Amazing: it’s snowing in Europe and here am I sweating in my shorts in Malaysia. But I am enjoying every single minute of it and hope to do so for many more years to come.

Yes, you read it right: for many years to come. We just moved to Malaysia having a 10 year special multiple entry visa: "Malaysia My Second Home". A smart way of the Malaysian tourism industry to lure retired people like us who don’t feel like breaking their bones in the slippery cold snow of Europe.

So far so good: we have Internet, we have a cozy apartment, the airco works … Welcome to paradise

And now back home ready to unpack, more updates later this week!

If it starts raining like today, then you would most likely feel more like a warm Zucchini cheese soup recipe or a Zucchini potato soup recipe made by a real chef .

Zucchini cold soup ingredients

• 1 big onion, sliced
   
• 2 big potatoes, cut into pieces
   
• 2 zucchinis, cut into pieces
   
• 3 pints (1,5 liter) of chicken stock or vegetable stock (made fresh or with chicken stock or vegetable stock cubes)
   
• about 1 cup (200 ml) cream
   
• 4 pieces smoked salmon
   
• 2 garlic cloves
   
• pepper and salt to taste
   
• 1 tablespoon of finely chopped herbs (basil, parsley and dill)

Zucchini cold soup preparation

This zucchini soup is fast and easy to make, ideal for a guy like me

1. Cut the salmon in fine slices, add the fresh herbs and a bit of olive oil and set aside to marinate.
    
2. Meanwhile heat some oil in a pot and saute the onion.
    
3. Add the potatoes, zucchini and garlic and saute a few more minutes.
    
4. Add the stock or water with cubes, increase your fire and bring to the boil.
    
5. Let the zucchini soup simmer for about half an hour.
    
6. Add the cream and use the mixer to puree your zucchini soup.
    
7. Taste and add more pepper and salt if needed.

Serve this zucchini cold soup over the salmon and fresh herbs.

Today’s unhappy smiley face is dedicated on the 41 year old woman who got buried today in our little town…

You guess it right, she died from cancer and has been going in and out of remission for years…

It started with a stomach cancer and seems that one spread no matter all the chemotherapy she underwent…

But 41 really is no age to leave this planet.

How many people need to die still before any government starts tackling healthy food, healthy water and healthy air?

Cancer are just cells that get bizerk and the easiest way to go bizerk is coming in touch with poison or call it:

• pesticides
• herbicides
• preservatives
• medicine
• …

If people start dying around my age, that’s frightening to say the least, so if people have to go around 40… that’s a clear reason for an unhappy smiley face for the rest of today…

What happened? I got a phone call yesterday asking me if I want to teach unemployed people "what life is all about in the corporate world".

Now I do love teaching since knowledge is power.

On the other hand: I do love being retired, as I still have 1001 things to do.

And on top of that: since I am retired, I don’t live by the clock… Being on time??? I have all the time in the world… Well, not exactly but it feels good not to have a watch nor deadlines to follow.

So for the time being I decline. Maybe 1 day if I am bored or need some extra cash… or both!

Chicken chicks that is One of our chicken didn’t leave her nest today, so we have been collecting eggs to put under her.

Main thing you need to know about collecting eggs are:

• are they from chicken that "are visited" by a rooster each and every day?
• you turn them 180 degrees every 12 hours so the egg yolk won’t stick to the scale

Once you gathered enough eggs, life becomes easy because the mother-hen is the expert!

We removed our mother-hen from her nest, added the eggs and well, mother-hen will do the rest. Farming has never been so easy!

Main thing to know is that the chicks will appear in 21 days from now, so I better write it down, like here

Well, my kids aren’t nor some of my friends, so for them it’s the only time they have to pay a visit.

So I bought a nice espresso machine as soon as I was retired and I have the impression people are getting used to it

Anyway, it’s great to offer people a drink, especially when it is healthy and quite delicious. Especially Sunday at lunch with fresh goodies from the bakery: yummies!

Health is an issue when you get older and well, machines just break down…

My water-pump in the basement finally broke down after more than 40 years of service. The plumber said it couldn’t be repaired anymore (but that’s what they always say…). Anyway, I am in no mood to try and fix it myself as my garden needs water and I am not going to break my back trying so! Pumps are heavy, or at least my old pump is

So up and buy a new one, £400 well spend if this pump agrees on working another 40 years Saves my back also a lot of work because carrying water in buckets outside is quite not a good idea.

A big nuisance are the eyes: carrying around 2 pairs of glasses is quite troublesome.

Yet the main problem is arthritis: the "oil" between my joints is unfortunately not replaceable, unlike the oil in the engine of my car. Especially my little finger (which I broke ages ago) sounds as if there is sand inside…

Turns out I still have the perfect skills to read instructions and operate machines

The real thing is that drinking coffee and eating cakes (my wife loves making cakes) and waffles (my wife makes the dough, and I love to bake)… I am gaining weight without noticing it.

Well, my trousers were trying to tell me something, and now my scale confirmed: retirement can make me fat