One PhOtO a DaY ApRiL 2025

 

APRIL 1st GLIMMER: Today on our last day in the city I picked up my perfectly repaired, 8-year old, little, Bolivian purse. I’m so thrilled it has been resurrected and on the way home beaming my face off I found three orange pens so my signature snail mail penmanship can continue 

APRIL 2nd GLIMMER: This interior wall today was a moment that made me stop, smile and reflect

APRIL 3rd GLIMMER: Early this morning we awoke in the house of great mates to see the Bhutanese prayer flags we gifted them flying over their backyard veggie garden. We feel blessed to spend our final few days in Australia in such a quiet, calm setting

APRIL 4th GLIMMER: My moment today came from seeing the work of my favourite painter from Battambang Cambodia hanging on the wall of the friends we recommended visiting there. They even chose the same image we have in our own apartment 

APRIL 5th GLIMMER: I saw this beautiful crystal created rainbow the moment we opened the bedroom door this morning 

APRIL 6th GLIMMER: The Banksia seed pod I found today to add to the collection I already have at home.  Just another item for the luggage

APRIL 7th GLIMMER: A gorgeous flowering gum shot was a glimmer today for a final taste of Australia on this our last day at home

APRIL 8th GLIMMER: We arrived at the airport this morning to discover our flight had been delayed by twelve hours and having a Big Issue and a new novel made me feel that the wait wouldn’t be so onerous 

APRIL 9th GLIMMER: Today’s glimmer came from my favourite veggo eatery in Bangkok. After a day and a half of airport/ airline food, I was craving a raw, rainbow salad dish but it was the Buddha flower arrangement in an offering bowl that struck my fancy. 

The food was impressive too

APRIL 10th GLIMMER: I highly recommend the Talat Noi district as a walking zone in Bangkok. We visited for the second time today it is an old residential district with traditional Chinese architecture, some of which is over 100 years old. It also has vibrant wall murals and quirky cafes and speciality shops. This shot is of ancient window shutters with the original wood patina

APRIL 11th GLIMMER: Our first glimpse of Phnom Penh after two months away. Our home is even in the picture not that I could spot it from the air 

APRIL 12th GLIMMER: Today is the last full shopping day before the Khmer New Year break so we were at the market early to resupply our home before everything closes down for four days to a week. After being in Oz, I just love that this huge haul cost just over US $20. So very glad to be home and alternating tasks from domestics to shopping all day

APRIL 13th GLIMMER: Today’s standout moment was swimming at our favourite location  and catching up with the wonderful friend who lives there

APRIL 14th GLIMMER: We have already had two evenings of this and it’s heating up already again tonight. There are water hoses, dippers and giant eskies full of water as well as baby powder bombs to ensure everyone gets a thorough wetting down for Khmer New Year… aka Water Festival.  Whilst it might look like a battle scene. When passersby indicate that their tanks or water pistols are empty of water the hoses stop squirting at them and refill their guns and tanks before commencing the battle. It’s all a fair fight and simply good fun. In this heat and humidity it might even be a blessing

APRIL 15th GLIMMER: From the terrace at breakfast this morning the garden greeted us with the scent of this Cuban ginger flowering after last night’s rain. I love the scent

APRIL 16th GLIMMER: After two months away a fair amount of cleaning is required. We’ve been at it for 4 days now and it’s finally done. When you don’t have a ladder, it’s simply a matter of improvising. A job well done thanks Ian

APRIL 17th GLIMMER: After playing table tennis and swimming today we made a spontaneous decision to get a light lunch in a lovely little Greek courtyard restaurant in the neighbourhood. The food is fabulous but it’s the ambience that really transports you back the the Greek Islands

APRIL 18th GLIMMER: The jasmine that flowers frequently but fleetingly burst into bloom last night and today was its moment of glory

APRIL 19th GLIMMER: Today has been quiet day at home. I am content to have not set foot outdoors. Having spent my time cooking, reading and catching up with the snail mail to a few new recipients after our recent trip home, I’m feeling calm and relaxed

APRIL 20th GLIMMER: Seeing the spectacular sky scape in the the city I am glad to call home

