Lara, one of Pauline Boffa's two daughters, recently sent a small group of her mother's friends an invitation to a surprise teaparty to celebrate Pauline's birthday. No one asked which birthday this was because to many of us, age now no longer matters.

I love tearooms and remember having tea with my parents sometimes, on Sundays, in a small hotel nearby in St Paul's Bay. I can visualise the hotel but cannot recall its name. But it is part of my childhood even if but a distant memory. My father, a hardworking man, enjoyed taking us out to tea on Sundays sometimes after some long walk. These were simple affairs and not the lavish kind of teas which are now served in far too few places, apart from the hotels that is.

So, the invited 'gang' got to these tearooms in time to surprise Pauline. Among them was our First Lady, Mrs Myriam Vella, who is with her feet on the ground and warmth itself. So pleasant, so normal.

Terryberry is a small tearoom with a couple of tables outside, too. The crockery is lively and each cup and teapot different. I felt as if I was walking into Wonderland and Alice, The Mad Hatter, The March Hare and the Queen of Hearts would pop out any minute from the kitchen. This little tearoom is the stuff of a girl's fantasies and if you are a greedy girl, like me, then you shouldn't give it a miss because there are plenty of mouth-watering cakes available, even on display.

Pauline arrived with Lara, prepared for a quiet afternoon tea, to find several of her friends waiting for her with their birthday wishes.

Now Pauline was married to Joseph Boffa (A &CE), the son of the late Prime Minister, Sir Paul Boffa, who was 16 years her senior. They were married in 1976 in the UK. Perit Boffa was known as il-Profs, the nickname, Lara tells me, probably came from the fact that in his early years he followed his father and carried his medical bag.

In her younger days Pauline was a successful business woman and ran four hair salons. Like me, she has a sweet tooth, the bane of our lives.

Ah, now that the birthday girl had arrived tea started being served. And what a tea. There were tiered stands of delicious goodies: pastel green rectangular sandwiches, scones, brownies and slices of the most delicious cakes, including of course the birthday cake.  I also loved their qassatat - not the heavy variety but light and small.

We caught up with each other, our ailments and operations, the number of shoes amassed many of which are too uncomfortable to wear, our children and grandchildren and our diets which invariably go awry.

We were supplied with a stream of delicious food even while discussing our diets.

And finally Lara ordered bottles of Prosecco and so tea slipped into something else and all the merry ladies went back home in a far livelier mood than when they had first arrived.

One of Nancy Mitford's quotes came to mind as we walked to our cars. Her socialist views were well known. 'Left-wing people are very sad because they mind dreadfully about their causes and their causes are always going so badly.'

Well, Nancy. Things have changed. 'Thou shouldst be living at this hour.'

Composer Alexey Shor present during concert

This concert at the Robert Sammut Hall with pianist Ingolf Wunder took place on the same early evening that the feast of St Publius was being celebrated. Floriana was thronged with people and I had to park far away from Robert Sammut Hall as parking was not allowed near the church or the Hall.

 This concert forms part of The Malta International Music Festival which itself falls under the aegis of the European Foundation for the Support of Culture.

I set out to find out what this Foundation is, as I have seen its name pop  up on several programmes.

          In the words of its President Konstantin Ishkhanov this Foundation has been set up 'To create bridges between communities and cultural change-makers across wider Europe and other continents. Our mission focusses on supporting culture by sharing views, projects, news, and building connections with other foundations, organisations, government entities, businesses, individuals and the media.'

Their flagship project which the Foundation has been organizing since 2012 - the Malta International Music Festival - now hosts world famous stars.

One of them is the young pianist (born in Austria in 1985), Ingolf Wunder, the pianist I went to watch that evening.

I know it may sound superficial but the pianist came on stage resplendent in black tie and with a handerchief in his breast pocket.

 I cannot stand conductors, pianists, violinists and other musicians who come on stage looking unkempt: conductors in open shirts and dusty shoes, showing the audience that no effort had been made to look decent. I find this disrespectful of the audience.

This young star started with Mozart's Fantasia in D minor, K. 397, one of Mozart's most popular pieces for the piano. He died before finishing it but an admirer of his did the job. I love it.

Ingolf Wunder then gave us 14 short pieces by the composer, who is a naturalised Maltese, Alexey Shor, who started life as a mathematician. Several of his pieces were in fact, included in last year's Malta International Music Festival. I enjoyed both the music and the playing.

Last on the programme was Beethovan's Appassionata.

Both the power and the beauty of Ingolf Wunder's playing made this a most rewarding evening.

I will sign off here. I have a bad bout of 'flu which is so annoying. I was just congratulating myself that I had escaped 'flu - though not a cold - this winter and here I am back to hot drinks, panadols, honey and lemon and a touch of brandy to keep it all together - and more germs at bay.

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