10 golden years
In the blink of an eye, Ah Bee is now officially 10 years old. If you have owned a dog, you would probably know that one year of a dog’s life is almost equivalent to 7 years of human’s life. That would mean that our dear Bee, whom we have raised since he was a three month old puppy, is now a grandfather of 70 years. He has spent most of his life waiting for us to go home, play with him and take him out for walks. It isn’t easy to be him. He can’t find his friends when he misses them, he can’t make decisions for himself and his whole life revolves around nobody but us. So, to celebrate his grand 10, we have decided to bring him for a staycation and spend a little quiet time with him.
Bee hive cake with 10 bees toppers
The birthday cake for his special day was ordered from Sg Barkery which specialises in theme cakes for dogs. The inside is a meat loaf and the outside is made of potato.
Family photo with the cake
Smiling effortlessly at the photographer
Singing song for the birthday boy
Kiss from the birthday boy
Check out the elation turned panic expression on my elder boy as he saw the fireworks candle burn towards the bees on the cake.
Enjoying the cake by himself
Ah Bee seemed to enjoy munching down his birthday cake after the candle and song session.
Picking up frangipani outside our villa
We had our staycation at Gardenasia – which comprised of 3 exclusive black and white villas tucked away at the beautiful Kranji countryside.
The inside of the villa
We stayed at Villa Camelia – the only villa on the compound which is pet friendly. The theme is oriental, so you can see Chinese furniture adorning various corners of the room. There is also a ladder leading to a loft area which has two sleeping mattresses. Unfortunately, the climb up to the loft is not an easy attempt for most people, including me.
Happy sitting at the bottom of the ladder
The main bedroom of the villa
At night, all four of us climbed onto the queen sized mattress – it could be rather squeezy. The spring mattress wasn’t that great. I couldn’t remember why I didn’t add on another bed/mattress. There was no option for a baby cot. Notably, there is no WIFI throughout the villa – their philosophy is for you to unwind and to reconnect with your family or friends rather than spend your time staring at your mobile device.
The two brothers sharing an oriental bench
I like the way the elder boy has a nonchalant look at the ceiling, while the younger one is looking intensely into the camera. They are so similar and yet so different.
Ah Bee conquering the great outdoors
Since this is the birthday celebration of Ah Bee, he should be in the pictures – both literally and figuratively. Haha.
The birthday boy and his mummy
Walking Ah Bee
Family portrait
One of the most trying aspect of any photo taking with young children and pets is that they can be quite uncooperative at times and tend not to look at the camera. Despite the best efforts, we were unable to handle both boys and a dog at the same time for all the photos.
Love the interaction between the brothers
No brainer who is the more mischievous one
He was reaching out to a ball which the photographer was holding
Quietly picking up frangipani
And giving it to me
Posing for the camera
Holding hands together
In front of the mascots of Gardenasia – Titoy and Morchoo
Running amok in the garden
Just the two of us
We ended the day with a night swim
And a table of sumptuous food at the bistro
There are plenty of positive online reviews of the food at the Bistro by Gardenasia. Portions are generous and fresh, since they source most of their produce from neighbouring farms. We had lunch, dinner and early morning breakfast (included for the staycation) at the same bistro. From farm to table – that’s what they say. Since we have a pet with us, we went back on a separate day to tour the neighbouring farms – Hay Dairies Goat Farm, Jurong Frog Farm and Bollywood Veggies.
That sums up our mini celebration with Ah Bee and a photoshoot with the kids. Indeed, it has been an unique experience for us to enjoy a staycation amidst the greenery and tranquility at Gardenasia.
