An Evening Out - ' Hunting ' For MANURE.





Yesterday, the weather was especially hot and dry. It should be a great and perfect day to go out and ' hunt ' for manure, I thought to myself. So, when the sun was about to set, I unhesitatingly, got all the necessary equipment and things ( a face mask, a pair of gloves, three big, recycled paint buckets with covers, two small spades and two five-litre bottles of clean water ), loaded into my car. Then, off I drove, to the ' kampong ' ( meaning ' village ' in Malay language ) not far from our old family home, where ' Bengali Singh ' loves to let his herd of buffaloes free, grazing on the vast grass field there.

Upon reaching the ' kampong ', I was greeted by a large number of buffaloes grazing on the vast, open grass field. Like always, the sight of them in that number never fails to put smile on my face. The scene was a most beautiful one. I did not understand why a friend of mine had to go all the way to Thailand to see buffaloes when we have them just as much here. She should have come and take a look here instead, I told myself then.

And, as expected, I was greeted by numerous patches of ' cakes ' ( my definition of wet manure ) and ' pastries ' ( my definition of crisp dry manure ) too. They were seen dotting the tarmac road and surrounding grass area. And just like the sight of the buffaloes, the sight of them made me smile no less. I felt happy for my nutrient-hungry plants, back at my small backyard garden. Oh, how they would enjoy them, I imagined! 

Carefully ( trying my very best to avoid running over the patches of ' cakes ' and ' pastries ' ), I drove my car to the side of the road, and had it safely parked there. Then I got myself and all the equipment and things out from the car. 

I put the face mask and gloves on. After that I was all set to collect the manure. I chose to only get the ' pastries ' as they were light and not so smelly, and most importantly, no noticeable wriggling worms that could possibly make me feel sick at the sight of them. I used both the small spades to lift and guide the ' pastries ' into the paint buckets. It was not at all difficult. So, before long, I had all the three paint buckets compact-filled. Then I had them all enclosed with their respective covers. Finally, I had my hands and all the tools washed clean before I had everything loaded back into the car.

When I was all set to leave the ' kampong ', the herd of buffaloes happened to head back to their homes, guided by their owner, ' Bengali Singh '. It amazed and entertained me so, to see them move in such an orderly line. I never knew buffaloes could be so obedient and well-tamed! How adorable and incredible! 

Oh, Dear Buffaloes! How I appreciate you all for putting smile on my face! And oh, how I appreciate the ' cakes ' and ' pastries ' that you all left behind for my plants!





Garden Update ( Edibles ) - February, 2019


Blogging mood finally returns with the ceasing of the recent festive mood. 

Hence, a little update here on my garden of edibles 😀:



At my backyard ...





The blue Butterfly Pea ( Clitoria ternatea ) vines continue to conquer the tall telephone wire pole right outside my backyard fence. Just so beautiful!



Nowadays, I love to leave some of the beautiful flowers on the vines for two cute, little birds with yellow chest that frequented my backyard to enjoy. They seem to be feasting on the flowers' pollen every time they come.



The Ginger ( Zingiber officinale ) plants which I had started from a single badly-shrunk kitchen scrap some six months back were becoming more and more yellow each passing day. The roots should be mature enough for harvest, or so I thought.



So, I had them all harvested ( uprooted ) the other day. But oh, how very wrong I was! There was only one small root clump ( 79 g ) that was old enough. The rest of the clumps ( total weight 354 g ), though plump and pretty, were all still very young and tender.



The Thai Basil ( Ocimum basilicum ) plants, the Turmeric ( Cucurma longa ) plant and the Sweet Potato ( Ipomoea batatas ) vines ( which I am growing for their leaves here ) seem to love the recent hot weather and the twice a day thorough shower I give them everyday. They look particularly happy on the long planter.



There are about eight, aged and totally disappointing Radish ( Rhaphanus sativus ) plants on the long planter that fail to produce radishes. It feels cruel of me if I were to remove them with my own hands. So, I am now leaving them all to nature, to resolve them all naturally.



The Madeira ( Anredera cordifolia ) vines which have self-regenerated in between the pebble stones on the long planter have trailed high up to the top of the fence at my backyard. Hopefully, they would be able to generate enough leaves for me to harvest soon.



The Gynura ( Gynura bicolor ) leaves are still as impressive as the last time I saw them. But with my northwest-facing backyard getting more and more daily sun exposure these days, I am not sure how long they will remain so. So, I should admire them more, much as I could now.



The Daun Kadok ( Piper sarmentosum ) plant which I had planted from root cutting taken from under the old Rain Tree ( Samanea saman ) next to our old family home already has a few leaves out. Hope it will progress fast so that I can have its leaves to enjoy in either curry or ginger soup soon.



There are lots of Red Stem Malabar Ceylon Spinach ( Basella alba ), Butterfly Pea ( Clitoria ternatea ) and Rambutan ( Nephelium lappaceum ) seedlings that have either self-seeded or sprouted from fruit scraps everywhere on the long and pot planters. I am ever undecided, as to whether let them grow or weed them out.



Both my Kafir Lime ( Citrus hystrix ) and Chilli ( Capsicum annuum ) plants are doing all right in their respective, compost-filled pots. Judging by their size, fruiting would not be too far-off, or so I hope.



I have transplanted the Curry Tree ( Murraya koenigii ) and Aloe vera from the long planter into two separate pot planters. Hope they would both love their own, new homes.



A long time friend has given me a multi-layer petal blue Butterfly Pea ( Clitoria ternatea ) seedling recently. I have it planted in a small pot next to the long planter. It is growing extremely and pitiably slow. Perhaps it does not quite enjoy its small home. Thank goodness though that it does survive still anyhow.



Nature is truly amazing and always full of surprises. A self-seeded Thai Basil ( Ocimum basilicum ) plant has effortlessly, against all odds, grown and thrived happily on a small cracked concrete spot near my backyard gate.



At my front yard ...




The Sweet Potato ( Ipomoea batatas ) plants which I had started from stem cuttings in January are growing rather slowly on the planter. Probably because I always forget to water them. Poor plants!




ALL FOR NOW. THANK YOU FOR READING THIS! BYE!



Dear ALL,




It is the Chinese New Year soon! 


I am giving ...

Early " angpows " ( which means " red packets " in Chinese ) to all my garden darlings. Hope they would all grow HAPPILY and HEALTHILY, BIG and STRONG!

AND, ...

Early wishes to all my wonderful blog followers and readers from around the world ( no angpows for them though ). 😀


" Wishing all Chinese, A Very Happy And Prosperous Chinese New Year!

and, 

Wishing Everyone Else, A Very Happy Day, Everyday! "