Moondancer's on the hard and we are in Canada

Does this feel strange - or what?
The last month has definitely been a departure from the routine we have been living to for the last year. Once we had arrived in Malta our time there was split between putting a great deal of effort into finding moorage for the winter and seeing as much as possible of my brothers and wives.
The moorage situation was a bit of an eye-opener and something we hadn't really anticipated. We had heard from other yachties on the way that its difficult to find moorage and we should probably book into somewhere before arriving. Had we done that we would not have arrived in Malta at all as we would have been told the situation. We've learned that its usually best just to show up somewhere and they'll try to fit you in. But the main marina in Malta is government run, is in the throes of privatization, some of the employees are a bit ticked off with their lot, and it took more than merely asking for a splot to get one. We do think that our time on the wall at Sliema - which was bloody awful, and the time Moondancer is now spending on the hard is getting us the sympathy vote. We figure that when we get back in a few weeks,and then finish the work on the bottomsides of the boat in the next couple of weeks, we should be able to find room in Msida marina.
Anyone wondering why we don't just anchor somewhere, Malta is a bit different from some of the places we've been in that there are really no totally protected anchorages and the winds which can get pretty nasty change direction alot. The winters in Malta can be very bad, many Maltese take their boats out of the water for their protection which is a bit telling.
So that's why we're in Canada. We really wanted to see family and friends soon and now looks alot better than during the winter season.