MALAYSIA PART 2

While I'm busy behind the scenes finishing my crochet blanket and knitting a little baby jacket, I thought you might like to see some more of our photos from Malaysia.

This time, I've picked a selection with food as a theme but please bear with me as I can't promise accurate spellings.

As we spent quite a lot of time with a Malaysian family we were very lucky to experience some very different foods.

On this day we headed to Brickfields, an Indian community in Kuala Lumpur where in this restaurant our food was served on a banana leaf. Here we had biryani rice, poppadoms, chickpeas, fish and a hard boiled egg. (They seem to eat a lot of them in Malaysia, they turn up randomly on your plate for many dishes). In the metal container, was a red soup, very spicey and surprisingly tasty.

We were granted spoons as we were European but by the end of the meal we'd all tried as best we could to eat with one hand and after getting through an entire packet of "wet wipes" we managed to succeed.

Once the meal is finished you just wrap your banana leaf up, it all gets put in the bin and your'e on your way!

Although we normally eat breakfast in our hotel which was very good but an international buffet affair on this particular morning we were taken out to have a try at Pan Mee.

This was in an open sided building with lots of different stalls selling different types of breakfast. We just ordered drinks from the restaurant owner and here we are having tea made with condensed milk - so so sweet!
The Pan Mee breakfast consisted of two bowls of food. One of noodles, which were lovely and another with a soup containing some green vegetable, fish balls and surprise surprise a poached egg! The little dish was of extra chillies if we felt the need.
All eaten with chopsticks quite successfully and very very nice!

While we were in Malaysia we became very fond of roti cani an indian flatbread and one evening we went out to taste roti tisu.
The arrival of this bread at the table is quite a spectacle as you can see. The bread is quite crisp, I thought salty in parts but sweet in others. Once it was laid across the table we broke pieces off and dipped it in a spicy sauce. I really liked it.
The drinks we had with the meal, were water melon juice which we had on many occasions during our stay in Malaysia, very delicious and thirst quenching!

In the markets we saw lots of different fruits, these here in the foreground are rambutans which are very prickly skinned but the fruit inside is very sweet and just behind them, mangosteens which once opened  resemble a white satsuma and taste a little sharp but are delicious.

For the whole time during our stay we were promised an evening at a durian buffet!
Golly, I don't know where to begin, but if I say that these fruits are banned from hotels and restaurants etc because of their pungent smell, believe me I can definitely confirm that they stink!
As you drive along the roads, you know you're approaching a durian stall as you can  smell it.
The fruits are large, green and prickly and once they're broken up you eat that yellow flesh which is very soft and custard like in texture.
We did all taste it, my portion was just a tiny tiny piece, but definitely not something I would partake in again.
Afterwards we eat mangosteens which were much nicer and helped rid us of the other horrible taste.
All I can say is, some really love durian and some really don't!

This colourful stall sold an array of little savoury snacks which were nice to try.

And these little eggy things turned up in a restaurant with our lunch of noodles one day. We really haven't got a clue what they are, so if you do, please let me know?

Hope you've enjoyed our photos of Malaysian cuisine.

Finally my daughter Kate and her friend Jeni will be in Greenwich Park London tomorrow to run a half marathon for the charity "Beating Bowel Cancer"
This is a disease that my father had and beat about 25 years ago and a disease that tragically took the life of a close young friend of Kate and Jeni's.
Now Jeni has also recently been successful in beating the disease herself.

I would just like say how proud we are that they are running tomorrow and to wish the girls the best of luck.

KUALA LUMPUR & LANGKAWI MALAYSIA

So, where to begin?

Well, at the beginning I suppose?

Back in July we had the pleasure of going to our friends' daughter's wedding in Colchester, we had a lovely day, as I mentioned in my last post. While Hannah and her husband flew off for the start of their honeymoon and once our five day sleep over with our grandchildren had come to an end, we had to get  packed. Hannah is half Malaysian and after two weeks in Bali the happy couple were heading to Malaysia for more family wedding celebrations. We and her parents were to meet them there in Kuala Lumpur.

We have never been to Asia before so this was a brand new experience for us and to be there for such an event, was just amazing. Hannah's family made us so welcome, they took us sightseeing and definitely got us to try foods that we probably would never have tried if we'd been on our own.

