Sunday, 6 November 2016

Farewell, Hiccup the pet dog



We feel the sadness and the pain of whatever was dear to us suddenly was not there anymore. That was how some of my family members felt when one of my brother's pet dog, Hiccup suddenly felt sick and took a turn for the worse-and after just a week or so, passed off. Even though it has been just a pet dog but we feel the loss because Hiccup was part of the family pet and we were so used to seeing him there all the time. we thought he had eaten some food which has been laced with poison from the neighbourhood, but whatever is was, he sure was in no mood for anything during those awful times. We will always remember Hiccup with fondness and appreciate the time when we all came home and he was there playing in the garden. Farewell Hiccup, all dogs go to heaven!


Hiccup in the Garden during happier times

Hiccup, The Pet Dog Laid to rest here


Wednesday, 26 October 2016

Charming Garden



Some beautiful photographs sent by my sister Josie yesterday, as I can see, the Poinsettia plant has turned bright red. It is  a happy feeling to see it slowly taking up its colours, reminding me that Christmas is just around the corner.


Eye Catching Bougainvillea Flower 
Poinsettia Plant Changing Colour


Monday, 17 October 2016

Lush Garden



It is that time of the year again when I am feeling homesick because of the anticipation of going back home to my family place and being in a familiar surroundings with a nostalgic feel, friends, food and all. I am always eagerly awaiting to arrive home to see my mom and what has been done to the family garden. From the picture send to me by my sister, I missed those lush greenery and plants. I spend hours walking and admiring all the plants and fruit trees in the garden when I am home. Needless to say , I will also photograph all the plants that I came across.

Poinsettia Plants with the leaves still green,
it will turn red nearer to Christmas in December
Misses the Garden

Beautiful Orangey Hibiscus flower from the Garden



Oh Crabby!


It's been quite a while since I have been able to update my blog, it has been at the back of my mind to pen down something but this unpredictable disposition got the better of me. Well, just the other day we went to this place for a bit of seafood, well not exactly  plentiful, but we managed to order two crabs cooked very bland, plus some simple dishes, to me I do not really favoured all those seafood's like crab, prawn or squids but my husband loves all these. Supermarkets nowadays do sell imported seafood like the Japanese Supermarket Isetan, I have seen huge crabs and salmon fish selling there and it is usually air-flown from Japan.

Giant Crabs @ Isetan Supermarket

Friday, 23 September 2016

Hexagon Pattern Bedspread

At last, I almost finished patching and joining this biggest bedspread I have ever made, it was given to me by my eldest sister Veron, she sews most of the hexagon pattern. It took almost twenty odd years when I found it stuffed in mum's cupboard and I asked to have it so that I could continue to patch it. Well, from the time I had it until now I actually took another four years to complete the pieces. I told myself I should not procrastinate anymore. I am relief that I had it done and now it is only to put the batting and washes it. I am very happy to have completed it and definitely treasured this legacy given to me by my sister Veron.


Beautiful Hexagon Patch Bedspread

Friday, 2 September 2016

Wonderful Siblings



Interesting things my sister Josie like to update me on, what she has done to her house and also her lovely garden. I must thank her for faithfully sending me all the nice pictures even though she is always busy at work. My sister Josie is a very active person with a great and approachable personality, though at times a bit rebellious. I  know she is a compulsive cleaner as she seems to be doing her cleaning and washing  all the time after work and whenever she is free. Thus her house and compound are always spick and span. Well, she really is a wonderful sister to have around and together with Veron and Laurence , my eldest sister and younger brother. Bravo to all of you, love you all.


Cozy corner of Josie's living room


 I like the Cute bird cushion covers


Tuesday, 23 August 2016

The Tamarind Tree



The last time I went back to my mother's place , I was in awe of what I saw; the tamarind tree over burdened with fruits. What a sight, with the brownish tamarind pods hanging heavily on the tree. People use to flavoured the dishes they cook with the tamarind pulp and juice, it is sour and sometimes sweet in taste. I like it when you add a little bit of the juice to everyday cooking , some would add it when they cook fish curry and chutney. I guess it has plenty of uses and I look forward to seeing the tamarind tree around for a long time to come.

