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D for Durian

3 Aug

With the continuous lockdown and strict restrictions imposed, we find ourselves doing a lot more online shopping. And we also discover a whole slew of things available. Things we take for granted when, in our previous life, we could walk into a store to choose or just run out to purchase when the need arises. No such behavior now, though.

Anyway, we recently bought durian online! Who would have thought that this thorny fruit is now available online? Durian is not something we must eat when the annual season kicks in. It is more whimsical or craving on the spur of the moment.

The delivered sealed bag to contain the smell

But when one is under lockdown for so long now, one can do something out of the norm. And so, we bought durian from an online site. Twice, mind you. And I must say, both times were equally good, and we were not disappointed.

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Practical Recycling

26 Jul

During the various lockdowns since the pandemic started, we discovered daily to-be-discarded things that we can recycle. It is good to give the unwanted one last purposeful usage before throwing them away in the trash.

Last year, we started recycling eggshells from baking endeavors for the garden as a deterrent for snails. They double up as a calcium nutrient for the plants as well. We have continued this practice until today.

This year, I found that the garden squirrels don’t mind rancid walnuts and apple cores. Something better than nothing to feed the hungry. I remove the apple seeds, of course. The recycling list can go on.

Recently hubby discovered (from YouTube, of course) that milk cartons make a great container to grow bean sprouts. All you need is some mung beans and an empty milk carton. A one-third cup of beans to the size of the carton is enough to yield a carton bursting with crunchy bean sprouts after five days!

He has been timing the bean sprouts growing process. So whenever he bakes and finishes the milk, the cartons are saved for future use. And when we want to have bean sprouts on the menu, a five-day notice is given.

One should consider doing this because it’s pesticide-free food and practical recycling!

A basket of homegrown bean sprouts!

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Groundhog Day

9 Jul

Lately, the will to do things is not quite there. I feel as if we are experiencing Groundhog Day. Sometimes even with a busy routine, there is a sense of repetition getting to the mind. Mental fatigue?

Day in, day out, we wake up, eat breakfast and go about the daily routine. Then before we know it, it’s lunchtime. Then we eat again and go about the daily routine again. Then it’s dinnertime. The next day, same old, same old. My goodness.

It has become predictable, repetitive, and so taxing on the mind. Sometimes I wake up unsure what day it is. Is it the weekend already or still a weekday? Then again, does it make any difference?

The worst part, we are under EMCO after the MCO was revised to this status and did not end on 7 June as initially planned. And with Covid cases on the uptrend even more dangerous now than ever, Groundhog Day will go on and on. Sigh.

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Double Celebration, Part 2

2 Jul

Mother Nature was good to us, for it didn’t rain on the big double celebration day. It was cloudy and did threaten to rain a little, but the hot weather held for us to have the outdoor barbecue as planned.

There was a constant stream of deliveries that morning. From my usual online shopping items to dessert cakes, more cakes and pastries, and the ultimate cake towards the evening, we were busy receiving all the deliveries. The fridge was almost bursting with all the delectable goodies, on top of all the barbecue food.

All sorts of mouth-watering yummies!
The funniest 4-inch tall birthday cake!
Our private garden birthday party
A colorful spread

It was a lovely garden dinner affair for the three of us. The birds left us alone, unlike our last barbecue for our Reunion Dinner. Even the mosquitoes did not disturb us. As our little one turned 20 that day, I guess we have to face the fact she is not so little anymore. Happy birthday M2, and many happy returns! Love you to the moon and back.

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Double Celebration

29 Jun

Now that M2 is back safely at home with us, we plan to have a double celebration party with a garden barbecue tomorrow. Firstly, to mark her return and secondly, to celebrate her birthday, which falls on Wednesday.

However, the skies and weather have other ideas to thwart our plans. It has been raining a lot, unusual during this time of the year. Even today, it rained this morning and looking very gloomy. And there is a forty percent chance of rain tomorrow as well.

How are we going to have a garden party with such unaccommodating weather? We’ll have to cross our fingers and hope Mother Nature will be kind for a lovely double celebration.

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One Week of Hotel Quarantine

22 Jun

It’s a week already that M2 has returned and under quarantine. Staying in a modern and comfy room in the city, with three meals each day, I’d say so far, so good, although all she does is eat, sleep, talk to us, and not much else! At least when we talk, we are in the same time zone unlike, when she was still in Ireland on a seven-hour time difference with us.

Soon another week will go by quickly, and she will be truly home. Yay! We plan to have a celebratory garden barbeque for the occasion. Time, hurry on faster, please? I can’t wait!

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Doing Something, Part 2

25 May

Our doing something during this lockdown is the daily baking and cooking; throw in the daily efforts on the DIY project and chipping in the garden is not sufficient to pass the time. And we don’t sweat enough but end up eating more instead because of all the food efforts.

We decided to work on the garden again, focusing on the area at the side of the house. The plan is to convert a tiny plot to become a vegetable patch.

But before we could sit down to work out the idea, we jumped ahead and made another area into a pineapple patch!

Our pineapple patch!

Hubby relocated all the pineapples to one plot instead of being in pots and scattered around the garden. I think they look good being there. Furthermore, the plot is easier to protect from the squirrels. Remember that one time, the rascal of the squirrel ate our pineapple right in front of our eyes?

We look forward to the day the pineapples are ready to be harvested for our consumption.

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Mother’s Day 2021

17 May

It has been an eventful 2021 amidst the pandemic for festivals and occasions with so many restrictions and lockdowns. I will remember Mother’s Day 2021 for the wrong reasons.

It was a botched celebration last weekend. The sumptuous seafood dinner ordered from a Facebook promotion never arrived for a couple of reasons.

Firstly, the MCO strict restrictions to cross districts. No delivery riders were willing to send the food over because of police roadblocks. Secondly, it was raining heavily and the timing to deliver. All went awry.

Then the flowers that were ordered online by the girls arrived two days after the auspicious day! Hahaha. With two fails, I think I will remember the occasion far better than all previous celebrations.

A lovely bouquet and a loving note

Well, the next day, we got a full refund for the botched dinner delivery. Plus, I had lovely flowers to look at the past few mornings! At least something positive from the occasion. Thank you, nonetheless, for the effort and love.

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Doing Something

14 May

We decided to take the days by the horn and keep busy. Doing something is better than doing nothing. Hubby would bake while I worked on my DIY project are the given.

We even started chipping in the garden, trying out the various wedges that we have. And we experimented with new menus for our meals.

The no-cheese pizza was simply delicious last night and the pancakes this morning were so satisfying. Now, if we can keep up the variety and activities, we shouldn’t worry about the remaining MCO days ahead.

Keeping busy with activities and food!

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A Quiet Celebration, Part 2

30 Apr

I thought it would be a quiet celebration to mark my birthday this year, having to stay put and all. But I was wrong! Hubby treated me to an early birthday dinner; then there was that golf game and luncheon with all the golf buddies.

The best part was the unexpected delivery. The girls surprised me with a dairy-free cake, or rather six slices of different flavors. Delivered a day early, they planned with hubby without my knowledge. A lovely but unexpected surprise indeed that made the birthday all the more special despite the circumstances.

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