wEeK oNe
AuGuSt 2015
THE PROMPTS FOR THE
WEEK
MONDAY 3rd
WORDS: I have a fascination and love of words including reading, quotes and
games despite being a poor speller and this is my latest purchase. We haven't
got to play it here yet but we did with friend in Melbourne at the beginning of
the year and it was so much fun I have wanted to get one and play it ever
since.
TUESDAY 4TH
ON THE SHELF: This lucky little ladybug came all the way from Italy via
Australia to sit in the shelf in our apartment in Bhutan. It’s actually a
key ring but I love its smiling face so much I prefer to see it where it sits.
Thanks Jane xx
WEDNESDAY 5TH
SOMETHING PURPLE: Given that purple is just about my least favourite colour, I
struggled with this one until I remembered the flash cards we bought for Ian to
teach his PP classes and the quilt cover I usually conceal beneath a much more
favourable orange sheet.
THURSDAY 6TH WHAT I WISH FOR: is
peace. On this day more than any other as it is the 70th anniversary
of the bombing of Hiroshima. Nothing more epitomizes the need to eliminate
nuclear weapons from the world, than this one city at least in my mind. Having
spent 8 years there I know this is a wish that will be on the lips of many
today. No More Hiroshimas! May peace prevail on earth!
FRIDAY 7TH
QUIRKY: Perhaps the quirkiest thing about Bhutanese
culture is the 'khabney’ or ceremonial white scarf the males all wear. There
are so many situations, in which it is required and so many different ways in
which it must be arranged for different purposes and none of them are conventional.
SATURDAY 8TH
DOOR: The open door to the main hall of Zangdo Pelri Lhakang in downtown Thimphu
SUNDAY 9TH
PERFECT: Rosemary roasted vegetables. The perfect vegetarian treat for Sunday
night dinner Yum Yum Yum
wEeK tWo AuGuSt
2015
THE PROMPTS FOR THE
WEEK
MONDAY 10th
IN MY HAND: The legacy of living in China and Japan for 13 years is that I
still eat almost all meals with chopsticks and I like that you can use them
with only one hand. Therefore most times when I’m eating I have chopsticks in
my hand
TUESDAY 11TH
TECHNOLOGY: The technology to back up
our lives. I actually wonder if I could ever extract what I wanted from these
if I needed to and I feel glad I've never had to. Would I really miss half of
but if it disappeared anyway?
WEDNESDAY 12TH CENTRE: The garden at school is in full bloom and the dahlias are particularly stunning at the moment. Many of them have bees buzzing around and supping from the centre of the blooms
THURSDAY 13th SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL: Sometimes nothing can be more beautiful than words. This is something beautiful from a gorgeous collection of proverbs called “The Bhutanese Guide to Happiness” I also think the endless knot is something very beautiful and my favourite of the 8 auspicious symbols of Buddhism
FRIDAY 14TH
8 O’CLOCK: At 8 o'clock this morning I was busy putting the finish touches on
my Professional Reading notice board school even though I really just wanted to
get stuck into correcting and marking the class 6 exam paper
SATURDAY 15TH
NEWS: Not a lot of news arrives from the outside world here but both of these
came today by a postal service that I still fail to understand though I
certainly recognize the kindly individual who delivered them to my desk
SUNDAY 16TH
SHADOW: The ghostly shadows of the construction workers hand pouring concrete
by the shovel load into the night. Taken from our balcony as there hasn't been
enough sun to cast a shadow all day
wEeK
tHrEe AuGuSt 2015
THE PROMPTS FOR THE
WEEK
MONDAY 17th
INSIDE: Tshechu is the most colourful and vibrant festival in Bhutan and for me
at least the masked dances are the real highlight. I still love however that on
occasion you get a glimpse of the monk inside the mask
TUESDAY 18th
A LOGO: This simplistic logo is printed on a coaster, which is the background
image and the cutout is a business card. It reminds me of one of the auspicious
Buddhist symbols. It is for Madame Hanoi
a relatively new French Vietnamese espresso bar and bistro in Adelaide we have
spent some lovely evenings with a couple of good friends and now delight in
using the coasters here in Bhutan.
WEDNESDAY 19th
HAT: This hat came as a freebie at the Tour Down Under Cycling event in
Adelaide earlier this year. It is definitely my colour. I still have it, still
wear it, still love it.
THURSDAY 20th
SURPRISE: the Changangkha Temple, which we can easily see from our balcony
(until the neighbouring construction is compete that is!) was lit up and
looking resplendent for the first time since we have lived here this week.
FRIDAY 21ST
“M” IS FOR……: mask. This one is the garuda and one of the set of four masks
hanging in our living room. The Garuda is Lord Vishnu’s mount in Hinduism and
also features heavily in Buddhist iconography
SATURDAY 22ND
PATH: A path like many others in Bhutan,
just off the road, marked by prayer flags and with a dog leading you along.
SUNDAY 23RD
LIGHTING: The Buddhist Tradition of lighting butter lamps means every temple
and many chortens have rooms of flickering butter lamps. This was in the
Memorial Chorten in central Thimphu today
wEeK FoUr
AuGuSt 2015
THE PROMPTS FOR THE
WEEK
MONDAY 24th
ON MY DESK: this morning just the usual: lesson plan books, textbooks, my
coffee cup and my timetable and calendar to keep track of all the deadlines and
due dates.
TUESDAY 25TH
TWO THINGS: Stumped so I went for chalk and cheese
WEDNESDAY 26TH
CHARMING: Sometimes there is a magical
charming quality to the way the light and clouds play on the mountains at
twilight
THURSDAY 27TH
COMMUNICATE: Sometimes I just love to communicate the good old fashion way with
a beautiful card sent snail mail. I even have customised stamps with our images
on them. There is real joy in a message written by hand with love and for that
reason I have a collection of cards at home and at the ready.
FRIDAY 28TH
DAILY LIFE: I work with these kids everyday and this is one boy who rarely
stays on task or gives of his best but I've been trying a new strategy with him
for the last few weeks and with most of the class out in concert practice our
one on one time really increased and he really gave his all today. So much of
my daily life revolves around kids and this was a precious moment today.
SATURDAY 29TH
HANDWRITING: I've never liked my handwriting but one of the great joys of
teaching myself Chinese was learning to write characters. Even though I still
write like a primary child and despite years of practice writing on box paper I
still can't make them uniform in size or in a straight line, but I do love to write this particular Chinese
blessing.
SUNDAY 30TH
I DO THIS ON WEEKENDS: Baking! Weekends are just about the only time I can bake
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