The Tamarind Tree

Branches laden with Tamarind Fruits


Friday, 29 July 2016

An Update on Eevonne



From the last posting I did of my neighbour  Eevonne a pretty young lady whose passion is baking, I have received so much more delicious goodies that she has baked. I am proud to say that she has improved a lot more since then, I am going to miss her as she will be leaving to go overseas to take up a culinary course next month.  She is so enthusiastic about this craft that this is another way to improve her technique and confidence,  I wish her all the very best to  pursue her dream in this field. Hopefully she will graduate and come back to start an exciting trend here. By the way Eevonne has got a degree in food science which will come in handy.


Deliciously baked by Eevonne, thank you for the generosity!

Beautiful Floral Print

I am lacking behind updating my blog this month, I have come to the conclusion that whatever comes my way i am going to make the best out of it. So to say, I have been shopping recently and I found out that I really like Floral pants, dresses and scarfs. I really, really admired the Floral print that was sold at the Zara stores here, both for women and men, and I was like going berserk if I see beautiful floral dresses,pants and scarfs. I can't wait to shop at the Primark Stores in London, I bought a few floral dresses from there last year and also from Dorothy Perkin store.


My Collection of  all Things Floral
Jonathan's Men floral Shirt and T-Shirt



Friday, 17 June 2016

A Tad of Spice

Spicy food, but not overly spicy has been one of my favourite food from a very young age. I like the spiciness to be just a tad spicy but not overly until it affected the whole of your taste bud and you need to fan yourself to keep cool or by drinking a lot of water. My husband and son, Jonathan also enjoys lightly spiced food and meals though not so often. 

My favourite blends of spices to use for stir fried vegetable are actually just a few ingredients, mostly, ground turmeric, garam masala of  your liking I like ground coriander, ginger and chilli, powdered garlic or freshly peeled, a bit of cooking oil a handful of cardamom seed and some vegetables of your choices, I like Broccoli, cauliflower and green peas with some diced potatoes and tomatoes.  The cooking process is very simple, just heat your wok with a tablespoon of oil, fry the sliced or powdered garlic together with the rest of the ground spices and throw in all the vegetables to stir fry until all are coated with the spices, add a dash of seasoning salt and simmer with a little water until tender but still crunchy. Dished it out onto a bowl or plate and enjoy the dish with rice or bread.

curry Potatoes and Peas
Stir Fry Broccoli and Tomatoes


Thursday, 9 June 2016

Gray Long tailed Monkey

Natures abound in the place where I lived, and at certain time of the day one will be able to view a group of Gray Long Tailed Monkeys perching on the fence and walking along it. I am quite intimidated by these primates. I will try to walk a distance from it if I were to spot any sitting on the fences. They are fun to watch as they try to grab anything they see and sometimes they will make a quick threatening gaze at you and make the person in a hurry to scurry far away. There are felines around too, and they were being fed by a kind neighbour every morning with cat food. 

Gray long tailed Monkey Perching on Top of the Fence

Thursday, 2 June 2016

Purple Capsicum

Nowadays my diet consists more of a variety of vegetables and some chicken meats. I find it easier to digest and it is not so heavy a meal to eat. Recently, while shopping in a supermarket, I was astounded and very much in awe when I came across a deep purple capsicum variety, for I only knew of the more common varieties, green, red and yellow. It is quite a surprise to find a deep purple coloured Capsicum. It’s pretty though, I actually like the colour. I cannot help admiring it and after a few days I went back to find that it was almost sold out, the next time I definitely will not hesitate to buy and try it.      


