The lone papaya tree in the garden is nearing its end as we have harvested most of the fruits. The netting mesh is now loose because there are not many fruits left on the tree to protect anymore.
This has been a good papaya tree
Soon we have to chop the tree down or, at least, shorten it to about three feet to allow it to grow again. It will be our biggest challenge because the papaya tree is next to our beloved frangipani tree with many hanging air plants. And being so tall, it will be a mammoth task to shorten it without damaging anything on the frangipani tree and the ground.
The thought of not having anymore more papayas daily is rather disheartening because we have gotten so used to it. Perhaps we have been taking it for granted, the constant supply of papaya.
Well, I hope the papaya nursery will speed up the growth of the current batch of trees. And we have to readjust our fruit intake and hope the little trees grow up faster to give us fruits.
The power of advertising today, especially on social media, has changed advertising from what or how it used to be. It was from a Facebook posting that I found the cafe that served lovely strawberry cakes.
So I convinced hubby that we should drive to Hulu Yam to try the cake, and this was the beginning of our short weekend excursion plans. A nice change from the usual weekend golf game and window shopping at shopping malls.
Two weekends ago, we drove to the Kebun Cafe. The drive was long because traffic was heavy. But when we arrived, it was a pleasant discovery. There was an organic vegetable and fruit farm next to the cafe, and yes, we bought some fruits and vegetables.
The cafe had a small crowd, but we managed to get a table. There were only drinks and cakes on the menu. Luckily, we had lunch already before we drove here! We ordered the strawberry cake and the black sesame cake, and both were heavenly. I’d say it was worth the drive. But as there wasn’t much else to see and do, we left after the short coffee break and sinful cakes.
Doing such short excursions during half a day on the weekend can be therapeutic, and we are convinced to continue with this activity. Away from the hustle and bustle of work and city living or even the monotony of our daily life, this activity discovery is pleasant for our well-being and mental rejuvenation. I look forward to our next excursion!
The weekend routine has become so predictable that we decided to do something about it. Week in, week out, we were either playing golf or at shopping malls, and it wasn’t so exciting and monotonous.
So for the past two weekends, we went away on short excursions, driving out of town to discover new places and food to eat. The drives are not that long, within an hour or so. It only took longer when we were diverted from heavy traffic and traveled on the trunk roads.
And when unsure where to go and what to do, the internet is the best place to do some quick research before embarking on something new. Last weekend, we decided to drive to Janda Baik because I found that there are some nice cafes located there.
The drive was long and windy because the navigation app diverted us to take the toll-free road instead. Oh well, we were not in a hurry.
The Pineyard at Janda Baik
When we got to The Pineyard, our lunch stop, the place was packed and bustling with activities. We walked into a garden wedding being set up for probably a late afternoon wedding to take place, followed by dinner in the main dining area. The decor was pretty, and the surrounding made the ambiance very romantic.
The cafe was packed and had a long waiting line of patrons, either walk-in visitors like us or wedding guests. We had to change our lunch plans, for it would take forever before our turn for a table. Our tummies were protesting already when we saw the crowd.
Fresh figs were very goodA pleasant discovery
We drove off, intending to go to another place when we saw Figgy’s Cafe and decided to have lunch here instead. The local food was delicious, and the Fig Farm beside the cafe was a bonus discovery. Now I know how figs grow on trees! After lunch, we checked out another cafe for coffee before heading home.
Coffee at Pinto Coffee
We never realized a simple initiative to drive off to a nearby town to discover new things would give us such pleasure, and I think we may do this more often because it’s not that tiring a drive, and it’s delightful to see places and try new food.
As the saying goes, time goes by when you’re having fun or being busy. Suddenly we have reached the halfway mark for 2022! Goodness, what happened in the past six months? Was I having so much fun or being so busy – I don’t seem to recall!
The pandemic is still here, and we are so used to it now. After all, it’s two and a half years already since the beginning of the outbreak. And the country has been revising the SOPs constantly to circumnavigate the ever-evolving situation.
Despite the constant rules updates and changes, one thing has remained. People are still masking up whenever being out in public, especially indoors, although it is not a must now for open areas. The public has been ingrained since day one to do this. It’s a good and safe practice to contain the virus spread. Our mask supply is never-ending too!
This year, my crafting of DIY miniatures is taking less of my time because I started wool felting, and also my golf games have picked up. I suppose one can’t have it all. We’ll see how the second half of the year goes for me as far as my miniatures are concerned. There’s still a mountain of supplies waiting for me, and I intend to buy more!
