Been there, done that, nothing changes

Wow, Has it been that long since I blogged.
I did have a glorious week in Gozo, although tinged with some sadness, but that was just a week!
It has suddenly hit me that I am middle aged, in my brain, I mean, I have been middle aged for a while now. But not in my head.
And how has this suddenly hit home?
I was thinking about BBC's Eastenders over lunch.
Little Dot should go. She is a pain and Christian is not convincing as a rejected lover; Ian is just too predictable and the only interesting character at the moment is Stacey.
What the hell am I doing? I obviously need to get a life. OK. I do not watch too much television, but it is the involvement that is concerning.
Do I really care what happens to fictional characters? I think I am more interested from a 'critique' point of view. Even so....

I am losing too many friends to cancer. Art curator Dennis Vella being the latest. We did not meet often, but I shall miss him.
A few years back he asked me whether my mum would mind him visiting to look at her portrait by Emvin Cremona. A book was being created about the artist and Dennis was keen to include her portrait.
My mum does not like visitors much, but she agreed. She also agreed to let a photographer in later because she liked Dennis.
He had told me that Emmanuel Fiorentino, who I knew through working at the Sunday Times, was co-ordinating. Unfortunately, Emmanuel died soon after. I never knew what happened to the book.
My 'Gozo' friend Helen nee Salamone also passed away recently; Gozo visits will not be the same again. And yet another friend since childhood, also with a Marsalforn connection - Noel Radmilli also died of cancer, not that long ago.
I don't mean to be morbid, but maybe it is because of my heaviness of heart that I have to involve myself in fiction.
Another thing that, perhaps, is driving me to fiction (I am reading a lot) is the "Been there, done that, nothing changes" frame of mind.
After I had put a lot of energy into campaigning to stop the awful blitzkrieg we have to endure all summer and had collected hundreds of signatures, which were presented to Parliament a few years back, nothing changed.
This summer is even worse. Now others are trying to rekindle the interest. Not just in stopping the petards but all intrusive noise. I wish them well. Maybe this time more people have had enough.
But is not just noise. Besides having no concept of "peace and quiet" we lack the basic need of a healthy community - that of being civil to one another.
Malta verges on anarchy, on the roads, in our neighbourhoods and the environment.
I have not even bothered to even look at the MEPA reforms. It is too late and am cynical that much will change.