Belimbing!

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Our Bedok kampong house is not far from the daily wet market. So it is no surprise to have many mornings where we get visits from strangers who, after their morning marketing would pop by to the house and call out (in Malay) "hello there, is it okay for you to give me some of your belimbing fruits so I can use them for my cooking please" Of course the answer is yes, please come in and help yourself. Because right in the centre of the house between the two portions grew a fabulous belimbing tree and when the season comes (which was often) the trunk would sprout with lavish and bountiful displays of belimbing no family can eat completely by themselves so must be shared freely! See photos for more details

1973 shot


1970 - This photo in colour shows the tree as the central focus on the house between the upper portion on stilts and the lower portion


1970 - that's the belimbing tree with our mother and paternal aunt looking on while our other paternal aunt is putting on the shoes for our cousin


The writer in 1968 posing next to this Belimbing tree (bogay at 7 years old)





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