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Bird Tales

8 Mar

The pesky woodpecker is certainly pesky. It tried to make another hole in the staghorn fern! Grr. Hubby sprayed organic vinegar to protect his prized staghorn, and it seemed to work, but only for a day; there are no more damages to the fern.

The next day, hubby awoke to the evil screech of the woodpecker. He jumped out of bed and went out to check on his staghorn. Two staghorn ferns are now damaged! Damn, this woodpecker is persistent. A new hole in the first staghorn, making it three holes now. And two holes in the other staghorn. Ooh, hubby is very upset.

The damages on two staghorn ferns

He stuffed the latest hole of the first staghorn with garden refuse again. The holes on the second fern were not too deep, so he left it as is. What must it take to protect the staghorn ferns? Hubby must not sit on his laurels and will have to reinforce the protection. The pesky woodpecker must be discouraged at all cost!

On a brighter note on bird tales, the rescued baby bird is doing fine. We were updated on its well-being over the weekend by the attendant who adopted the little bird. It is eating well and growing stronger every day. That is good news indeed, especially after our other horrid bird encounter.

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DIY Project #12, Part 2

5 Mar

Lately, I can’t find the right opportunity to get going with DIY project number 12. Maybe because I can play golf again with the MCO relaxed, the need to kill time at home is not so essential. After all, a round of golf will take up almost half the day, whether it is a morning or afternoon tee-off.

Also, there are things to do in the office, and I have been going to the office. By the time we head home, the usual evening dinner routine and chores leave hardly any window for me to sit down at my little station to work on the miniature. Oh well, I am not rushing to complete it.

Almost done with this

But luckily, towards the end of last week, I had time as I did not play any weekday golf, and work at the office was complete. So I think the project is at the tail-end, and I should complete it soon.

The remaining decor items to complete
Project #12, a wonderful piece

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Pesky Woodpecker is Back!

2 Mar

Hubby discovered a new problem on his prized staghorn fern in the front garden. The pesky woodpecker is back! It seems that Sunday was a day of bird stories. After our golf game and the little bird rescue, we got home, and hubby did his usual routine – watering the plants in the front garden. When he looked up to spray the staghorn, he saw two holes on the shield frond! He was not pleased. This time, the pesky woodpecker made two holes instead of one. Hrmph.

Top: The staghorn looks like Baby Groot with the two holes! Bottom: We’re stuffing your efforts, you varmint!

The next morning, he heard the noisy woodpecker and decided to do something to deter the pest. He stuffed the holes with twigs, leaves, and whatever garden refuse he could find. Later, when we were getting ready to leave the house for the office, we heard the woodpecker’s screeches. It was almost evil sounding as it was angry to discover the holes plugged.

We managed to see the small and feisty brown feathered pesky culprit, but I was not quick enough to take a picture. I can assure you it’s not the same bird as the previous one, although it is the same species, the Rufous Woodpecker. With the holes plugged, I hope it won’t attempt to make another hole! We have to monitor the situation. If it turns for the worse, hubby will do whatever necessary to protect his staghorn fern. We do not welcome woodpeckers in our garden.

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A Rescue

1 Mar

We played our usual golf games over the weekend. Sunday’s outing, however, was unusual. Hubby stumbled upon a baby bird after his tee-off at Hole 6. It fell from the nest above the tree. The poor thing!

When he picked it up, I thought we were going to be parents again, having to care for it. He couldn’t leave it there because firstly, the ants especially would devour the hapless thing alive, and secondly, mummy bird cannot lift it back to the nest. She has to accept the loss.

The little fella slept in the cup holder of the buggy

We had to care for it to ensure it has a chance to grow up. So little birdy came along with us in the golf buggy. After two holes, we went to the halfway hut and asked the attendant for a container. A makeshift nest would make it easier to carry it home.

When hubby explained the need for a container, the attendant took a look at the little birdy and was keen to care for it! So after a short debate, we gave the little birdy to him.

We will have to check on its health and well-being the next game we play and when we see the attendant. Stay tuned on this.

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Chap Goh Meh 2021

26 Feb

In a blink of an eye, the Chinese New Year or Lunar New Year is ending. Today is Chap Goh Meh, the 15th day of the Lunar calendar. It has been a very uneventful Chinese New Year for us. No Reunion Dinner with our family and no ‘Yee Sang’ to toss as we avoided lunch and dinner gatherings with friends.

Under normal circumstances, we would have done several lunches and dinners with friends and family by now. The ‘Yee Sang’ dish would be the main attraction besides friendship, chatter, and food. But alas, this is wishful thinking for this year.

Given the current MCO status, none of the get-together and celebrations happened, despite the SOP having eased. I miss the boisterous New Year merry-making. I miss the lunches, dinners, get-togethers, and my friends. Sniffle.

I can’t wait until the day comes when we can all come together for a proper sit-down meal and interact freely. But until then, guards up, mask up, and stay safe!

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Where’s the Pineapple?

22 Feb

Just when we thought we were going to savor Spongebob’s pineapple because it was riped already, someone else beat us to it! Darn.

Caught in the act!

It was just a day before that I took a picture of the pineapple with the fake pineapple. The next day, it was gone, right down to the core. The garden squirrel had helped itself to the fruit! Hubby was surprised when he looked out the kitchen window and found the pineapple missing.

