A House & Garden in Sik

First things first. Sik, the town in the district of the same name in Kedah, is pronounced as in the English 'sake', not 'sick'! This is what the locals there always remind you, if you are not saying it right, as some newscasters are wont to do on national television.

Anyway, about the house and garden in Sik. One of my siblings AE is married to a Sik lass and so lives there with his family of five children. They live in the house her late father bequeathed her, and its pretty big and spacious. (Once I slept in the huge guest room that just had too many shadows in the large spaces - it was just spooky and I did not sleep well all night!)

With Sis CY, nephew NI & Bro AE 

Bro AE has green fingers and grows a fairly nice garden. But as he pointed out to me, except for the pond that had to have the earth dug out, the rest of his garden grows on batas or mounds/beds of earth carefully planned around the driveway, around the peripheries and other spaces in between as necessary. No need for any back breaking digging; just throw some flower seeds on the batas and watch the plants grow. So simple, ah?

Bro AE's son by the pond (CNB 2008)

Posing by a flower bed 

At the back of the house is a river and sometimes you can harvest siput sedut (an edible snail) there. The river did overflow its banks some years ago and the flood waters submerged and destroyed quite a bit of furniture in the house. Hopefully it will not happen again.

When in Sik, there is the Peranginan Sik, Hutan Lipur/Rimba Rekreasi Lata Mengkuang (Recreational Forest) and the man-made Beris Lake. And do not forget Beris Vineyards, for a taste of locally grown grapes.

Hutan Lipur Lata Mengkuang (AE 2008)

Just lepak-ing by Beris Lake

Dec 2008 etc.