oNe PhOtO a DaY:

 wEeK oNe JaNuArY 2015

With this new format of weekly prompts for 2015 I am trying to tell the story of our daily existence through the prompts and the pictures they inspire. Not sure if I should be posting weekly now not monthly but as this is holiday time I will stick with monthly for Jan at least. Please feel free to comment!

THE PROMPTS FOR THE WEEK

1.  SKY: Druk Air, the first national airline of Bhutan, landing in blue skies and clouds in Paro today

2. SOMETHING YELLOW: A prayer flag hung across the row of prayer wheels on the way up to Tatkshang- Tiger’s Nest Monastery where we climbed today

3.  ME TODAY: This was me today taking a walk and familiarizing myself with Thimphu after spending most of the day scrubbing our new apartment’s kitchen and bathrooms. Thanks to Ian for capturing the shot

4. I HEAR: After listening to rain most of the evening and knowing how much more difficult that would make our road trip back to Samtengang to collect our possessions, my blood ran cold when I heard an ambulance coming in the very slippery, muddy and raining conditions where progress was slow and delays inevitable

wEeK tWo JaNuArY 2015

THE PROMPTS FOR THE WEEK

5. SQUARE: Every square inch of space was filled in the back of the Bolero and half the back seat too, to get our household’s worth of possessions to Thimphu today. After this photo was taken the largest piece of furniture- a bookshelf, was tied to the top of the mattress.

6. ROUND: With the constant packing, cleaning, loading and travelling to relocate in the past few days this is an archive shot taken on the first day of the Winter break when many of the BCF teachers went to visit the Royal Civil Service Commission. This circular motif adorned all the walls in the conference hall

7. CURRENTLY READING: I bought this book some time ago because I love proverbs, quotations and pithy sayings and I thought it would be inspirational. I also have an interest in numerology inherited from my mother. I am currently the same age as my year of birth and the proverb on that page of the book is one of only 3 featured on the back cover and to my mind both poignant beautiful:-

“Life is like footprints in the snow.

Every step will show.”

8. LANDSCAPE: Everyone has been predicting snow all week and this landscape was taken from our living room balcony in Mothithang, Thimphu just before the first flurries of the season

9. PATTERN: This distinctive woollen weaving produced in Bumthang area is known as Yathra and I love both the colour combinations and the pattern. I bought this one as we passed through the area recently. Prior to living in Asia I would have thought that pink, orange, red and burgundy could not be combined together without clashing horribly but I have certainly changed my mind about that and this piece is exactly those colours with a dash of blue and white thrown in for contrast

10. HELLO: While most Bhutanese children scream or hide at the sight of a foreigner, especially a red haired one like me, this little chap was very keen to say hello to Ian when his family sat down in a café in Clock Tower Square in Thimphu right behind us today.

11. I SEE: No matter how many times I see the flapping prayer flags on the covered bridge in Thimphu I never tire of the sight and I have to photograph them. Today with the Sunday Market in full swing and the sun shining it was a popular destination for many

wEeK tHrEe JaNuArY 2015

THE PROMPTS FOR THE WEEK

12. BRIGHT: The bright and shiny paint job on the tail of Bhutan Air’s plane contrasted against the Himalayas with Paro’s most spectacular traditional structures (the Dzong and Watch Tower Museum) visible behind, just before take off in Paro International Airport today

13. LUCKY NUMBER: vendors all over Thailand sell lottery tickets and though I’ve never bought one I guess that everyone who does hopes that this will be their lucky number. This vendor was outside the Phloen Chit sky train station on Sukhumvit Road today

14. NEW: haircut (thanks Jude), new glasses today (thanks Mr Eye Centre World Bangkok), new positive outlook and more optimistic approach to life for 2015 (Thanks to Ian for taking the photo) ….Same old orange loving me!

15. OLD: I am so glad that we no longer require this type of visa in Thailand, as we are not working here now. This old visa caused us a great deal of stress and was one of the major reasons for us deciding to leave our jobs in Thailand in 2010. Glad to have been tourists in this beautiful country many times since then, even if we are happy to be going home to Oz today

16. NATURE: Although we are surrounded by the spectacular natural beauty of the Himalayas in Bhutan, of all the nature I know and love it is the beach and the ocean that makes my heart sing. I never feel that I am home until I’ve taken a dip in the

ocean and walked on the sand. Home again today!

