay at the rim (border, edge). You will meet the first Rosa shrub after about 100m, directly at the edge. Following the rim you have to turn slightly to the right and you will find the next shrub. This also is the best way to reach the “path” of the valley bottom. You will find on the left hand side (close to the border of the nursery) the “ugly plants” of Sideritis romana- may be they are not yet developed. All the best, have a nice trip, HC

[wolf]

It will be interesting if we locate rosa bushes Mr.Weber because the lacations you describe more or less equate with locations of clematis cirrhosa - travellers joy. I hope you are correct since this would make incita richer than it is. Unfortunately I cannot recognize rosa unless it is in flower ( though the experts will be with me ) so I will have to wait till May !!

Guys - the weather forecast is looking up for tomorrow so be there on time as it gets dark early ! Remember wear well-used clothes and good waterproof shoes though I dont think it will be very muddy

wolf

[MWP admin]

Thank Chris Weber for all these tips - you will be keeping us busy on Saturday and dont worry, you will be with us in our spirit.

So tomorrow is our first informal forum meeting at Mount Carmel Hospital at 2:30pm. We have time against us because at 5:00pm it gets dark, so please those who are coming try to be punctual.

As far as I know these are those members who are interested:

MWP admin
Keith
Wolf
Il-Pine
Picus

Meet you all tomorrow.

[wolf]

Are you posting a few pics of the historic first gathering ( just this side of sanity !! ) dear administrator ?
Methinks Mr.Weber would like to see them.

wolf

[IL-PINE]

I wish to thank Wolf for taking us on a tour of Wied Encita. Next time, we will ask you to deliver us a lecture.

[MWP admin]

Of course wolf !!

There is a full detailed account of this activity on a new post (click link below) All pics are linkable to keep forum from being oversized with photos - about a total of 3Mb of data.

Click here:
http://maltawildplants.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=49

A new forum topic has been created for such activities now.
Enjoy reading
(for you as well HC Weber!)

[HC Weber]

Hi guys- thanks admin for the interesting report and pictures, hope I may join once. By the way- look at the group photo, just right of the white shirt: in the background, I am quite sure that this is the first location I described last week of the rosa shrub... HC

[MWP admin]

Shamefully [ ], I must admit that I did not remember where I moved this post and taught I deleted it. Thanks JackPot for solving it out. I have a good idea now where lovely Rose might be.

Probably not flowering now, but maybe I can see some red berries and take some for propagation at home.

Thanks

[wolf]

dont forget to tell Elena - she is interested in propagating this one