Swooned over bee hoon

I experimented with making fried bee hoon the other night for dinner since we have all the ingredients needed to make it as authentic as possible. I used some pak choi, dried mushrooms (from home!), red pepper, shredded carrot and strips of fried egg on top. It turned out not too bad although I was disappointed not to be able to recreate that familiar taste of home. Could it be the missing yew cang (fried shallots) or sliced chilli or fishcake or tau gay? I don’t know… There is just something so comforting about stuffing my face with economy bee hoon, vegetarian bee hoon, or any bee hoon! I miss real food.

Ninety

 

It was V’s 90th birthday on Thursday and what a lovely day it was for her. A non-stop stream of cards and flowers arrived for her and because she had gone out with R’s sister to visit her niece, I opened the door to receive all of her surprises. Later we had a delicious lunch at a pub restaurant and headed over to R’s sister’s place in the evening where everyone arrived for a small, low-key party. We had some wonderful sponge cake and toasted with Moet champagne, then came home with more cards and boxes of chocolate. I have to admit getting to 90 is such an incredible feat. I wonder how it feels like?

Roses and thorns

 

The last of my birthday surprises came on the night itself when R brought home a huge bunch of beautiful big roses on his bike and tried to sneak them into the house without me noticing. I was overjoyed and put them beside my bed. The great thing about cut flowers in this climate is they last forever, whereas in Singapore my roses would have wilted by the third day if I was lucky.

He was very proud to mention to his colleagues that he’s bought me flowers and they gave him serious nods of approval, until he mentioned it was for my birthday. “What?! Not for her birthday or Christmas. We mean you shouldn’t buy her flowers just on special ocassions, but also on ordinary days to show your affection.” And then they weren’t so impressed with him anymore. 

Poor men, they just never seem to get it right.

Home improvement #2

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Like many other old houses, ours originally only had one bathroom next to the kitchen, which meant we had to go up and down the stairs whenever we needed the loo or the shower. But since there is already existing plumbing in one of the rooms upstairs, R got a builder to put in a toilet and shower, turning it into an ensuite guest room. So who would be the lucky one to be the first to stay there?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I like purple and all bright colours, but I’m always very hesistant about painting walls in other shades apart from white. I’ve always liked that I can easily jazz up whitewashed rooms with interesting paintings, plants, furniture, and change them whenever I fancied another look.

Having coloured walls would mean that I had to select the accessories to match the shade they were in, and I don’t like having such limitations. There have been many ocassions where I was tempted to experiment with rich hues or even beautiful wallpaper, but in the end I just wasn’t bold or creative enough to step out of my comfort zone.

As you may have gathered by now, we want to try to keep our house simple and neutral in terms of colour and design so that we won’t be in danger of “going out of fashion”. This room upstairs is a space for us to watch TV, read books and magazines, use the computer and relax. There is a futon behind the door and we plan to get a coffee table and maybe a small armchair. I think it may be my favourite room by far.

More home improvement tidbits to come.

Wrapped up warm

  

  

R came up with the idea of making vegetable wraps for dinner a couple of weeks ago and it’s so yummy and easy to make that we’ve had it a few times since. Basically you just chuck any chopped vegetables you like into the wok and stir-fry it. We have used onions, cabbages, peppers, mushrooms, broccoli and courgettes.

It tastes especially great when you mash up some avocados and spread it on the wrap before you load a few spoonfuls of vegetables on top. We also like to add some smoked mackeral and cheese, but you can try it with strips of chicken or ham. 

While R struggles with wrapping it into a neat parcel, it is relatively easy for me, because it’s just like wrapping a popiah. Do you reckon we should start a wrap business?

Surprise!

This arrived on Saturday. A chocolate cake packed in styrofoam! What a sweet surprise from Aunt and Mum, who when I phoned and thanked her, cruelly reminded me of my age and wanted me to start mapping out my life plan.

