Brinjals, chilies and tomatoes.

Assalamualaikum.

It is fruiting time for our edible garden. The flowers are out. The 3cm tomato seedlings have grown to be 3 feet tall, so do the brinjals and the chilies. It no longer look nicely arranged and in line since they grow in all directions.  But cannot beat the joy of seeing the flowers turning into little fruits and growing bigger and bigger everyday. I love having ulam raja with my rice but now the plant had exhausted it's leaves and had to be emm...'put to rest' and to be replaced with a new one. I will get it at the morning market on Sunday, InsyaAllah.

All this gardening is therapeutic you know.  It one of the natural prozacs in life.  It never fails to make you feel better. I guess humans are made to come in contact with nature and one cannot survive without the other so much so that people who lives among trees and greens are in a better well being than those that live in the concrete and steel jungle. I read of sick people who got better when they change their lifestyle from urban to a more nature surrounding habitat and  a diet of processed food to wholesome  natural food especially organic vegetables and fruits.  Gradually they regain their health and  their sickness subsides and dissapears. I guess, nothing like the real thing, huh?

What we do with our life is a lot like gardening. It starts with a seed.  The niat.  The right seed would produce the right plant.  If we plant a mango seed and wait for a durian fruit would be dumb. So if we plant the wrong niat in our hearts and hope for the right things to happen, it would not. For instance, if we are doing it for the money but say we are doing it for God, then you get a cut your salary, what happens?  You leave in a huff and a scoff. Arguing that one cannot live on water alone.

Then the ploughing.  Preparing for what ever you are out to do.  Getting ready the necessary. As a friend says, failing to plan is planning to fail. Something like that.

The weeding would mean staying away from the pest or parasites that suck your money and happiness and destroy your leaves of hope.

Watering and manure is like taking care of our physical health. Good food, vitamins, good diet.

The sun is love.  You need all the love you can get.

With all the above, you will be able to produce the best fruits to be benefited by yourself and others.

But nothing would happen without any effort.  No effort, no edible garden.

Love you, Selamat Berpuasa. Next change, pictures!!

hamper making

It started with my sister Idah  having to make hampers for an office function.  If both of us have something in common, it is the love of making hampers.  Maybe because we both love presents, to give and to receive.

We made 50 small packs in pretty boxes with ribbons which we filled with chocolates, chocolate chip cookies, 2 coasters and a pack of sweets. Within the range of RM15 and I do not think we made any money. All the going round the round many supermarkets to find things nice but cheap. We argued for choice since good things to me means wholesome healthy food, whereas for Idah, packaging is everything. She puts back whatever I take from the shelves.  Then we came to a compromise, good things and good packaging and cheap which became more difficult to find.  Finally, low profit but satisfied with our little hamper of something the receivers would appreciate and what we would want for ourselves.

Then we made 5 bigger ones.  More goodies to put in.

I name our hampers. ( I name everything) 'Sweet as you',' Everlasting Love' (which I gave Bah and Man, wink, wink).Today I made 'Tea for two' and God knows what I will come up with tomorrow.

Nowadays, when I see something cute and sweet, thinking it would look good in my  hamper, I would buy. The other day, when Shaz came to visit on her break, on short notice, I put these cute foodies in a cute bag for her to bring back to Kuching.  Threw in a Lovely Lace candle too. And a painted enamel box.

Now I cannot stop.  I started copying the things I see at the shop.Snapping their pictures with my not-so- latest Nokia.  Buying tiny containers and small doilies to put the goodies in.  Must taste good.  Small in quantity but big in taste.

It takes my mind away from the problems I am facing.

Just now when I delivered one hamper to my brother for Father's Day (because he is, without a doubt, a good father), he wants me to make few more for him to give his neighbours for Ramadhan.

Hihihi, I am so happy.

Never ending story....

.....of everlasting love

Nora commented on me for being hard to contact with a 'you and your never ending story'.  So I added on.  The Never Ending Story Of Everlasting Love, which made her laugh. Glad to make someone laugh.

For one who does not know me, they do not know that for a person who is not working, I am very very busy.  Whether life makes me that way or I made my life that way, its up to you to perceive. But the challenges keep coming.  There is a big lost looming ahead. It might happen, it might not happen.  Let's pray it does not happen.  But if it does, I hope I still have my dignity even if I lose the rest.

I have learnt one big lesson which I hope you will learn from it too. Do not trust people you do not know. No matter who they are or how they appear to be.  I trusted completely and here am I, at the verge of being the dumbest women in the world if not the most gullible.

Being good has a price.  So be smart good, not dumb good.  Because the value of good has eroded  and even if you live by it, others might not uphold it and take it as a chance to trample all over you and your good intentions. So be fair, be honest, be generous, but do not at anytime loose your guard or be oblivious to the other person's motives and what they are capable of.  I ignored many gut feelings  and warning signals that was ringing loud in my mind.  So here I am, hanging on to only one hope. That there is honesty in at least, one out of 4 parties.