The scene unfolding before our eyes!

The culprit was still busy devouring the sweet fruit when I came downstairs, in time to snap a few pictures of the scene. The squirrel must be hungry, or the pineapple must be very tempting. There was nothing left, mostly the skin only. And after the first squirrel left, a second squirrel came around to enjoy what leftovers there were still.

The second culprit eating what’s left

Hubby was not too upset because he said during Chinese New Year, these creatures needed to eat. And we must be kind towards them during this time. Don’t shoo them away. But once Chinese New Year is over, he will do whatever is necessary to protect the remaining two pineapples that we still have.

He then recalled the last time we managed to harvest and eat one pineapple because he took measures to protect the fruit. He placed a wire mesh around the fruit. So we must remember this, or we’ll be asking again, where’s the pineapple?!

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Some Normalcy

19 Feb

The lockdown situation eased a little, and it was indeed good news when outdoor activities were allowed last Friday. Even eat-in, albeit two per table, was allowed but following a strict SOP. The eat-in rule has further relaxed this week.

When the news broke, we were ready for some golf and played our first game last Saturday morning. But we found ourselves having forgotten the routine to prepare after a month of no golf and took a while to readjust. The hardest part was waking up at 5.30am. Nonetheless, it felt good to be out on the golf course; the greens were in superb condition. If only we played better.

Then on Valentine’s Day, we took the opportunity to dine-in at one of our favorite restaurants, as this was also allowed. A welcome change and we had a good dinner with a couple of pints. Our decision also helped the restaurant owner to recover from its lack of business during these trying times.

A cold pint each, crunchy gizzards, marinated pork strips, Wagyu beef, and although a bland-looking paella, it was good and an enjoyable meal overall.

On Monday, we played our second golf game on the Hills course. Unlike Saturday’s game on the buggy, everyone used a golf trolley for the afternoon game. And it was a scorcher because typically, the Chinese New Year weather is hot and dry! By the 15th hole, everyone decided to call it quits because not only the heat got the better of us, physically, the will to walk with the trolley for the last three holes was not there. The stamina is off for everyone with a month’s lay-off from the game during this MCO.

The heat was unbearable!

It is nice that there is some sense of normalcy returning when dining-in at restaurants for occasions and outdoor activities are allowed. And this week, the 10 km travel limit restriction has been lifted, but interdistrict and interstate travel is still off-limits until further notice.

Nice as it is, the MCO is extended again until 4 March! I think we are immune to the extension already, having lost count. So adhering to the strict SOP rules at all times is the best way to keep things nice and stay safe.

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Look Spongebob, a Pineapple! Part 2

16 Feb

Hubby’s attempt at planting pineapples is starting to bear fruit, pun intended. The last time I compared the young pineapple to Spongebob’s pineapple home, both were about the same size.

Now, the real pineapple has grown and outsizing the fake one. Pretty soon, we have to take ownership of it and deny Spongebob a new home! Hahaha.

Three homegrown pineapples!

Not only do we have this pineapple, but there are two more pineapples that hubby has nurtured. Green fingers indeed! I look forward to the day we can enjoy the fruits of his labor.

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DIY Project #12

15 Feb

DIY project number 12 started immediately upon the completion of DIY project number 11. And it has been slow, very slow. There were things to do in the office, and I was busy. As such, there wasn’t much time to devote to number 12.

DIY Project #12, Dragon Gate Inn

The week before Chinese New Year, we were working late every day. I didn’t even have time to cook, what more to work on my miniature project?

Nonetheless, it is not a race to complete project number 12 but a time-filler to pass the time.

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A Garden Party!

12 Feb

Today is the first day of the Chinese New Year or the Lunar Year of the Metal Ox. A very muted occasion for us because our status remains under lockdown, with no place to go or family to visit. Honestly, it is no different from the past 12 months. There’s nothing to celebrate. Sniffles.

We did, however, made an effort to liven up our situation for the Reunion Dinner. Instead of having dinner at the kitchen counter like every other night, we chose to eat in the garden patio last night! And have a barbeque while we were at it. We even had some feathered guests joining our party, but they ate earlier than us because bird seeds didn’t need grilling.

The birdies having a feast on the newly painted wall!

I thought we had to take precautions against the evening mosquitoes but there were none thankfully. We set up the table plus a side table at the patio and cooked up an eight-item BBQ menu for the occasion.

Typical Reunion Dinners are either six or eight dishes to signify abundance, but since it’s just the two of us this year, the eight-item course is more than enough and equally meaningful. And even though the dinner was technically not a Reunion Dinner, we enjoyed the change in ambiance.

Not the typical and traditional menu, I labeled it as an eight treasure platter.
The colorful spread on our Barbecook grill

Both of us laughed about whether the dinner qualifies as a Reunion Dinner because, firstly, we are always together, and secondly, it’s more like a garden barbeque party. The lengthiest duration that we are separated so far this past month has been five minutes? Having long showers does not count, though. Whether it is indeed a Reunion Dinner or just a garden party, we need to inject variation and humor into our lives to keep sane. Let’s hope the current MCO status will revise for the better come 18 February.

Until then, steer the Ox by the horns towards having a happy and safe celebration during this Chinese New Year! Gong Xi Fa Cai folks.

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