Felting is quite a therapeutic activity whenever I want to do something. This activity takes less time, and the finished piece is just as rewarding and satisfying.
Carving has halted big time because it’s too messy and dusty. However, I still have a three-Gnomes piece to complete before the year ends. With six months left, I should be able to, I think. I need to find the time and focus on the activity.
Let’s hope the second half of the year will be exciting and not just fun and busy so that when we look back at 2022, it will be a year to remember and not be lumped together with the past two forgettable years.
It looks like I am wrong about the Chili Reaper that comes to our garden. Two days ago, the Yellow-vented Bulbul came a-calling, and it wasn’t the chili plant that it went to but the papaya fruit that we left out for the squirrels!
The Bulbul also likes papaya besides chili, it seems. We never knew. I guess we have to rethink its given name now. It’s wrong to call it the Chili Reaper if it eats papaya fruits besides chili, right?
The lure of collecting another badge in my Fitness app was too strong. I decided to go for the Yoga Day Challenge badge on the International Day of Yoga last week. After all, it only takes twenty minutes.
But where do I begin? YouTube, of course! Nowadays, when one wants to learn something, YouTube is the go-to to find out. I found a 20-minute session video with mixed stretching and soul-searching breathing moments. Hmm, I can handle it.
And so I attempted the Yoga challenge. Oh man, it looked easy on the video, but it was not! My body was so stiff that I couldn’t twist my limbs as shown. Even the soul-searching seated moments were not easy because my mind kept wandering!
Nonetheless, I managed and was sweating after 22 minutes at it. Never underestimate the power of yoga! It may look or sound easy, but it was not. But I’m glad I did it and have earned the Yoga Day Challenge badge for my effort.
We used to have three papaya trees in our garden, but not anymore. Only one tree is still fruiting, as the other two have passed their prime. The older of the two was chopped down in its height but never grew again. Its base wilted with time, and we left it unattended until we figured out what to do with its precious space in the garden.
The other tree had problems as far as the fruits were concerned. Hubby chopped it down to about two feet to allow it to grow again. Hopefully, the tree will recover and give us healthy fruits again.
The lone tree so far is still fruiting well, and we have a couple of challenges with it. The first is its height – it has grown so tall that plucking the fruits from the top of the nine-foot-tall ladder is quite a task. The other challenge is keeping the garden squirrels away from eating the fruits on the tree!
Papaya fruits have become such an integral part of our diet these days. So much so, with the two trees gone, hubby decided to cultivate more papaya trees. Call it our papaya nursery, if you may.
Our papaya nursery
He recycled milk containers to house the little trees. And so far, the four trees are doing okay. When they are ready, to the garden they will go! Or he will give a few away. Any takers?
Today is the International Day of Yoga. The Fitness app on my AppleWatch alerted me yesterday and challenged me to do some yoga today to earn the badge.
Now I’m a badge collector on the Fitness app. I’ve earned some cool limited edition ones like the Unity Challenge and Ring in the New Year Challenge (closing the Move ring seven days in a row), Heart Month Challenge (doing a 30-minute Exercise), National Parks Challenge (working out or walking at least a mile), plus a couple more.
But yoga? Hmm, I don’t know because I’m not a yoga person. Then again, sitting down breathing, and doing almost nothing or some slo-mo movements can’t be that difficult. Can it? Maybe I’ll give it a shot. Twenty minutes is all it takes to earn this Yoga Day Challenge badge.
Sometimes we need something different to do to rejuvenate. Instead of wallowing and being out of sorts, I changed my routine to keep busy.
And I find Pinterest is one of the best apps for ideas. The various boards I have to gather visual ideas are very inspiring.
I needle felted something different over the weekend. Staying away from the true and tested Miffy bunny, tortoises, and characters that I am familiar with, I went with felting a new character. And I went the extra mile to add the necessary parts to make practical keychains out of them!
My latest characters
My two Yetis are simply adorable! It’s a gem of a find from Pinterest. I guess I will be felting a few more of this cutie pie character.
Sometimes when the going gets tough, the tough get going. Unfortunately, this does not apply to me today. I am a little out of sorts and have no inspiration to write anything.
I hope next week, I’ll be back in full swing to share about my hobbies and all. Have a good weekend, people!
Angieneering 
Remarks