Of Staghorns and Birdnests- Project Growing Up Part 9 - ( first published on thebarefoodfoodie.org on 18 June 2014 )

Better Than An Ultrasound

Like an expectant mother waiting for the BIG day, my days are filled with childlike curiosity and joyful anticipation. I know by now how my baby looks like. The facade is up and set in stone, concrete and steel. She has the complexion of pale plaster, gently enhanced by the right touches of rouge and gray eye-shadow. Organic, eco-centric, raw, fiercely individual.

Going Green

My sense of wonder is piqued daily by the leafy friends moving in and taking residence. They exude an aura of vibrance and serenity. Soon, I expect them to pervade every conceivable nook and corner devised by Mr Y. He has promised transcendence and meditative retreats of privacy infused by visions of nature. A bonus treat is the relaxation of modesty encouraged by the garden screens all across the thoroughfare. Exciting!

There is a marked preference for bird’s nest ferns and staghorns at this stage. I welcome an open migrant policy of more species and varieties. Bring them on, I say.

Mr Y takes me on educational trips to the nurseries for planting and buying tips. Along the way, he goes off the beaten paths to tap his sources for my green co-habitants. He wears many hats, among them an in-depth knowledge of plants as horticulturist, a casual familiarity with suppliers as contractor, and a stubborn insistence of having his way as architect and dictator.

Guess that comes with the territory, like the doctor in the delivery room. Baby, you are looking beautiful to me.

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A Graduation ( First posted on thebarefootfoodie.org on 17 Oct 2014 )

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New Perspectives

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Putting Things Together ( Le Cadeau Chapter 11 ) ( first posted on thebarefootfoodie.org on 3 Oct 2016 )

Putting Things Together ( Le Cadeau Chapter 11 ) OCTOBER 3, 2016 BAREFOOT HOME I am quite the shameless, consummate serial shopper. Until quite recently, I was mostly preoccupied with my wardrobe and how to get the best deal out of Ebay, Amazon and Vpost with online purchases. Now, I am solely preoccupied with kitchen and pantry; and still looking for deals. Before this house grew up, I was shopping for a virtual dream house and picking up stuff along the way, either at home or abroad, with the intent of fitting them somewhere in a corner where they belong. Mr Y felt this weighing heavily upon his shoulders as he put the finishing touches to the house. I wanted Al Fresco dining,an outdoor kitchen and a coffee bar amongst other things and along with it trudged years of stray, accumulated odds and ends which I considered cute but Mr Y sadly did not. Despite his protests ( which I did not take seriously ) the man rose to the occasion and managed to place several of the strays into t...

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