Before I am crowned the most gullible, I still  would not compromise what is good and right even if others take it as my weakness.  But I would no longer believe that good is reciprocated with good. Nevertheless,  Allah knows what is in your heart..

A new member of our family

First, this old lady now knows how to transfer photos from the handphone to the computer.  It might be nothing to you, but for old ladies, its an achievement.

Today's post. Maybe Allah knows I need cheering up, He sent a kitten mewing her way into our household.  It is a common cat. Plain, in a shade of grey with specks of orange, big eyes and extra big ears. We found it outside the house, mewing away, so we gave it food and water.  I was worried because the cars were going in and out the porch very frequently and the kitten was all over the place.  But I noticed it was smart enough not to let itself get flatten by the cars, staying out of the way when it hears the engines ignited.  There had been cats that do not know what it means when the cars start 'vrooming' and keeps sitting there, waiting to be run over. I know, because I was the one who ran over them. Twice.  But not this kitten, it would move away, only when the car is out of the gate, it comes back again. Another thing about cats, there are 2 kinds, the ones that comes to you and the ones you have to go after.  This cat comes to you, the rarer kind.

Before long, Mimi was bathing her and pretty soon,  Tutti Frutti  was making herself very comfortable in the house.  At first Shushu and Giogio frowned at her but Tutti was not bothered.  Tutti found her way to the litter box, to their food and drinking from their big cup,  as though she had been here all her life.  But she does what the other two does not do,  like sleeping on the bed, sitting on our laps and curling up close to us.  Shushu is too regal and aloof while Giogio is too macho to do such things.  Now they play together and Shushu would chase Tutti and the amorous Giogio, does come up to kiss her.too.

When Giogio first came, it was not easy to get acquainted with Shushu  but a little thing like Tutti, she found her place without any fights at all. Hmm...that's something new.

Caring for the plants

I read this line in an article. WHATEVER YOU CARE FOR, GROWS.  Tooiiinggg! Goes my heart strings. That happens.

It is only too true. To be taken cared of or cared for is indeed a blessing. It holds true for nearly everything.  Caring for your family, your home, your friends, your belongings, your health,  for the matter.   What is left uncared for would collect dust. Literally speaking or not. 

Nothing is more true with plants. Not tending them would make them wither and eventually die.  Love them and they thrive well.  Hajar is very good with plants.  She said always read Bismillah before you start anything especially when planting a new tree.  We must be gentle for plants have souls too, so she said.  When shifting them or dividing them, or cutting them, do it gently, do not pull or rip them apart but softly, softly does it. No wonder what Hajar plants always grew fat and healthy.

If I recall, there was a certain time when we were busy and watered the few plants at our previous flat only when we remember to.  The leaves were not so nice.  This time, when we put our hearts to look after them, what was growing slowly before  seems to be greener and has more leaves.  We have to weed, manure it and when necessary shelter the new seedlings.  I covered the tomato seedlings with cut water bottles to shelter them from the pest and from too much sun or too much rain until they are bigger and stronger.

And this goes without saying, water them twice a day.

Whatever you care for, grows.



Initially, this is hajar digging and loosening the earth to start our garden with Shu Shu feeling her way on the ground.



We planted brinjal seedlings (left) and what grew from a soggy tomato (right)

 Kesum and Kadok

Hajar's pegaga hanging by the wall

Daun sup that grows from a stalk I bought at the market

Mr Reddy

We have flowers too

Our labour of love

Jeng, jeng, jeng....our edible garden.

Edible garden

At the back of the new house is a small patch of land.  Alhamdulilah we have a chance to plant something as the saying 'berbudi pada tanah' goes.  Even before anything else, we started digging and  working on the earth like we have not seen earth for a long long time. We got seeds and seedlings, Kak Pah gave us Pandan and Kari plants, and soon the edible garden which was only in our minds has finally came into form.

Now we have little tomato plants that grew from the soggy tomato I plonked on the ground.  The chili seedlings have flowers.  The brinjal seedlings have new shoots. Hajar's pegaga hanging by the wall has sprouted nicely.  The ulam raja  had been plucked and eaten.  The limau purut and lemon plants too is doing fine.  The pips of garlic and shallots I submerged into the ground have grown and is ready to be put into Aishah's favourite dish, sup ayam.

It brings me joy to see these vegetable growing. A new bloom, a new shoot is greeted with much glee.  I look forward to inspect the garden in the mornings after subuh.  I think would enjoy being a farmer.  If I am brave enough to face the wild boars and iguanas that comes with the teritory of agriculture land.  So, at the moment, I am happy with this small plot to dig happily away.

I will post the photos as soon as I can transfer it from the handphones. Tak sabar nak tunjuk. Jangan jeles k...