Seven-stars Needle Plant (七星针)

 

Rose cactus blooming in my garden

Went to my garden just now and saw the buds of the rose cactus had fully opened!!  Three beautiful rose cactus flowers!  I quickly grabbed my handphone and capture the beautiful flowers -- photographs and video.  At the same time I took a video of the birds in the bird's nest.  I saw two babies opening their mouth and chirping.  How beautiful that was. 

I saw on Lazada a pot of Pereskia bleo/ Seven stars needle plant or the rose cactus plant cost about $20, just a short plant.  Mine would cost a lot!  I first got the plant from a parent plant found under a tree.  Someone had thrown the plant away.  One man's trash is another man's treasure!  I saw that it was flowering and it was a nice plant.  However the one that was being thrown the plant was not in the perfect shape.  It was like the height of a person so I think no one took it.  I wondered if it can be propagated via stem cutting.  So I tried.  I pluck down 2 branches and I went home to plant it.  

The beginning was hard.  I put the plants in the soil and it survived.  For many years now, about 11 years now, it had prospered well.  It had blooms many times and I had seen its fruits twice -- one rippened (yellow fruit), and one more green fruit (unripe), as can see from the picture below: 

The green unripe fruit of the rose cactus plant

A closer look at the flower of the rose cactus

It is said that this plant is a medicinal plant.  It is known to act against cancer and helps in the gut.  I had never tried the leaves or flowers or fruit even though people said it is edible.  When Ah Wai came to my house and saw the fruit, he loved it so much.  Mum plucked the fruit and gave it to him to eat.  That was a yellow fruit, the one and only one in 10 years of growing the plant.  Now I have another fruit, but it is green for so long.  And it takes time to grow so big!  Good things or good fruit need to wait!

I don't know how the fruit or the whole plant taste like.  But base on hearsay, the plants can be boiled, chewed on and ate it raw.  I never wanted to try as yet.  

This plant is like the cactus because it has many sharp thorns on its stem/branches.  Every time when the plant grew out of shape or get in the way, I would trim the plant, cut it off and replant it again.  That is how I get so many rose cactus plants in my garden.  

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Fu Shan Garden

Fu Shan Garden taken on 7 February 1996

Fu Shan Garden taken on 20 April 2022

The top photograph shows the year 1996 where the photograph was taken.  The flats were being built. It was showing Blk 827.  The photograph was taken on the mountain top of Fu Shan Garden.  You can see the bricks staircase and the bricks flooring.  It remains unchanged over the years.  

The photograph on top shows Richard.  I took the photo.  He was wearing the shirt which I bought for him.  He was so excited to see our house.  I miss the house very much.  But it was like a haunted house...

 14 May 2021

26 May 2021

30 March 2022

Almost everyday we had to walk past the garden.  It is a big and beautiful garden, full of dinosaurs. There is also a basketball court and a few playgrounds.  The gardener tries very hard to beautify the garden as can see from the pictures above.  Every little plot of land, he tries to add plants and flowers to it.  Many times, I saw the gardener working on the empty plots of land.  

I feel so blessed to be able to live here even though there were good and bad memories over here.  Over here there are wet market at Woodlands North Plaza, big supermarket (Giant), and Causeway Point.  Not forgetting Woodlands Community Club here.  

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Curious Cats

 

Picture of Taco peeking outside the window during a rainy day

Taco is about 3.5 months old now.  Just now it was raining heavily.  I opened the curtain and he began to come to the window to look at the outside world.  He is so curious looking at the falling rain outside the window.  Similar sight of this was also with Dora.  

Photograph of Dora looking outside the window

Dora was more than 2 years old in the above photograph.  The window grille was not pet friendly then.  She can go out of the window then.  We always take for granted that she will always return safely.  As their 'guardian angel' we had neglected our duties to keep her safe.  It was too late when we realized that.  Dora is dead... Was she our 'guardian angel' instead!

We had changed our window and window grille now.   It is pet friendly now.  Taco is not able to go out of the window.  If only we had changed our window grille earlier, Dora would not be dead.  Now we must be better 'guardian angel' for our pet Taco.  

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Praise the Lord, Alleluia!!!

 

 You make all things beautiful in your time! 

In His Time Lyrics: 

In his time, in his time 

He makes all things beautiful In his time 

Lord please show me everyday 

As you're teaching me your way 

That you do just what you say 

In your time 

In your time, in your time 

You make all things beautiful In your time 

Lord my life to you I bring 

May each song I have to sing 

Be to you a lovely thing 

In your time 

(instrumental) 

Lord please show me everyday 

As you teaching me your way 

That you do just what you say 

In your time 

In your time (in your time), in your time (in your time lord) 

You make all things beautiful In your time 

Lord my life to you I bring 

May each song I have to sing 

Be to you a lovely thing 

In your time 

Be to you a lovely thing 

In your time

What a perfect timing.  Today is the day after Good Friday where Jesus is Risen.  Happy Easter day and on this day, the eggs in the bird nest has hatched!  Last night, after midnight, the eggs were still not hatched.  Just now around noon, when I went to the garden to see the Green Chillies and the nest, I heard sound and it was the birds have hatched!!!  Praise the Lord, Alleluia!!!

In my garden, the seven stars needles flowers buds are plenty.  They were flourishing very well.  I am awaiting for the day to come when all the flowers bloom.  The chillies plants are growing very well too.  I am awaiting to see the chillies plants to grow bigger as well.  

At Woodlands MRT station, the birds build their nest at holes at the control switch

A further view of the control switch where I saw the bird nest at Woodlands MRT Station

I was walking along the pathway between Woodlands MRT Station and Causeway Point.  Then a bird flew by and my eyes followed it.  It flew into the hole at the control switch.  It was the 'modern' bird nest of the birds.  

John 14:23 -- Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.  

Picture of the big green chillies on the chilli plant

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