APRIL 21st GLIMMER: A truly magnificent old building and beautiful courtyard, which is now a restaurant that I discovered today while out walking. Unfortunately for us it has just one vegetarian offering so we won’t become patrons anytime soon

APRIL 22nd GLIMMER: My moment of sheer bliss today was frozen Khmer coffee as a treat after playing table tennis and swimming in 36° heat. So good I had to have two!! That’s a first

APRIL 23rd GLIMMER: Today was all about domestics. My signature dish is back on the playlist

APRIL 24th GLIMMER: Seeing the little monks of Kep today for the first time in three months and telling them the news that we will finally take them on the day trip to Rabbit Island we promised months ago, was the definite high point of my day. They are required to look dignified in photos but a few still broke out in smiles. Not the best photo but surely the best moment

APRIL 25th GLIMMER: Nothing quite like a skilled and well loved hairdresser returning you to the self you like to be. Thank you Mony

APRIL 26th GLIMMER: It’s been more than six months since we got to ride our bikes and today we finally did and along the newly constructed coastal bike track

It was also great to see how much the mangrove belt has regenerated now that the road construction is over

APRIL 27th GLIMMER: Today we took the little monks of Kep to Rabbit Island for a day trip. The boat ride over was where the smiles began and they didn’t stop all day. We loved it as much as them

*this shot was also unexpectedly selected for the Fab Four grid on Facebook 

APRIL 28th GLIMMER: Today’s glimmer was spotting my favourite type of mobile vendor when we were out on our bikes in Kep

APRIL 29th GLIMMER: The lotus display at the entrance to a restaurant we strolled past this evening. No matter how often I see them I always admire these individually folded lotus bloom

APRIL 30th GLIMMER: Tonight’s dinner is my kind of glimmer. A do it yourself Buddha Bowl of cold buckwheat noodles with a spicy sesame sauce. The final glimmer of a month of joyous moments

PROMPTS 

Choice not chance

 

“It's choice - not chance - that determines your destiny.”

- JEAN NIDETCH

When I reflect, as I often do, on the course my life has taken, it surprises me. As a child and adolescent I had a sense of dread about the future. I would never have predicted I could have had the life that has befallen me. 

I read this quote a few days ago and it set me to thinking, how very true it is. All the grand plans, the absurd risks and the mundane decisions I have made have contributed to the sense of gratitude I now feel. 

While I was growing up I had a fear of being trapped in a routine existence. That forced me to look for alternatives and forge a different path. I distinctly recall the sense of dread I had about being destined be a “checkout chick” forever. When I first acquired that job I was throughly delighted to be earning my own money and proud that I could do the same work as adults at the same time as studying full time in high school. Relatively quickly the predictability and monotony of the work began to wear me down and I began to fear that I would always have jobs just like this: tolerable and necessary at best. I’m sure it was that, that  motivated me to study harder all through school. 

There was a sudden realization in class ten that French nuclear testing in the Pacific was a testimony to the fact that the world had learnt nothing from the trauma and crisis of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. That combined with the understanding that both the political and environmental attitudes of the times and led me to believe we were heading towards a global disaster. From that moment on I have never waivered from the choice not to bring children into such a world. I am childless by choice. The seed for that decision was born in my history and geography classes in the 1970s and I have never yet regretted it. 

During the summer break at the end of high school I joined a group of friends on a surfing and camping adventure. Traveling west to Cactus Beach and then all the way to Port Macdonnell in the far south east of the state, was an escape and distraction while I waited for Matriculation results and then college acceptance notifications. I was hiding from the possibility of my tertiary education dreams shattering. Luckily that didn’t happen. 

I’ve always been an organiser, a worrier and quick to judge situations and people too sometimes and always tormented myself about it. Only because a well respected friend once described me as generous, kind and analytical to my face, did that perception change. Perhaps I’m now able to see those traits as mindfulness, compassion and analysis because they were informed by experience, fear and a desire to grow. 

