DIY Project #19, Part 2

13 Sep

I took eight days to complete DIY project number 19, although I have to say two days did not count because I hardly sat down to work on it. When M1 was still under home quarantine, we were busy tending to her needs. I felt as if we were running a full-service Airbnb, constantly making sure our guest was well fed and comfortable!

Project number 19 was as enjoyable to work on as the previous set from the same series. The only challenging part was putting the table lamp together. However, I decided to skip making the umbrella because I wanted my Little People figurine to be part of the prop. And the umbrella somehow did not fit it.

So now that this is complete, I will take a break before starting a new set. Alternatively, I should complete carving the second Gnome Trio that has stalled. We shall see.

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A Different Quarantine, Part 2

10 Sep

Two weeks have gone by so quickly! M1 is cleared of her home quarantine today and will be out of the room. She is now truly home. Woohoo!

We will be having a feast tonight, home-cooked of course, to celebrate the occasion. There’s no need to elaborate on the joy of being together again.

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A New Gardening Project, Part 3

7 Sep

The seeds in both the planter boxes are doing well despite some not making it. Two okra plants from the first box were transferred to the ground for better soil nutrients, while the remaining plants are still in the planter box.

The second planter box with the mini brinjal saw some surviving, and some did not quite make it. As there was space, hubby threw in some chili seeds, and these survived. So the limited space is rather crowded. But we will leave them there until they grow bigger, then they get transferred to the garden.

Progress of our efforts

Planting our own food sure is slow. I had to refrain from looking at the plants daily. Maybe the more I look, the more conscious they become and stop growing! Chuckle. Hopefully, all these efforts will yield some healthy and juicy crops to savor. Only time can tell.

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My New Putter

6 Sep

Whenever M1 returns from the US, we get a lot of new toys and gadgets! Her return this time is no different, and there are several new fun things again. One of which is my new 32-inch Raspberry Red putter called the Peanut Putter.

The Peanut Putter!

A whimsical yet ambidextrous and very easy-to-use putter, I think this will be good for me to reestablish my putting dexterity. Having laid off golf for four months already, I think I have lost some putting ability. Sure we have the chipping net in the garden, but that’s for chipping and pitching. Putting is a different game altogether. And even though we have the putting mat, it is not the same.

So if and when the time is right for us to go back to playing golf, my Scotty Cameron putter will have to make way for my Peanut Putter to debut. I hope the occasion will come sooner than later.

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DIY Project #19

3 Sep

I have decided to bypass DIY project number 17 again! I don’t understand why I am struggling with it. I suspect the clay work is putting me off, as well as the wirework. So instead of staying stuck and not progressing with any more miniatures, I started on DIY project number 19.

The tiny project number 19

This set is another cute tiny piece like project number 18, as they are from the same series. I think this is the way to go forward to navigate challenging and unappealing tasks at hand. As I still have so many more sets waiting for me, I don’t want to lose interest in crafting miniatures!

Maybe once project number 19 is complete and I get my mojo back, I will jump back to number 17 to finish it off. Let’s hope for the best.

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Vaccinated

31 Aug

After waiting patiently for weeks, the three of us, hubby, M2, and myself, finally received our second Covid-19 vaccination dosage yesterday. This second time is so much faster and more efficient compared to the first.

We were in and out of the vaccination center within ten minutes. There was a smaller crowd, no long queue, and hardly any wait time. A much better experience, I would say.

But being fully vaccinated after 14 days from the jab does not mean we should let our guards down either and go gallivanting everywhere freely. Yes, we are safe, but we still have to be careful and aware.

We will continue to stay home and go out only when necessary. And we will wear either a 4-ply or double mask—even though we are fully vaccinated—if we go out. Keeping our social distance from strangers and friends will be automatic without a reminder whenever we are out. Face it – this is the new norm to be safe than sorry.

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A Different Quarantine

30 Aug

M1 arrived safely after a long journey that took forever. But all’s good now. Several weeks ago, the government announced that people who are fully vaccinated and returning home to the country are allowed to home-quarantine. We decided to go with this option. Unlike when M2 returned in June, this option was not available.

So M1 gets to home-quarantine instead of being at a hotel. And as we have an extra room, the arrangement is perfect. At home with us but separate from us for the mandatory two-week quarantine duration.

We are just glad everything worked out well after all that initial travel anxiety and arrangement. Two weeks will pass by quickly, and before we know it, the quarantine is over! And when that time comes, we will have one big celebratory dinner together. I can’t wait!

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Anxiety and More Anxiety

27 Aug

After six and a half years and two degrees later, our M1 is finally coming home. We are, of course, thrilled with her decision. There was quite a fair bit of anxiety for her trying to book her flight home because of the pandemic.

She had two previous bookings canceled by the airlines because of limited flights and transiting countries having strict regulations to deal with the pandemic. What was supposed to be an 18-hour one-stopover journey became a two-stopover and much more than that. Way much more.

The two-stopover flight with Air Canada did not go as planned! The delayed first leg of the journey caused her to miss her connecting flight to Narita Airport for the second leg. Dear, oh dear. And she could not wait for the next available flight out with the same airline as the Covid-19 test would become invalid after 72 hours from testing. Throw in the immigration restrictions of no more than 24 hours for transit.

It’s so stressful to add to the anxiety dealing with new issues like flight timing, and immigration, on top of health.

Thankfully, she found an alternative airline for the same day, but the journey is longer. Oh well, an extended flight is better than being unable to return at all. With cases on the uptrend again, there isn’t much choice. I will be tracking her path on flightaware.com as always. We have to wait another day until she arrives.

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Too Cute to Resist, Part 2

24 Aug

The tiny DIY miniature beckoned, and I could not resist. And as I was struggling with DIY number 17, calling for me to use clay to shape some cakes and bread, I decided to put number 17 aside and go with the latest micro set.

DIY miniature number 18 took me only five days to finish, although one of the days does not count because I did more house chores than crafting. The set was a joy to work on and utterly cute when complete; such satisfaction I felt.

Cuteness overload

To complete the homey kitchen look, I placed one of the little people, and the little one looked right at home! Ah, such joy again. This set is too cute for words.

Feeling right at home!

With its completion, I will take a break for a day or two before jumping back to DIY set number 17 or perhaps, continue carving the second Gnome Trio piece.

Garden Games

23 Aug

We’ve been finding new things to do to keep busy at home. There has been a change in government in the country over the weekend when the prime minister resigned on 16 August. But there is no change to our status of staying at home. So, we have to have new activities to vary our daily routine.

Online shopping has played a big part in our lives with all sorts of purchases to keep us busy. I even bought golf training balls from my favorite online shopping site, of course, for us to practice. So hubby and I have been creating all sorts of challenges with the new balls and our old chipping net. The perfect setup for this is in the garden.

It can be pretty fun having the challenge with each other. And if the weather is good, it makes the activity even more enjoyable. We need to be fully vaccinated before we can go back to playing golf with our friends. Until then, we have this to keep us still sharp with our chipping and pitching skills. So let the garden games begin!

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