Purple Capsicum, among the more common varieties
      
Deep Purple Capsicum, nice colour



Monday, 23 May 2016

Old Charm, Vietnam

Last May, one of our close friends Dr. KS T , went on a tour to Hanoi, Vietnam. I have requested that he sent me some pictures so that I might use it on my blog, well, thanks to him, I have got these beautiful pictures to show here. I enjoyed looking through the pictures and I came to the conclusion that Hanoi and its vicinity still have managed to retain some of its old charm and breathtaking scenery along the road side and market area. These two photographs of Ha Long Bay are beautiful and it was listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. I might visit Vietnam one of these days, I am sure I will enjoy its beauty and what it has to offer.


Ha Long Bay, breathtaking view
Natural Beauty, "Inland Halong Bay" with Limestones hills,lakes and
caves.
Pictures Courtesy of Dr. KS,Tai.

Thursday, 21 April 2016

Respite from the hot weather conditions of late

The weather has been very hot and humid everyday and it is most annoying to go out into the sun. Despite the weather, respite is in the form of visiting all those nice and lovely cafes which were aplenty around my neighbourhood. All of the cafes serve nice coffee and food, but my favourite will still be hot mocha on any given day. Secret recipe outlet serves tea time set where you buy a slice of cake and pay only for the coffee! Now that really is value for your money.


One of my favourite , McCafe Hot Mocha
Cafe in the Sky!  soaking up a nice cool Drink



Tuesday, 19 April 2016

Mom's Birthday

Last February, my mom celebrated her 73th birthday. She does not want a grandeur party or anything elaborate, so it was a quiet affair among family members, I was unable to attend because of other commitment, but my sister Josie and sister in-law Marilyn filled in the details for me via Whats-app. They had home cooked food, which were delicious and the item I love most, were those lovely birthday eggs dyed a nice red with edible dye. My mom is a strong lady, at her age, she still pondered around the garden tending to the plants and invasive weeds. When we were young, mom used to sew all of our clothes. I remembered very well all those lovely dresses that she sewed me. She even made blankets and cardigans for us. I love you mom and we all wish you many more birthdays to come.


Lovely Birthday Eggs
Delicious Food



Saturday, 26 March 2016

Man's Best Friend

They say ‘dogs are man’s best friend, and that is quite true. If you treat your dog well, he will become a loyal friend and helper in time of need. These two are my brother laurance, dog. He told me that the brownish dog is named Immigrant because he just wandered into his compound one day in a really emaciated and dirty condition. My brother’s family took it in and began taking care of the dog. Now he has become part of the family and is very vocal with foreigner. He likes to play around the garden with hiccup, my brother other dog; he was called that because to this day he still hiccupped a lot.

Awesome dog.Immigrant

With Hiccup on the Right


Tuesday, 22 March 2016

A Great Personality , Evon

I Have a good friend Lucy, who is also my neighbour. Lucy has got a daughter, she is called Evon. I have known Evon ever since she was a little girl and has seen her growing up into a fine young lady. She is a determined, strong willed and sociable person, and well liked by her friends. Needless to say, she is also a good swimmer and dancer and recently she has acquired a good baking skill, judging from the food that she baked and presented for us to try, I can proudly vouch that she has come a long way to accomplish her baking skill. Her brownies are awesome and so do others pastries that has gained my attention lately. I personally has come to realized that she has really grown up into a fine young lady that would have made any man proud to have her as a girlfriend or that special someone. By the way Evon has got a degree in food science and now she is contemplating enrolling in the prestigious Corden Bleu School of Baking. Well,I think she should pursue her dream if that is what she really wants to do, we don't want to have any regrets later on in life. Armed with a Cordon Bleu Certificate in any disipline , the possibilities are endless, you can set up your own home baking or made to ordered cakes and so on, like many of my friends back home did. I wish her all the best in her future undertaking and Evon, we are always eagerly awaiting your next baked pastries. Below were some of the mouth watering goodies she has baked.