When the pleasure I received from actively engaging in the classroom with students began to recede due to the overbearing demands of administration, result based funding and obsession with documenting and accountability, did I consider the bold step of working overseas. That one choice changed my whole life. I had already discovered that moving up the ladder wasn’t viable for me. Taking on senior roles involved doing work that brought me no joy or satisfaction, but classroom teaching as challenging and exhausting as it could be, was indeed my happy place.  

The bold move to take all our savings and buy one way air tickets and a camera to take up teaching positions in China just months after the Tiananmen Square massacre started a chain reaction and one that I can now say I’m deeply thankful for. There have been moments of dire emergency and regret along the path but the ride has been exhilarating. 

I can clearly remember a day in Hiroshima (yes I ended up living there for 8 years - it had already so shaped my life) when I had walked to the Immigration Office at lunchtime to renew my working permit with a huge bundle of supporting documents assembled by my employer, and the whole process went like clockwork. Strolling back to the office I looked down at my neat office attire and stockings. Wearing that in incredible heat and humidity was ridiculous but it was an expectation of the workplace, which by the way was still a classroom. I simply thought, “Look at me!” I wasn’t boasting but instead adulting in a way I never conceived myself capable of. 

I do not mean to say that I have lead an extraordinary life. Quite the contrary I believe I have lead a very ordinary life in a diverse number of places. Living simple, ordinary lives with local people in their own communities is a privilege and provides insight. 

My working life has turned out to be one that surprised me in its depth and scope. My twelve-year old self could never have imagined that I could set myself free of the anxiety and overwhelm enough to have taken the steps and risks I did and risen to the challenges and demands. 

I could go on. There are numerous examples of choices, both good and bad that shaped my life. 

I recently read that in English we make decisions. In some European and Asian languages you take decisions. In German you apparently hit decisions. But whether you make, take or hit them I’m grateful to know I have the courage or motivation or whatever it is for them to have changed the course of the life I thought I was destined for. 

Having said all this I am happy to be able to continue to take the reins and lead the life I choose and equally happy to be no longer working.

One PhOtO a DaY MaRcH 2025

 

MARCH 1st NEW BEGINNINGS: We finally met up with old mates and met a few new ones today. We shared a lot of laughs and discussions over good food and wines, so new beginnings for me is about going with the flow and acknowledging Aussie hospitality 

MARCH 2nd SIMPLE PLEASURES: Enjoying the little finds along the way when we are out and about. Today I really got a kick out of seeing this original facade complete with steer head bust

MARCH 3rd LIGHT & SHADOWS: I’ve spoken to this lovely dog statue several times in the last few days thinking it was the actual corgi Dylis that it was made to replicate

MARCH 4th PATTERNS: Today by lucky coincidence we were at the beach when some eagle rays were being fed squid by a friendly local and I was invited to feed them too. I love the patterns of light and water in this photo which captured the moment for me

MARCH 5th A POP OF COLOUR: A quirky little find just around the corner from the B’nB we just relocated to today in Adelaide 

MARCH 6th A MOMENT OF GRATITUDE: After trying unsuccessfully three times to get guides to these events yesterday, when we checked into our B’nB they were all sitting on the sideboard. A moment of gratitude as this is part of the reason why we came home at this time of year and I do prefer a physical copy

MARCH 7th GROWTH: in awareness and positive action being taken towards greening Adelaide and slowing climate change is the biggest change we have noticed in the city precinct and that is music to my ears

MARCH 8th DETAILS: On International Women’s’ Day the close up of a new to me street art mural, which is the female face is the detail I think fits the bill. 

the full image

MARCH 9th MY FAVE DRINK: is definitely water and I absolutely adore this incredible, orange water bottle painted with an indigenous art design by an accredited artist, which Ian bought me yesterday

MARCH 10th ABUNDANCE: Every time we come home to Australia more little treasures that fit in our bags find their way back into our lives. We have not even had a chance to rummage through the storage unit yet, but an abundance of Japanese trinkets from our time in Hiroshima have already made their way into our possession

