D197 or D160?

Durian would not be my most favorite fruit but it is just coming into season here and when in Rome etc ... Now to you and me it is simply durian but to the durian connoisseur there are different varieties just like apples. And yesterday we tried the Musang King or D197 and Kaki Buloh or D160. I must say I forget how good Malaysian durian is and how different it is to Thai durian and the smaller ones we get back in Brunei. It smells the same but is way tastier and creamier than the others. And surprisingly we all tucked in including our three kids. The best thing about Malaysian durian in Malaysia is the bill. Several years ago we got the biggest shock after having Malaysian durian in Singapore! Of course, you can't pick a nicer place to eat it than at a roadside stall in KL !

Super Quinoa

I've had a packet of quinoa in the cupboard for the last six month not really having the guts to try cook it. So this week fearing that the evil weevils would get to it before I did, I settled on this quinoa veg stir fry recipe. Cooking the quinoa is very similar to cooking rice except you have to soak it for 5 mins before hand to get rid of a bitter taste.

And once cooked it really was like frying rice and with Indian spices thrown it it was like a very healthy briyani. I must say it turned out quite well and Donncha and I polished off the whole pot!

Diplo

This post has nothing to do with roundabouts - more the jungle in the background. To all the non-hashers out there, meet Diplo. This is the name given to the jungle directly behind the Culture Youth & Sports ministry building and various embassies. It's not a very big place but its myriad of paths, hills and streams make it a hashers' dream hangout. Not only does the place have endless options of runs, but is also linked to other walks - you can walk from Diplo all the way to BSB via Markuching, Subok trails and coming out at Tasek Lama. And the place is a great maze which confuses the majority of us each time we go there.

And to top it all, the place is a gem for spotting fauna and flora and luckily on a recce last friday morning I took my camera with me. Its spiderwebs galore first thing in the morning and luckily this large one was too high for me to walk into!

Most of the streams are covered by these water loving bushes.

Thanks to Dr Irene for spotting this ginger flower. The flower strangely grows directly out of the ground next to the ginger plant itself.

And this is a pakis fern which I am told grows next to water.

I took this picture for the stream and by chance caught the shimmering cobwebs.

What one fears it that Diplo will not always be there, and will face a similar fate to the neighbouring areas for some development. Diplo is a haven for the jungle lover and in my opinion is one of the best Brunei has to offer considering its unique location minutes away from the centre of town and the hustle bustle of Gadong. Lets hope it will remain as it is for the future generation to enjoy.

Sunday Morning Creations

Oh how we love these foolproof cake mixes especially when you want the kids to keep themselves busy on a Sunday morning!

St Patricks Day 2011

The kids were spoilt for choice for what to wear today ~ not only was it St. Patricks Day but also a casual clothes day in aid of the Japanese earthquake and tsunami. Despite plea's from their parents, Irish shirts were not considered cool so we had to compromise, so the kids wore Irish pins on their shirts (thanks to Granny who sends them every year without fail!)

Photos are a little blurred as it was a jump and shoot exercise this morning while trying to get the kids into school.

Dinner this evening was an Irish Lamb Stew with mash mixed with cabbage which tasted fantastic. Even Reeham tucked into the potatoes and Iman asked to have this dinner everyday, which was a real compliment to the chef (Mum!)

Professor Downey made an appearance given that his clan have disappeared to Australia for the holidays and he had seconds so it was smiles all round .......

Pajama Fever

Today was the day the kids have been waiting for all week - the junior school disco! Very kindly for parents, the dress code was "Pajamas"! But this morning when Ayden got up there was a bit of confusion if he needed to change out of his PJs for the school disco!

Jack had on his best and favorite pair - Power Rangers! Unfortunately for Jack it wasn't as much fun as he thought it would be and he refused to join in the dancing - despite practicing his break-dancing all week!

All the kids on the dance floor had a blast. Mum of boy wearing black/red PJs should recognize him. Easily best dancer - must take after his Dad!

And our Ayden spent a short time on the dance floor with best friend Noah

And Iman this year went to her first evening disco!

Kids Hash - our run 2011

It was our turn to lay the kids hash again last Sunday and we were back at the same place this time last year. We laid three runs - long, medium & short - earlier on in the day (many thanks to the Morleys for their assistance). And later in the afternoon we were back to see all the little hashers walk/run in. We didn't involve our kids in laying the runs so inevitably we had to go back in with them! We did just over 50 mins on the medium run - not bad for the estimated time of 45 mins. Such a great way to spend a sunday afternoon.

Off they go, up the hill,which had a few puffing even before getting into the Jungle!

Wading through the water .... we had quite a few crossings with some nice cold water !

On the way back with rewards waiting for all the hard work

Jumbo Jack

Donncha and the kids love jackfruit (I find the smell over-bearing) so they were all excited when the gardener turned up one sunday afternoon a few weeks ago with one from the garden. Can't say I have much experience in opening one but we decided to have a go anyway. So we got as far as splitting it before deciding it was too messy. Must say though it was the best jackfruit I've ever tasted!

Aberdeen Senior Masters 2011

We did something very different to our usual sundays today - we went to watch some professional golfers. It wasn't very easy as the kids did want to walk too far and the Seniors were going through the course on buggies so we hung about one hole watching them go through. We didn't recognise too many players (though we did see Sam Torrence in the club house) until Ian Woosnam drove past. We then followed them quickly to the next hole to watch them tee off. One of the golfers (who we later leaned was Wayne Grady) reached into his bag and handed a golf ball to Iman and after teeing off Ian Woosnam handed one to Ayden!!!

Spit Again

Last Sunday Donncha came back from a long haul flight - the boys and I picked him up and we headed straight away to the Yacht Club and on to the spit - in time to watch Iman and her group of junior sailors set off for their weekly lesson. Closer to the open sea she did find it too windy and it didn't help that it was a breezy day.

Here they are sailing off on the not so nice side of the island. There's more rubbish on this side and Ayden even picked up a big piece of glass!

Here's the width of the island. What a great spot!

And on the other side, the best beach ever - shallow, gentle waves and so refreshingly clean!