English afternoon tea

Of late, I am finding it rather difficult to come up with things to write about. Perhaps this is what they call the 'writer's block'. I know when studying, I am often overwhelmed with this disasterous excuse. It is yet to be discovered what truly unblocks it. Hmmm... I'll probably go on a mission to find the cure for such blockage!

Yesterday, I invited mamasarah over for some English afternoon tea. It was a visit long awaited. There was still so much to catch up and discover about this relatively new neighbour of mine. I had decided on the English afternoon tea theme so that I don't go overboard on preparation. A simple tea should send the message that having teas are pleasant hassle-free daily activities that should be enjoyed as often as possible. I hope it was pleasant enough for mamasarah, and I hope the simplicity of it didn't put her off. Earlier in the morning, I prepared some butter scones and chicken mushroom vol-au-vent. Of course I was so very tempted to fix the scones half an hour before mamasarah arrived so that it was still warm from the oven, but since I had to pick the kids from school that time, I had to be very practical! So, I only tackled the cheese and tomato on sliced sesame baguette before their arrival.




Our guests arrived on time with their 'buah tangan' - some fried noodles. You see, Malaysians are well known for their culture of returning others' food containers filled!! It is exciting though, getting into the wonderful courtesy of sending food to and fro ( I once played this game with a dear friend, and it became quite thrilling. By the way, I still have one of her containers to fill with something exciting next weekend!). My previous Pakistani neighbour-cum-landlord used to send us food, especially during the month of Ramadhan. They later gave up sending us food in 'proper' containers and used paper plates and bowls instead. We still wonder whether it was because they didn't enjoy our food or just didn't want us to bother preparing and sending them some!

Anyway, the children all enjoyed themselves yesterday. The mama was so worried that Little Amar was busy checking out Aunty D's house - House Inspector!! I had to repeatedly remind mamasarah that there wasn't anything valuable or expensive in the house to be broken as they are mostly bargains from the carboot.. Tsk! Tsk! What a thing to reveal to visitors: that we're such cheap skates! Anyway, I take it that the kids enjoyed themselves so much that when I sent them back home, little Sarah was pulling big Sara (my girl) into her house. I agreed to leave big Sara there to keep the little one company. When I came back for her later, little Sarah was so upset that she started wailing! I felt so guilty tearing such good company away... It's okay, little Sarah, Kakak will come again later!

Again, we almost forgot to exchange numbers. That's what happens when mothers meet because our sentences and thoughts are usually cut in by the children. Well, hope that we'll be able to invite the whole family over for dinner next time. Mamasarah, do come by more often for breakfast, lunch, tea or dinner! Hehehe... That's what I often say to the other Malaysian neighbours here, including the makciks who come over to look after their grandchildren while the parents go out to study - I'm home almost all the time as the home is my home, office, library and hide-out. Anyone is welcome to drop by any time. Hello, is that the doorbell?