THE PROMPTS FOR THE MONTH
SUNDAY 1st ONE: Organising our new resources to teach the little monks today and I realised we have a lot of number manipulatives to help improve their recognition skills and enable them to create numbers up to 100. Number one is yellow and we now have 15 of them
MONDAY 2nd TWO: One fresh coconut prepared in two different styles - half shredded while we waited to be used for cakes, curries and sauces and half still in the shell to dry for snacks and trail mix. Making the most of local ingredients in Kep
TUESDAY 3rd THREE: simple ingredients make up my favourite tipple - Vodka, lime and soda, and this prompt was all the excuse I needed to indulge
WEDNESDAY 4th FOUR: Despite the diversity of dishes we regularly cook just about every one begins with these four basic ingredients
THURSDAY 5th A IS FOR: avocado! After seriously over indulging in avocados in Tanzania I thought I would never eat them again, but this perfect specimen brought me back from avocado intolerance this morning.
FRIDAY 6th B IS FOR: beach of course. Today was Kep Gardens School Beach Day and we spent the whole afternoon supervising kids in the water. Lots of squeals of delight, water fights,
SATURDAY 7th C IS FOR: Cambodia. Spent all day waiting for my bike to be repaired so that’s it. Still feels like a privilege to live here and a delight to finally have a decent map of the country
SUNDAY 8th D IS FOR: Deco designs. The historic Art Deco Fish Market on the riverfront in Kampot, now completely restored and a swank seafood restaurant
MONDAY 9th E IS FOR: elephant’s eye. Just over two weeks ago we visited Mondulkiri Province specifically to see the elephants. We spent a magical day walking among five of these gentle giants and feeding them copious quantities of bananas
TUESDAY 10th F IS FOR: fresh fruit from the market. I seem to be subconsciously supporting the Aussies at the Commonwealth Games with my green and gold choices today but who can resist bananas, limes, mangoes and avocados?
WEDNESDAY 11th G IS FOR: gecko. This is one is a tokay gecko and bigger than my hand span. He or she visits nightly and enjoys hanging out behind the fridge in the kitchen. Various smaller ones reside permanently indoors. You just have to accept that they are part of life in the tropics
THURSDAY 12th H IS FOR: hibiscus. This gorgeous one blooms prolifically in our front yard despite being only about half a metre tall. They really are the essence of summer
FRIDAY 13th I IS FOR: ice-coffee with ice cream. Made at home to avoid the plastic cups, lids and straws of the seaside vendors. Perfect for these hot humid conditions and an excellent way to celebrate Khmer New Year too
SATURDAY 14th J IS FOR: jetty pylons. All that remains of the old jetty at the crab market in Kep. It still looks lovely at sunset in my opinion
SUNDAY 15th K IS FOR: Kampuchea and the Khmer people and language but the ubiquitous kramer or scarf is seen daily and worn as sun protection and to keep warm. However it also has hundreds of other uses; a belt, a baby hammock, a turban, a carry bag, a sash, a beach towel...... to name but a few. As you can see I adore them and their versatility
MONDAY 16th L IS FOR: lotus. I love these flowers and they symbolise purity. May we all, like the lotus, have the ability to rise unsullied from the mud and bloom bringing joy and beauty into the world
TUESDAY 17th M IS FOR: monks with muffins. We start teaching these gorgeous little guys again next week so we went up to the monastery- ostensibly to repair the blackboard but also bearing muffins today. We so rarely see them before midday and their religious vows do not allow them to eat after then so I was finally able to make good on my promise to bake them muffins
WEDNESDAY 18th N IS FOR: numbers. We now have 4 sets of numbers like these to help our little monks work in pairs to recognize and write four digit numbers. I am thinking about our classes more and more now that the break is almost over
THURSDAY 19th O IS FOR: Outdoor outpatients clinic at the Kep Hospital where we took our little monks today for a checkup and treatment. It was an outing for them and a totally new and novel experience. I think Nit thought he was having an operation when the blood pressure cuff was put on him. All of them left with several packets of medication and I do hope this alleviates some of their itching and suffering
FRIDAY 20th P IS FOR: palm right on the beach and swaying in the breeze. Captured at twilight as we returned from swimming
SATURDAY 21st Q IS FOR: quiver, question, quail and quilt according to our teaching resources. Problem is I doubt our little monks will know any of these objects. At least they will enjoy colouring them. Just one page of the hundreds we have prepared for our classes and the only “Q” I could come up with today
SUNDAY 22nd R IS FOR: river-the Mekong actually and taken by Ian when we were out dolphin watching. I am feeling rested, relaxed and ready to resume the regular routine. Last day of the Khmer New Year Break today
MONDAY 23rd S IS FOR: school and students. The final school term began today at Kep Gardens and we are back volunteering
TUESDAY 24th T IS FOR: tuk-tuk transport to the hospital. Follow up visit for the little monks today and a noticeable improvement in their health. Sorry to lose our English lesson time but glad they are getting better
WEDNESDAY 25th U IS FOR: ungulate in the shade under a tree
THURSDAY 26th V IS FOR: VEGEMITE. Say no more
FRIDAY 27th W IS FOR: Words. This online game is called words with friends and I play it daily but only against two people, both of whom I know very well. Haven’t done much today as Ian is running a high fever and we have just returned from the local hospital, which we’ve seen a bit too much of lately
SATURDAY 28th X IS FOR: xerophyte and there are plenty to choose from in our garden. Ideally suited to the current weather conditions as we swelter through the hottest month of the year in Cambodia
SUNDAY 29th Y IS FOR: yellow yoghurt - a delicious fresh mango and aloe yoghurt smoothie for breakfast
MONDAY 30th Z IS FOR: Zucchini is one of those vegetables we don’t see very often so I took the opportunity to buy a couple when we made a flying visit to Kampot market this morning
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