LIVING BY THE CANALS

Dogs can live happily by the canals Making a living by the canals

Home is where the heart is. A prince stays in his palace and I stay in my little township - both of us are happy and comfortable in our own settings. Humans can live anywhere, when necessary and all we need is a roof and walls to keep us safe from the elements. These are pictures of people who live by the canals.

A shop selling provisions.
The boatman buying ice.

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY

Decorated by MartianGirl

It had been one rough week at work, one of those where however much you complete and stack into the Out-tray, the In-tray doesn't seem to reduce in volume. Anyway it's Father's day today in Malaysia. I though I'd better state "in Malaysia," cos' Mother's Day seems to be celebrated on different dates internationally. I am not sure whether we follow the British or American dates, but as long as we have a day, it does not matter when.

In my previous posts, I mentioned I have a wonderful neighbour who cooks and bakes like a professional chef. Jeanny sends over dinner meals, cheese cakes, breads, chocolate cakes, fruit cakes, local delicacies and even smoothies. She is a real Gordon Ramsay without the colourful language. In addition to all that, she even takes MartianGirl out to movies and lunch together with her daughter during the school breaks.

So for Father's Day, Jeanny baked two heart shaped butter cakes, got the two girls together in her kitchen to decorate the cakes for their fathers. Isn't that fantastic? I returned from work to a lovely cake in the fridge. MartianGirl was so proud of her work, she must have opened the fridge a hundred times to look. Of course GismoMan was estatic with the cake, he took all the photos and proudly announced it was the most beautiful cake he had ever had... blah, blah .... and that his wife (me!!) had never baked or decorated a more lovely cake...and promptly took us all out for dinner. It was Father's Day and he paid for dinner cos he was so pleased! I am not complaining... I had a lovely dinner..Burp, excuse me.

THANKS A MILLION JEANNY.

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY .

YOU ARE SPECIALLY REMEMBERED TODAY AND EVERYDAY .

Soccer in the Tropics

11th Soccer Championship - Dato' Subahan Kamali Trophy

Waiting for the game to start
Players and supporters

Never too young to start

A game is not one without the Burgerman

Packed and ready to be eaten

The Gombak team waiting for play-off

OK, I have had enough, time to go home

The photos were taken during the Dato' Subahan Kamali Soccer Championship. Caught the supporters, yound and old in action. Hotdogs are not all that popular in Malaysia, the Burgerman is "The Man."

"Illegal" Vegetables

Winter melon on the backyard fence. Maize by the side of the house.

Aloe vera in the back plot .

Salad, chillies and a lime tree on the kerb in front of a house.

We do not have much land in our township but the government has left idle bits and pieces of vacant plots in between houses and especially in our back yards. Of course we are not allowed to build anything on this land, but no one has stopped us from planting our greens. It is not that we are obsessed with vegetables over here, but the Malaysian weather is so "kind" with high humidity, good rainfall and eternal sunshine. "Everything grows so well" as Carolyn puts it. It seems like a waste not to make use of God's gifts to us - the free land and the good weather. As Maternal Tales said, "Imagine not having to wear coats and scarves all the time," it's really so convenient to go from inside to outside in the same shorts and T-shirts. I have taken photos of how we "squeeze" every bit of land for vegetables in this township.

Papaya tree

Government land put to good use.

Cabbages and Ceylon Spinach (purple stems) in troughs in the front of a house.
More cabbages, purple spinach in a pot and Chinese Chives in the trough.

This winter melon is truely as large as a bowling ball. We use it in our soups. The inside can be scooped out, chicken, mushrooms and other ingredients placed inside and the melon is then steamed.

ONE MAD SPITZ AND ONE COOL LABRADOR

Daemon K9 (3 months) and Raya (8 years)

When Deamon K9 came to live with us in 2005, he was the cutest ball of fur. He was so cuddly, no one could resist him. We already had a gentle 8 year old labrador named Spike "Raya" (prosperous in Malay). The two of them were exact opposites. Raya had the patience of a Saint and the perfect temperament befitting a labrador. He would allow MartianGirl to do anything to him without snapping back - pull his ears, sit and sleep on him, snatch his toy and food. He lead a very contented and uneventful life with the family. It was so peaceful at home until ...the fur ball arrived. We named Daemon after "Demon" cos there was not a moment of peace after one month of him joining the family. Daemon could push a Saint to commit suicide!

Daemon (1 year) with Raya

Life was like a broken record being played the entire day, "Stop it; give it back, don't go there; come here; where are my slippers; do not do it in the house." It was never ending and he would shoot around the house like lightning and break everything in his way. It was probably our fault, we should have enrolled him in Obedience Class. He never slowed down. It was impossible keeping him white and when he escaped from the house, he would come happily home all smelly and dirty. He has never returned home without a roll in mud.

He had a passion for scrunchies (hair braids). He would jump and snatch our scrunchies right from our hair and we would be screaming after him. The scrunchies had to be washed cos they would be wet and coverd with slob. I have had many dogs in the family but none like Daemon. He did fall out of my sister-in-law's lap when he was about two months old. I like to think that the accident was responsible for his "rabid" personlaity, and not his genes. Daemon's father was a very elegant dog.

The little devil bullies passive Raya, though they both get along very well. You can see who is the boss, but Raya would sit on Daemon, pin his head onto the ground and growl when he could not take any more nonsense. It did not happen often but enough times for the devil to back off for a while. Daemon would be around Raya all the time like an unmatched clone. Raya passed away from a heart attack on Valentine's Day this February. They were Best Friends Forever.