Out of the 900 photos we took, don't worry, I'm not showing them all, I've picked quite a few for you to see.

This is the entrance to the Batu Caves.

 Only 272 steps took us up to the caves to see the religious temples.

Monkeys were plentiful, scaling the rocks so quickly, on the look out for food. Some people were feeding them bananas and rice which made them scurry around your feet even quicker. 

One day we visited the bird park, a huge aviary, the largest in Asia, where the birds flew freely above our heads.

Even the pelicans!

The Orchid Gardens had lovely views of the K L tower

and some stunning orchids too!

In the centre of Kuala Lumpur are the Petronas Towers. These building look and are amazing!

Tickets to go up and take in the view aren't readily available, fortunately they now take online bookings so we were able to get them for the latter part of our stay.

Courtesy of a family member who drives a taxi, one day we went right off the tourist trail.

These are the Sungai Gabai waterfalls.

We enjoyed a spectacular evening when we stood at the very top of the K L Tower waiting for the sun to set. (Even though, we had to sign a declaration to say we wouldn't jump!)

Another very special evening was of course the wedding celebrations.

This was held in a colonial building in Lake Gardens. 

When I first walked into the room my first impression was, amazing!

This photo doesn't really do it justice, as once the lights had gone down and all the guests were inside, many wearing colourful saris, it was definitely 100% amazing!!

A couple of days after the wedding a party of 9 of us including the bride and groom flew to the island of Langkawi for 3 nights.

The view through one of the doors in the hotel was stunning.

This was a really nice place to stay and I would quite happily return there just to do nothing but swim, read and relax.

Oh and have a cocktail or two or perhaps, even three!

While in Langkawi we went on the cable car to take in the views.

We also hired a car and driver who took us to see more waterfalls

and more monkeys!

Our driver was our guide on a boat trip through the mangroves,

where we went in a bat cave,

and we fed the stingray at the fish farm.

Well, Michael did.

As he bent to feed the fish, I grabbed his super duper Australian kangaroo skin hat of his head in fear of it being the fish food for the hungry stingray,

when I saw something fly through the air

and then went plop, down by the side of the fish, to the very depths of the net.

Flying fish, was my first thought but no,

husbands brand new, bought at Heathrow airport, Rayban Wayfarers!!

We asked the fish farm owner if he could reach them with a net.

"Too deep, too deep!" he replied.

Yeah right, we thought!

(So if you do ever see a stingray wearing Wayfarers, think of my husband!)

The last couple of days of our holiday were spent back in Kuala Lumpur.

This is when we did get up to the top of the Petronas Towers.

This view is from the skybridge between both towers on the 41st floor

and this, from the 86th floor.

There's a nice exhibition up there to look at and though you're on limited time on both of the floors, we found it to be plenty enough to look around.

Also, it's not crowded as only a few people are allowed up in each time slot.

We finally left Malaysia to return home while Hannah and Lewis are continuing with their tour of Asia before heading on to New Zealand and then Australia.

We won't see them again now until after the New Year.

I've promised to knit them both socks for Christmas, because I think they may well feel the cold when they finally get home.

GRANNY SQUARES

I was really pleased with the progress of my blanket, I was crocheting at least two or three squares a day. However since we've had these lovely warm summer evenings, we've been eating even later than we normally do, outside in the garden and by the time I've settled in front of the tv it's been nearly my bedtime. I know this because once seated I'm nodding off before I can complete even 1 granny square, hence this is why I still have seventeen to do.

What a wonky photo, don't know what happened there!

July was a very busy month with birthdays as I've already posted and last weekend we went to two weddings. On Friday my cousin's son and his beautiful bride got married and we had a lovely time, a gathering for family and friends, just a perfect day. Then on Saturday I donned a different outfit, a different fascinator and off we went again, this time to our friends' daughter's wedding. This was also a lovely day and in my next post, i'll tell you more about it!

The next day came and to be honest, so did exhaustion. Someone had asked me when I was still dancing at just gone midnight, where I found my energy. Well by Sunday afternoon I was wondering about that question myself, to be honest I was so tired, I think I could have cried at a drop of a hat. Fortunately, I didn't!