17. JUMP: At the Greek Festival on the foreshore at Semaphore these young dancers were showcasing their skills with a number of upbeat takes on traditional Greek dancing and it involved many a jump to complete this routine

18. TODAY IS…. : a sunny but mild Sunday and the prefect weather to sit outdoors admiring the view, supping on delicious Aussie wine with family we have not seen for over a year

wEeK fOuR JaNuArY 2015

THE PROMPTS FOR THE WEEK

19. HOMEMADE: this has been my signature dish for years and I rarely get to make it in Bhutan so I was thrilled that it was the first homemade dish I churned out of my sisters kitchen when we got home Beijing Salad. Yum Yum Yum

20. WINDOW: a small section of the beautiful glass window above the front door of my sister’s house where we are currently staying and enjoying the hospitality and family fun times

21. IN A ROW: The lovely old row houses we walk past to get to the beach – 5 in a row actually

22. COLLECTION: This lovely collection of tea service pieces is just one of the beautiful period pieces displayed in the exquisitely restored and lovingly decorated art deco beach accommodation we are currently staying in compliments of a generous, creative and fun loving friend. Thanks Jane Rossetto- coming home would not be the same without a stint in your sensational Glenelg residence

23. SOMETHING FAR AWAY: Much as we love being home right now Bhutan and this wonderful view from the balcony of our new apartment in Thimphu are certainly something far away that we want to return to soon. This was taken just before we left earlier this month

24. PLAY TIME: After preparing this special dinner all afternoon it was playtime for adults

25. BLACK AND WHITE: In the peloton in a race with 125 riders spotting Jack Bobridge in the 6th and final stage of the Tour Down Under today was only possible because of the black and white polka dots of the ‘King of the Mountain’ jersey he was wearing and this was the title he finally won at the end of the day

wEeK fIvE JaNuArY 2015

THE PROMPTS FOR THE WEEK

26. THREE THINGS: On Australia Day we were lucky to be invited to share a stunning vegetarian Aussie feast with some great cooks and friends and this dessert was the grand finale. Thanks to Anna, Julianne and Matthew for a gorgeous day and food. The three things on the dessert patter were mini pavlovas, lamingtons and wild lime jelly chocolates from a great SA family business -Haighs

27. MORNING: This morning I was drawn to the façade of the old Adelaide Fruit and Produce Exchange in the city of Adelaide. My long departed but sorely missed dad spent the very early hours of every morning of his working life in this wholesale market, starting at 5am. I took school groups there on excursions in the pre-dawn hours when it was still functioning and I am so glad they saved the façade when it was turned over to developers and made into exclusive inner city residences in the 1980’s. In the mid morning light it is still a very beautiful piece of architecture, with a long history and many fond memories.

28. STRANGE: This rose ornament made completely of shells was on the table in the doctor’s surgery today- strange and beautiful at the same time

29. SUMMER WINTER: Summer really is all about the ocean and the beach to me and even with the very mild weather we have been experiencing lately we have tried to make the most of every opportunity to swim!

30. FAVE FOOD: I love the diversity of food available in Australia compared to Bhutan and I have been really embracing trying to eat at different places and different cuisines since we arrived home. The only place I have eaten at twice, sells affordable Japanese food and I did in fact eat the same meal both times – the second time being today! Agedashi Tofu Bento.

31. ON TOP: In the Botanic Gardens in Adelaide there are 2 of these ornate lamps. One on top of each of the posts for the iron gates at the entrance and they date back to 1857. We did a stroll through the magnificent gardens today and thoroughly enjoyed the splendor of the layout and the many flowering plants. The lotus blooms were particularly spectacular

 wEeK oNe FeBrUaRy 2015

1. ON MY PLATE: Saving the best until last we had our final family get together in Adelaide today at Estia Restaurant in Henley Beach and opted for the Mezedakia menu sharing a variety of typical Greek dishes. On my plate was dolmathes, gigandes (lima beans), spanakopita, kolokithi (croquettes), saganaki, pita bread, dips and Greek salad. Wohoo I loved every bite and won’t need any dinner!