Awesome and Delicious Brownies 


Fruit Tart,Wickedly Delicious


Monday, 21 March 2016

My Favourite Cookbook

I like books and recently I have been buying books at 'Book Excess' which sells old hardback cover books. I have a collection of cookery books and I managed to collect a few of my favourite cookbooks written by  Delia Smith, I saw a few of Margurite patten cook books too. My sister Veron has got in her collections a cookbook by Phyllis Powell entitled Teatime Treat. I will be looking out for it as I do like the classic cookery book, I also have a few of The Good-housekeeping books. These are all great reference sources for me.



Full of Delicious English Treats
Recipes Found Inside
Collection of Delia Smith Cookbooks




Sunday, 20 March 2016

Josie's Garden,Seasonal Update

From my sister Josie's garden, she has been sending me picture after picture of what she has planted . I can see the transformation of a beautiful garden with her sheer determination. It is a well manicured garden and a flowering one at that. How I wish I could do that as well, but I have to be satisfied with container gardening, I know my sister, she is one that will not give up easily, and gardening is a healthy hobby.


White Roses

Beautiful Glory Bower Plant

Awesome Fern


Saturday, 19 March 2016

My Daily Bread

What is my favourite food? well,it depends, I love pastries, but with that comes a lot of unhealthy habits if we are not careful and load ourselves with sugary stuff. I guess we have to take everything in moderation like what my son Jonathan said. I love to bake and these days I bake my own bread, as I feel commercial bread had become too monotonous to eat. I personally would like to have more nuts and fruits in my bread.I usually mix wholemeal flour with a bit of all-purpose flour, lots of nuts and dried fruits , my favourites are, walnuts, almonds and hazelnuts, apricots, cranberries and raisins. I like to toast my sliced bread and eat it plain or  I will just spread  a little apricot jam on it, yummy.
Proving the kneaded Dough


Doubled in Size then only Bake in the Oven
Freshly Baked Wholemeal Bread
Yummy when Toasted



Thursday, 11 February 2016

Chinese New Year 2016

Chinese people around the world celebrate the Chinese New year on the eighth of February this year based on the Chinese Lunar Calendar, on the eve of the Chinese new year families will gather together for a sumptuous reunion dinner. Some families will cook while some will prefer to eat at a restaurant of their choices. This year the animal signs will be The Monkey

A Friend send this Picture, The Chinese in Melbourne busy shopping for the
Lunar New Year 2016


Below are the sumptuous preparation for the Chinese Lunar New Year

Monday, 4 January 2016

Christmas Events 2015

Christmas has come and gone, but to me it was a very memorable time especially last Christmas 2015. It could be because; most of the family members make an effort to join in the gathering and celebration. I had truly enjoyed last Christmas thanks to my sister in law; Marilyn who oversees all the programmes and has come up with some wonderful and unforgettable events. We started at around 12.30pm when everyone has attended church services and the last preparation of the food both cooked at home and ordered from the restaurants were brought home. Then one of my nephews Terry was assigned to be the Photographer, apart from his bank job, I heard he also does part time Photography, which is great and we had a collection of nice pictures to review.There were games for the kids and lucky draws to look forward to and all walked away with nice and beautiful gifts


Christmas Lunch at My Mom's Place, The Veranda is a Favourite Place
for such event
Everyone is Enjoying themselves

The Desserts Table
The Delicious Christmas Cakes ordered from my Friend, Emma
of Pink Roses

Laurance and Marilyn's Garden

How would I describe my brother’s house, he builds it like a Chalet style and it is all made of wood and all through the year fruit trees, flowers and greenery surrounded his house. His wife, my sister in law, Marilyn, also like to do gardening despite her heavy work schedules in one of the Government department offices. I love the orchid plant that she hangs over her balcony. All in all it is like a fairy tales house as everywhere you turn , you will see trees, plants and flowers. It is a cozy enclave for the family.

Below are pictures from his garden, it is an update to those previous write-up.

Orchid Plants hanging over the Balcony
Colourful Orchid Spray
My Favourite Wild Flower Spot