Anyway another couple of days passed and fully rejuvenated yesterday morning I collected our grandchildren for a five  day sleepover. What could go wrong?

Within the first hour we completely confused the the self service till in ASDA, had to be assisted twice by a shop assistant and then confused it again when I gave the cereal box to Jessica to hold while walking back to the car and she decided to promptly put it back up on the till to be scanned yet again. The poor girl had to be summoned for the third time and let's just say, I think they were all waving flags by the time we headed out of the door.

From there we called in at the farm shop, where Charlotte without my knowledge decided to stroke the cat which gave her a nip. Thankfully it didn't break the skin but before we unpacked the car, the first job was to clean it thoroughly and talk to the nurse in the doctor's surgery. I'm to keep an eye on it but I've looked at it this morning and it's all ok.

Finally yesterday afternoon we went off to swimming lessons where Jessica got accidentally kicked in the head by another swimmer. So, first aid had to be administered, an ice pack held on her head and forms had to be completed.

Not much room for crochet for the next few days, I think!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHARLOTTE

Well, here we are today, celebrating the third and last of our July family birthdays.

Happy 7th Birthday Charlotte!

Was it really 7 years ago that we all bundled into the hospital just a couple of hours after she was born, grandparents, great grandparents and aunties, eager to get a first look at this tiny little baby.

I don't think others on the ward could believe just how many of us there were!

And today, when I rang to wish her a happy birthday, there I was chatting to a grown up little girl who was full of excitement and so pleased that she now has a telescope so she can see the stars! 

I do hope she likes her birthday cake,  she's very into moshi monsters apparently.

I have to admit I couldn't rise to this particular challenge, not actually knowing what a moshi monster is.

Thankfully the internet and Emma at Lottie & Jakes came to my rescue and she created Katsuma.

I just made the cupcake for him/her/it to sit on!

Sunshine, cakes and crochet!

Hasn't it just been amazing?

A run of brilliant sunny days and warm temperatures and it looks like it's going to continue the same for next week at least. 

Excellent!

Today  is my son's 30th birthday so a very happy birthday to him!

I baked him a cake which I'm really pleased with but I don't think the photo has been kind to it.

It looks better in the flesh, if you know what I mean.

Lots of baking at the moment and also lots of crochet.

It's been nice to be able to crochet a granny square in spare moments and I've surprised myself just how many I've made.

The art of crochet has been self taught and I know it's not perfect. However I am enjoying making the squares and there are such lovely crochet patterns out there at the moment that I'm quite keen to try making something else once the blanket is finished.

Also in September I should be joining a knit and stitch group with a lady who also is just learning to crochet so I think that will be good and helpful.

Enjoy your Sunday, enjoy the sunshine!

ALDEDBURGH IN THE SUNSHINE!

What could be better?

If you've never been, Aldeburgh Suffolk is a must.

We had a lovely meander through the town yesterday, where there are lots of lovely little shops which will easily catch your eye and quaint little tearooms and ice cream shops to tickle your taste buds.

Then a stroll along the seafront before joining the queue for the most delicious fish and chips you could ever have.

I'm sure only the British will happily queue for 20 minutes to receive their supper in a paper bag.

Once we'd salt and vinigered we headed back down to the beach and found a comfortable spot on the pebbly beach right by the sea to enjoy our feast

Mmmmmmm!!!!!

Then today, we still have the most amazing sunshine and armed with a cool drink and my crochet I shall have my feet up and hopefully be watching a very exciting game of tennis on the TV.

Perfect!!!!!!

HAPPY 4TH BIRTHDAY JESSICA!

Happy birthday Jessica, our gorgeous grand daughter is celebrating her 4th birthday today.

I don't know where the time has gone since she's been born and I really can't believe she'll be starting school this coming September.

I hope she has a very special day today!

This is the first time I've made a giant cupcake.

The actual cake baking was simple enough but the decoration!

Let's just say, the kitchen was covered this morning in icing sugar and butter cream,

I am STILL covered in icing sugar and butter cream

and all I can taste is icing sugar and butter cream, despite the fact that I didn't actually eat any of it!

This is not boding at all well for my late lunch which was supposed to be a mackerel salad.

I think my taste buds will plunge into a frenzy!!