初春創意生活 Creative Living in Early Spring
在英國過農曆年，大家都忙着自己動手做應節食品，陳師傅當然也不例外。今期文章介紹和農曆年相關的創作項目，以及步入春天之際，花園種植的蔬菜。此外，家裏即將找人做浴室裝修，在準備過程中，DIY精神亦派上用場。
Celebrating the Lunar New Year in the UK involves everyone getting busy making traditional festive foods, and Sifu Chan is no exception. This article introduces some creative projects related to the Lunar New Year, and takes a look at what Sifu Chan is growing in her garden as spring arrives. Finally, a bathroom renovation project is in plan and Sifu Chan’s innovative spirit comes into play during the preparation process.
1. 揮春展覽 Spring Couples Exhibition
摯友每年均從香港寄來親手寫的揮春，我決定與其把揮春在屋中四處貼，不如這樣貼成一個書法展覽那樣，「一眼睇晒」，效果不俗。
Every year, my dear friend sends me hand-written spring couplets from Hong Kong. Instead of sticking them around the house like what people normally do, I decided to arrange them as an calligraphy exhibition. The effect of seeing them all together at a glance is quite remarkable.
2. 糕糕糕糕 Cakes, Cakes & Cakes
除了每年必做的蘿蔔糕、馬蹄糕、年糕，今年新嘗試了芝麻糕（圖中黑白色那兩件，有兩層，一層芝麻糕，一層椰汁糕）。因為它，我和家人與朋友掀起了一番回憶，談起兒時酒樓那些菲林卷形狀的「芝麻卷」。下次我會試做。
Every Luner New Year, I make Turnip Cakes, Water Chestnut Cakes and Cane Sugar Cakes. This year I also made Sesame Cakes (the black and white ones in the picture, with two layers: one layer of Sesame Cake and one layer of Coconut Milk Cake). It led me and my family and friends reminiscing the Sesame Rolls we used to have in childhood at dim sum restaurants. They were in the shape of film rolls. I’ll definitely try making the film-roll version next time!
3. 菜苗回春 Vegetable Sprouts Springing Up
去年九月播種的唐蒿和油麥菜，隨著天氣回暖，開始長大，很快又有自家菜吃了！
The Garland Chrysanthemum and Indian Lettuce I sowed last September have begun to grow bigger as the weather warms up. Soon we’ll have homegrown vegetables to enjoy again!
4. 豆苗播種 Sowing Pea Shoots
有見今年天氣早回暖，買了乾青豆回來發苗，期待約一個月後有豆苗吃。
Seeing the early warm weather this year, I bought some dried peas and germinated them, looking forward to enjoying pea shoots in about a month.
5. 裝修平面圖 Changeable Floor Plan
家裏即將裝修浴室，改變間隔和設施。其中一個浴室的間隔比較難搞，得花心思設計才放得所有想要的東西。我畫了一個合比例的平面圖，用作比較不同設計方案。裝修公司來報價，我用平面圖向師傅講解想法，他看見那個圖，特別是那些用blue tac貼上、可移動位置的顏色紙，頗為欣賞，並笑笑口問：「你做邊行的？」哈哈！
A bathroom renovation is in plan, with changes to layouts and fixtures. One of our bathrooms has a tricky layout, requiring careful design to fit everything we want. I drew a to-scale floor plan for comparison between different design options. When the renovation company came for an assessment of the project, I explained my ideas to the plumber using the floor plan. He was quite impressed, particularly appreciating the use of blue tac that allowed me to move around the different objects. He jokingly asked, “What profession are you in?” Haha!
6. 瓷磚壓力測試 Tile Test
英國的店鋪可讓人試買一塊瓷磚回家，若不喜歡可以退貨退款。我和老公買了心儀的瓷磚回家，拼在浴室牆上以確定是否喜歡其顏色和質地。我還為它們進行壓力測試，看看濕水後是否易乾，以及萬一染髮時把Henna染料掉在上面，是否容易抹掉而不染色，結果全部合格！可以這樣測試瓷磚，安心很多呢！
Stores in the UK allow people to buy a sample tile to take home, and return for a refund if they don’t like it. My husband and I bought some pieces of our preferred tiles, took a look at them in the bathroom to ensure we liked their colour and texture. After choosing the one we like, I conducted a test on to see if they would dry easily when wet, and whether it is easy to wipe off any Henna accidentally dripped on them during hair dyeing. The results were all satisfactory! How nice to be able to test the tiles like this! It certainly brings peace of mind.
7. 防滴水節水嘴 An Aerator for Drip Prevention
浴缸的水喉滴水，之前水喉匠來看過，說它的水龍頭芯已經絕版，只可以整個水龍頭換掉。在裝修浴室換走水龍頭前，我買了這個「觸控節水嘴」暫時阻止滴水，以免浪費食水。
The tap in our bathtub has been dripping. The plumber said its cartridge is no longer sold, so the whole tap needed replacing. Before the bathroom renovation commences, I bought this touch-control tap aerator to temporarily stop the dripping and prevent wasting water.