 

The orchid was left outside the door early on Monday morning. What a thoughtful gesture from the girls to pick a present to remind me of home! They are lovely and I put them in the living room upstairs on my freshly painted mantelpiece and fireplace. It also came with a blue soft toy which R and I squabbled over the identity till we got some sense to read the tag which said ”Blue Hippo”.

I had a few pretty cards and well-wishes from his family, and can you beat this – a blank cheque from R! Woo hoo I’m laughing all the way to the bank! Alright, not. It’s for me to fill in the amount for my yoga lessons starting this week. So romantic right? What to do? Gotta keep fit now that age is catching up on me.

Still, I had a lovely day!

Summer in September

Summer finally came on a warm, sunny day in September so I decided to go for a walk up the common near R’s sister’s house.  

This year’s wild blackberries don’t look very good. It’s been raining too much.

Passing by allotments where people grow flowers and vegetable. I saw a huge pumpkin.

Entering the common where cattle grids are in place to prevent the animals from escaping.

Thought I’d see some sheep but they weren’t there. Instead, there were 8 lovely horses basking in the sun.

Why stand and eat when you can sit down? It’s easier to lie down too after the meal. Neighhhhhh!

All standing together for a happy family shot. Kinda like these patchy horses, although only a big brown chap dared to walk up to me and let me stroke its face.

There’s my stud!

Home improvement #1

The previous owners left behind some built-in wardrobes and a dressing table in a beech wood colour. We removed the table and the stuck-on mirror, and bought a slim shelf from IKEA as my dressing table. We reduced costs by not chucking the hideous wardrobes but painting it white to match the rest of the furniture. That took me about 8 hours. We also got rid of the orange lampshade and replaced it with a simple paper shade which brightens the room.  

The room was originally painted pinky-beige and had really dirty carpets. We got rid of the bedside tables and laid down new beige carpets with a waffle texture. You may remember me writing about the terrible time we had trying to haul the 5ft mattress up the narrow staircase, and putting together the oak bed. That was last September and I now think it is totally worth the effort everytime I lay in bed. The metal bedside tables are from IKEA’s office collection and we got the two red lamps with go with the silk bed sash I got from Shanghai.

More home improvement tidbits to come.

Village exposed

R was concerned about the picture that I’m painting to my friends about our village. “They probably think it’s a quaint village in the beautiful countryside where everyone bakes their own bread, makes their own jam and where the postmen come around in bicycles.”

Alright, the truth is the village is nothing like the picture above. To give you a better idea of the little community we live in, I took some photos today.

This is the street where R currently lives along. It has rows of bungalows with nice gardens.

 

This is the widest road you get in our village. One lane for each direction. And the tallest building is three-storey high.

Here’s the entrance to the cul-de-sac we would be moving to. The property beside the red van is owned by a large family of Chinese running the takeaway.

We would be living at the end of a row of terrace houses. The village’s fire station is just across but nobody has seen them in action.

At the centre of the village there is a small supermarket where we can get food if we need to. I usually go to another larger and better-stocked one by train once a week. Prices are cheaper there as well.

There are pharmacies, florists, estate agents, hairdressers and other shops along the hill.

At the top of the hill is the public library where I visit every other day to use the computer and borrow books.

There, it’s nothing glamorous but I much prefer the open spaces, relaxed environment and clean air of the suburbs.

You’re a Star!

Yes, your eyes aren’t playing tricks on you, that IS a star-shaped egg. The truth is, our village has been secretly breeding and producing special hens which lay star-shaped eggs! How cool is that?

Alright no, don’t be ridiculous. I received a silicon star-shaped mould and some really cute paper baking cups with cartoon characters from the girls in Singapore, who had clearly been reading about my cooking adventures. Woo hoo, it rocks to have faithful readers!

I was so excited to try out the mould, but had no idea why the egg turned out to be “mor beng” (bumpy). Nonetheless, it was still as delicious. And I’ve been thinking of what to bake with the super kawaii baking cups.

Thank you girlies! But how come there wasn’t a note accompanying your sweet gifts?