It has been raining a lot, unusual for this time of the year, and it’s creating a lot of havoc for our garden. It gets flooded when the rain comes down fast and hard and does not drain away fast enough.
The two attempts to plant vegetables, feeble as it is, have failed partly because of the rain. The moist habitat has been attracting mealybugs and is detrimental to the overall garden space.
The eggplants have not seen further yield since the last puny harvest. As for the lady’s fingers, hubby got rid of them because he did not want the mealybugs to contaminate the other plants. So he planted some shrubs to utilize the area while figuring out what to grow next.
On a brighter note, the papaya tree next to our frangipani tree has been in abundance! So much that sometimes, the garden squirrels help themselves to the fruits. We’re not complaining as there’s plenty for everyone, but we wouldn’t want to encourage the squirrels to keep eating the fruits on the tree.
The mini brinjals seem to have stopped growing! After the initial excitement of seeing two fruits on the two different plants, I don’t see them growing anymore. Their sizes remain the same as before.
I shouldn’t be too impatient just yet. After all, with the plant being a mini species, the fruits may have maxed out in their growth already. Hmm.
Two mini and a mini-er brinjal
But to say they have stopped growing is not correct, for there is a new fruit growing on one of the plants. We need to monitor the ripeness of each fruit before we can harvest it. Hopefully, the wet weather or the critters in the garden won’t spoil it for us. We shall see.
It’s been raining a lot lately, and as such, I hardly venture out to the garden. However, today it’s cloudy, and I just so happen to be out. And boy, things look neglected. Weeds were everywhere!
On a brighter note, the vegetables that we planted have shown results. And no, it’s not the lady’s fingers but the mini brinjal this time.
The two mini brinjals
Two-round mini brinjals after so long. Hahaha! At least when we harvest them to eat, I don’t have to cut them into tiny morsels for the three of us.
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 partyA 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.
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.
Sometimes a change in the weather can be a blessing in disguise. We were supposed to have our usual weekend golf game, but it rained the whole of Sunday morning. We decided to go home and not wait around because this type of rain will not cede.
Very yummy effort!
Hubby, of course, baked while I decided to finish up DIY project number 12. I must admit it took some effort because the cool weather was perfect for doing nothing. He attempted a Pineapple Upside Down Cake again because the first attempt failed sometime back. I only had the three lanterns and the last two baskets of the dim sum left to complete.
Dragon Gate Inn is such a cute setThe interior, no patrons now due to Covid-19
And when I finally did, the sense of accomplishment was just so rewarding. I even put together the display dust cover as this set came with it. As the Ikea display cabinet is already full, the dust cover is perfect for keeping the dust out of DIY project number 12, which I anticipate, I will put on the table.
The first miniature with a dust cover
So now, I have a dozen miniatures completed! Wow. Project number 13 will be next soon.
The year-end golf schedule was a crazy one. It was packed! I had games on the 26th, 27th, 29th, and 31st of December 2020. And as if that was not enough, I ushered the New Year in with games on January 1st, 2nd, and 3rd.
Only rain thwarted the game on January 3rd, and instead, we had a lazy day at home on that wet and chilly Sunday morning. It was too troublesome to go out, let alone move. The temperature was perfect for doing nothing. Hubby did bake, though – a sinful cake that was enjoyed thoroughly with a small scoop of coconut ice cream.
I had to go easy on the ice cream or else suffer cramps because of my Endometriosis problem
Initially, I was not supposed to play on January 2nd because I wanted a break, having lined up so many games already. I even declined an invitation to a game on December 30th. But an unexpected problem cropped up that day.
A friend had pulled out at the eleventh hour after inadvertently being exposed to a Covid-19 positive person. He had to self-isolate, and I replaced him.
Well, this year, the golf games may not be so packed as the holidays are over. And I do have to be in the office. So the weekly Thursday game is out, keeping only to Tuesday and the weekends for me.
The rainy season is here since November, and just about every other day, it would rain, thwarting plans for golf games especially. But rain or shine, games are on every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday for me. Occasionally, hubby joins in on a weekday game.
Last week, we decided to walk 18-holes instead of taking the buggy for a change. And it rained, a spoiler to the outing. But we were all die-hard golfers and played on in the drizzling condition. Three of us carried our bags, and one used the golf trolley.
My golf bag umbrella bought on my 2012 trip to the US came in handy. It shielded my clubs from the rain while my regular umbrella protected me. Thankfully, after three holes, the rain let up, and the die-hard golfers in us managed to complete 18-holes.
It’s been raining a lot these past few nights. And we’ve been getting a lot of of winged critters coming into the house. Looking for a warm shelter?
Last week, we had a dragonfly that M2 and I called a big-assed dragonfly because the wing markings made it looked big at the bottom. Bottom heavy, hence big-assed. Heheh…
Last night, it was a big moth that was unfortunately a little injured. Poor thing was flapping about near the living room sofa but ended up perched on the ceiling light tray.
Over the weekend, it was our first time doing a really short anniversary trip. Just two days and a night away, given the circumstances of the pandemic and protocols to contain the spread.
We decided to visit Malacca again after the last trip there to check out the Husky cafe with M2. This trip, sans M2, it was simply a round of golf at A’Formosa Golf Resort, food and playing tourist at Jonker Walk.
The front of Aava Hotel. The back entrance faces the riverfront.The lobby, breakfast room and waiting area. Room was big and comfy.
We stayed at Aava Hotel which was very strategic and within walking distance to the attractions. On Saturday evening, after golf and checking in, we explored the street market on Jonker Walk before and after dinner. People were all masked up and it wasn’t too crowded.
Pre-dinner was Cendol and SatayLovely anniversary tapas dinner
The next day, we even had time to do a morning walkabout again after breakfast. To our delight, we stumbled upon a morning antique market. Not as big as the night attractions, it was very interesting nonetheless. Some of the items on displays brought back memories of things both of us had seen or used when we were young. Lovely.
Colorful rickshaws on the road!
By eleven, we checked out and bade Malacca goodbye, to head for lunch in Seremban. Unfortunately, the famous Beef Noodle at the market was too long a queue, so we opted for something else instead. Oh well, next time…
Clay pot Loh Shi Fun
Next stop was Seremban International Golf Club (SIGC) for an afternoon round of golf before going home. It was windy, the fairways were hard and the greens were horrid to putt. Then it rained. Haish… we had to wait out the rain for about 20 minutes before we could resume our remaining seven holes.
All in all, the trip was short, sweet and very enjoyable. Sometimes it doesn’t have to be far and foreign or exotic but doing what we enjoy most together is best.
Angieneering 
Remarks