Remembering Del (1992 - 1995)

Look at those pink paws.

My first cat was named Del. I adopted him from a pet shop in 1992. He was a stray kitten left at the back door of the pet shop.

Del kept to himself and only came looking for me when he was hungry. He didn't fuss about and only requested his corridor stroll among the potted plants every morning. He loved sitting by the window and watched the traffic go by. We lived on the second floor then and in front of a busy intersection. 

Christmas 2011 Snowflake #16

This is another of Myra Piper's pattern with the 'inverted clover'. I think this is quite pretty with a flower shape in the centre negative space. It will stand out behind the green background of the Christmas tree.

Five Petal Pendant - Beige

I tatted this pattern by Yarnplayer in DMC Perle 12 in Col. 950 (beige pink) with Swarovski crystal pearls in cream and bronze. The cream bead is a little too big for that ring so it does bulge up a bit. Nevertheless, I rather like that effect.

Driftwood Vases

They are more like garden sculptures than functional vases but aren't they cool? Nature's art. The sandstone stands are pretty too. The rest of the garden was lush.
 

Christmas 2011 Snowflake #15

A three arm snowflake. I enjoyed tatting this. Some patterns are like that. I also love the shape of it. This is Pattern No. 39 in Myra Piper's book. I can't imagine tatting 300 snowflakes. If I can tat 40 before Christmas, I would be happy. 25 more to go. Let's hope April will be as productive as March.

My Neighbour's Cat

This cat is my neighbour's. Found him lounging on the balcony as I was walking up to the apartment block lifts one morning. He looked directly at me and did not move so I quickly whipped out my camera and took a shot. He is on the second floor.

He reminds me of Del, a cat I had in the early 1990s. No digital camera then. I will take some photos of the prints and post him another time.

Christmas 2011 Snowflake #14

Another 4-arm snowflake. Myra Piper's pattern no. 19. Mine looks more like an 8-arm snowflake than what is shown in the book. Perhaps it is the way the shorter arms were blocked. Sometimes the resulting motif has a life of it's own and just want to look different. Who am I kidding??

Microsaccus griffithii

What joy to see plants flower. The flowers are really tiny and it has a light fragrance. There's a pair of white flowers (1-2mm) at each node. I spray once or twice a day and fertilize ocassionally. It's tied to a piece of driftwood with some sphagnum moss, so it tends to dry out. But it is doing ok. Since I got this miniature orchid, it has flowered twice.

Christmas 2011 Snowflake #13

This is Myra Piper's pattern No. 1. According to Myra, this was an edging pattern which she adapted into a snowflake. Isn't it pretty. I decided to use small picots instead of the usual ones. It looks rather delicate. I am begining to wonder if I should tat all the snowflakes for the tree in white. The tree is green so that wouldn't show up. What about in red? Should I have a few in red? Seems odd to have red snowflakes.

Kuih Pie Tee

One of my favourite Peranakan dishes. It is a crispy deep fried flour shell filled with vegetable filling. The filling is stir fried fatty pork and prawns with shredded Chinese turnip (yam bean/bangkuang) and carrots. Top it with fried garlic and chilli and put the whole thing in your mouth. The crunchy flour cups and and the vegetables make it a delicious combination.

It is a lot of work but peranakan cooking is always a lot of work. Making the flour shells is tedious as each one is made separately by dipping an iron mould in batter and deep fried. These were made by my sister. They are small so it can fit into your mouth in one gulp. Homemade always tastes better.