When The Sun Is Out . . .

Hi

It has been raining nearly every day in the past weeks. There were short spells of sunny weather but last night it rained again, hard and heavy complete with quite strong wind. And light rain continues in the morning.

Of course, it makes me restless. Can't go out for a morning walk.

So here I sit looking back at past days in between bad weather when the sun was out. Everyone wouldn't want to miss it. 

  

Cheers . . .

Nothing Fishy

Hi friends

I prefer fish to meat ( beef, mutton or chicken).

Protein from fish is considered a better choice, it is supposed to be more healthy. My preference is not because of that. My liking and habit have ingrained in me since very young depending on what mother fed me. Anyway at that time how could I know fish protein was good. Even my late mother wouldn't know. She had us eat fish daily because she herself was a fish lover. Her grandfather and clans were fishermen. But weren't our descendants sea people living by the coasts? That must be it.

Most time through out my life my diet is more fish than meat. Big fish or small fish doesn't matter. The more bony the fish the more I like it. The terubok and the parang both have lots of bones some people don't like them. I find that the more bones the fish has the sweeter is the flesh. May be it is nature's way to protect the species, so that we can't and don't gobble it fast to extinction.

Nowadays fish sold in the market is expensive. Even the humble kembung. The kurau, tenggiri, senangin and even bawal are not everyday food anymore unless you are a deep pocketed person.

And the fish, they are also not very fresh. Sometimes they look okey in the market but by the time you reach home all become lembek.

Is there some fishy thing going on?

You feel cheated. You feel like throwing the whole fish into the longkang.

Sometimes the fish brought back from the market can spark a row in the house. But then how to get a gasping fish in the market nowadays. Just ignore okey , to preserve the harmony. Have ikan bilis instead for a change.

Living in the coastal area we should be able to get easy supply of fresh fish argued a visitor. Yes may be. You can get them in the many restaurants . . . . you got to pay a hefty price to savour them.

Or like my friend, her spouse likes sea fishing and has a boat for the purpose. She gets fresh fish most time. But of course there are problems too. Is it easy to prepare the so many fish in one go or to do the packing and labeling for freezing which can take time. And if she is wanted to tag along and be out at the sea ?  I think she would prefer to play tennis haha.

When I first retired I suggested that instead of having a car why not we have a boat. We could go fishing and have good fish everyday. But then I got to choose if I were to visit my family and kins in the kampung would I be willing to sail north through the Straits of Malacca . . . or walk the length of the North South highway. The sarcasm stopped the suggestion there.

And when I mention about my preference for fish it is the salt water fish. The fresh water ones of course you can get quite easily. The ones cultured and reared, some not all, have strong fish smell. You take it if there is no other choice. They are not cheap either.

In my childhood days we could get the fresh water fish, the type swimming wild in the river or in the sawah bendang. Don't think you still can get them as in the old days. What I hear is most rivers are polluted and padi farmers now use fertilizers which I think are not fish friendly. We don't want contaminated fish.

Or is it better for us to become vegetarian. At this point in time I am not prepared to be one. So it is chicken beef or mutton if I have no fish. Easier still egg is the solution. Whatever we are eating more and more of these meats. Is this one of the reasons for the high cholesterol in my blood?

And then we have to go through the process of stuffing ourselves with supplements to lower the cholesterol numbers again. Also it is not so easy to swallow those big pills which can have fishy aftertaste that possibly cause you to vomit especially if taken at the wrong time, I mean when you forget to take at meal time and later remember to take it when the tummy is empty.

So it looks like if we are to get the good nourishment of fish oil we need to take it in the form of pills since we don't have enough fish in out diet, right? I definitely want to have fish rather than swallowing  the pills.

I long for the old days in my old village when a fairly sized terubok cost only a ringgit. Or at the time when I first  moved to my present locality a fat and a super fresh ikan parang which was nearly four feet long cost only about forty ringgit.

Perhaps now fish is really scarce . But you can still try your luck  . . .

Three in the pail none in the net

So there my friends a fishy story for you to ponder.


Bye till next post.

Fishing Or Birding. . . Or?

Hi everyone

Doing any positive recreational  activities to fill our time is always good.

For us the seniors extra hard and vigorous workout of course is not advisable, our hearts cannot cope and our bone might break..ha ah.

Golf is good if you are rich enough to pay the fees. It is more interesting to walk, walk and and take a swing at the ball rather than just monotonously walk and walk and walk and do nothing.

We also cannot involve ourselves in games that we used to play in schools, those ball games like net ball basketball softball and all.  Past our time.

Badminton is ok only if you can get access to the facilities. But believe me usually in  public halls they are full of youngsters you need to have your own boomers group. You need to join a family club which has badminton courts.

Tennis is a game which you can play into the senior years. If you have actively played it before and has stopped for sometime you can make a come back. Get a friend or better still a coach to bring back shine to your game. I think you are always welcomed because  lady players are becoming extinct at least here. .  . To play tennis you have got to start when you were younger. I started taking it more seriously at early thirties with some friends. We stick together and carry on until now.

Whatever we plan to do we need other people's support to achieve it.

To do it alone is impossible. Badminton and tennis you need a sparring partner. Oh you can opt to exercise in the gym. But not so much fun. May be you don't like the noise . . .and hmm the smell.

If all seem to be so difficult then gardening is the answer. Even a very small plot like our terrace house compound will make us sweat. Do it in the morning or in the evening if you are scared of the sun. You may find yourself so absorbed and dragged on for hours. In that case protect exposure to the ultra violet by using stylish gardening hats.

Good coverage ensure protection to your skin....wear anyway you like...

Lighter and more comfortable

and very cheap at RM 4.90

Don't forget the gloves and the shoes. Oh everybody knows that you say. I know everybody knows. Its fun to repeat. . .  like our grandma did.

How about fishing. Women like fishing too. We can do it. But here people will comment if they see you alone like this

J

The strong sun the salt and the sea may damage and worsen your matured complexion...

we still care. . .yes we do

And so it is better to leave fishing to the men. Persuade your spouse. Let him get hooked on fishing. . . for fish!

Good for him to lull away his time. Besides he may bring back some of his catch. Usually they will let go the fish back into the water but not when the fish is big.

On second thought would you bother to mess with a fish as big as this?

Neighbour caught a big fish...

In my community some superstitious anglers stopped their activity when their wife conceived the belief is that the child will be born with a cleft palate. Imagine that.

I prefer birding to fishing. As a very casual birder ( hah can I call myself a birder?) I have only the camera and perhaps binoculars around my neck. Compared to fishing, beside the fishing rod line hook and sinker you have to think about the baits which include worms and leeches... yuck.

Birding for me is a relaxed activity. So far I have "captured" only a few birds which I rarely see around my area. I hope they show up again because the photos I have of them are not of good quality.

"...why do birds

suddenly appear..."

Hope to see you again

They came together to bask

Do come again...

And this. . . which has a noticeable crest on the head, how I wish it stayed longer. . .

Well sorry for my ramblings . . .

Bye for now. . .