MARCH 12th THE SENSES: We took an early morning walk in the Parklands and stopped by the Himeji Gardens just minutes after it opened. There were beautiful sounds of birdsong and waterfalls, visuals of a zen garden, stone lanterns and this gorgeous pond and clean, crisp, fresh air. It felt like the senses were being refreshed before breakfast

MARCH 12th PUBLIC: Today we visited Chihuly in the Botanic Gardens and saw the incredible, large scale, contemporary glass sculptures of Dale Chihuly. The free to the public exhibition was so stunningly beautiful, it was worth the 5-month, from the time I first read about it, wait to see it. Now I want to see it again at night

MARCH 13th JOY: I have rarely seen Sturt’s Desert Pea in my life and it is the floral emblem of South Australia so seeing it in the Botanic Garden yesterday brought a great deal of joy

MARCH 14th MY FAVE TREAT: none of these are available in Phnom Penh where we live, so I selected this assortment from the market to take to a family gathering today and I would eat one of each of if I could. Who could choose a favourite from that collection?

MARCH 15th TEXTURE: The sand at Moana is a texture I had the chance to experience today. We were there coincidentally and without warning my memory sky rocketed back to escaping to the mid coast on weekends in high school to surf

MARCH 16th LOCAL: This is the local neighbourhood in the fabulous B’B where we are currently staying. It used to be a shoe factory

MARCH 17th MOVEMENTS: We had a walk and a picnic lunch in the Veale Gardens today and the water features were as stunning as the rose garden. A delightful way to catch up with an inspirational friend and practice using the long exposure feature to capture the movements of the water

MARCH 18th REFLECTION: This work, titled ‘Empty Arms’, is a collaboration by indigenous artist Aunty Yvonne Koolmatrie, a Ngarrindjeri weaver from the Riverland, and Adelaide artist Karl Meyer. It is designed to engage the broader community and be a place of healing for members of the stolen generation. The space is a place to reflect, remember, pay respect, heal and come together

MARCH 19th PERSONAL SPACE: You know where I am and I’m guessing if you’re an Adelaidian then you even recognize the space and have met friends there over decades as I have. I first visited these loos when I went to a socialist party gathering in my college years and that was so long ago they had a coal burning fire then

MARCH 20th EVERYDAY OBJECT: Here in Australia it seems a wine glass is in fact an everyday object. I am embracing the culture while I can

MARCH 21st A SIGN: I spotted this one on our wanderings around the CBD and thought it was amusing

MARCH 22nd STILLNESS: we returned to Chihuly to see it illuminated tonight and there is nothing quite as still as a sculpture and tonight without a breath of wind even the water was perfectly still

MARCH 23rd A MOMENT OF REST: For these adorable creatures every moment when not eating is a moment of rest and this one looks perfectly content. Wake up sleepy head 

MARCH 24th MY VIEW: this morning as we took the opportunity to take a stroll through the parklands on our way to meet a friend for coffee. I so love the parkland belt in Adelaide

MARCH 25th FROM ABOVE: on the escalators at the Adelaide Central Market

MARCH 26th FROM BELOW: I have always loved the ambience of the Mortlock Wing of the State Library of South Australia and I always check but it’s still impossible to stand at the level of these magnificent railings and bookcases loaded with old tomes. The staircases are all blocked off and say “staff only”

MARCH 27th SOMETHING SHINY: outside the AGSA. This  will forever be 

MARCH 28th PLAYFUL: We Finally managed to take a dip in Gulf Saint Vincent today. I wouldn’t exactly call it swimming but there were many playful moments on the beach

MARCH 29th NATURE’S BEAUTY: Another perfect early morning walk in the parklands. There is still so much to explore and time is running out now

MARCH 30th MY FAVE SPOT: The Adelaide Central Market is the place I most often frequent no matter where we stay or how long we are home for and this is one of the best stalls there too. I still think it is one of the best markets in the world

MARCH 31st LINES: This sign caught my attention walking through the city today. It’s a line I will remember and the wire display frame is entirely made up of lines. I think it is the style that used to be used to display newspaper headlines when there were still news agencies and newsboys on the footpaths in the city 

PROMPTS

iPad once again randomly highlighting captions is driving me crazy