oNe PhOtO a DaY mArCh 2019

THE PROMPTS FOR THE MONTH

FRIDAY 1st SOMETHING COLOURFUL: It just has to be our delicious lunch of grilled vegetables with pesto sauce from Simple Things in Kampot today

SATURDAY 2nd ALONE: When we took our little monks for an activity and yoga session this week they all responded quite differently to the experience. Doe, who is often quiet and pensive, really enjoyed the alone time. They are almost always together and currently living in cramped quarters as a new temple is being built. He delighted in telling me he could see monkeys and they were eating bananas when I came to find him. His nature seems to suit his calling and he obviously enjoys being alone

SUNDAY 3rd OLD: style cures and remedies from Lao. I spotted these two small bottles at the Mangroove Guesthouse Kep today. I think you’d have to be pretty desperate to want to consume something infused with either scorpion or snake

MONDAY 4th HAPPY: Nothing quite says happy like smiley face stickers - rewards for clever little monks

TUESDAY 5th FLOWERS: I adore Lotus flowers and with the petals folded in prepared for offering on Buddhist altars they are even more striking

WEDNESDAY 6th OUT OF THE WINDOW: An archive shot of me looking and leaning out of the porch window in a house I love in the fishing village in Kep. I snuck up to the porch and was in fact taking the photo, I posted for the turquoise prompt at the time. Thanks to Ian for taking this shot

THURSDAY 7th PHONE: This is what happens if you leave your phone unattended during the painting session in the monks’ class! An looking pretty happy to be taking photos with Sophie’s phone

FRIDAY 8th GRATEFUL FOR: We are extremely grateful to Madam Yary for providing us with the opportunity to interact with the little monks of Kep and allowing us to swim in her pool. Today she gave us the chance to enjoy the pool with the little monks and the excitement level was off the scale

SATURDAY 9th BIRD: With today being a 9 Market day I was wondering how I could get a bird shot with only my phone, then this delightful little Blue Jay popped up on my memories. Taken on this day in Washington DC two years ago; this was my first sighting of a Blue Jay and I happened to have my camera with me

SUNDAY 10th WORDS: I have been trying to establish a regular meditation and mindfulness practice and these words from the app I use rang true for me today

MONDAY 11th ABOUT ME: First and foremost, I’m a passionate teacher, despite officially being retired. Without a doubt I am also an avid cyclist, swimmer and traveller. That’s is without even mentioning being a creative vegetarian cook or committed nature loving environmentalist .... The list goes on. Thanks to Ian for capturing these shots of me doing the things I love over the last few months

TUESDAY 12th MY MOOD TODAY: is peaceful and calm just like the waters of Kep Bay. Our session with the monks this morning was productive and rewarding and tonight we have 15 guests coming for dinner and preparations are under way and it all seems to be falling into place. It might just get a little frantic around 7pm!!

WEDNESDAY 13th JEWEL: “Om Mani Padme Hum” is often translated to the jewel in the heart of the lotus referring to Buddha and how he is often depicted seated in a lotus flower. Mani is therefore the word jewel. Whilst I do not claim to be a Buddhist I have lived in and loved many Buddhist cultures and find the precepts and philosophy both fascinating and insightful

THURSDAY 14th SIMPLE: getting your bs and ds backwards is a simple mistake actually

FRIDAY 15th KID: Just because he is a monk doesn’t mean he’s not still a kid. This was last Friday when we had the opportunity to take our little monks swimming. Chit is one of the older ones, but when it comes to playing in the water, he is truly like a kid in a candy store. Although teaching is our priority we do love to give them the opportunity to just be kids for a while sometimes

SATURDAY 16th ON THE GROUND: A lovely new, Blue recycled single use plastic bag mat is the latest addition to our decor on the ground in the guest room. Created by the talented and hardworking rural women employed by IWA Kep and kindly donated to us by our neighbour who is moving out today. We are going to miss you Anne

SUNDAY 17th SOMETHING GREEN: Mangoes on one of the many trees in our yard. These green ones are fabulous in salads and the trees are simply loaded with them right now. Time to experiment with a new raw salad I think- a perfect lazy Sunday activity

MONDAY 18th JAR: A jar inside a jar actually. It’s Ian’s salt water pickling, which of course often involves chillies

TUESDAY 19th FUNNY: Moving house with only a motorcycle. Our neighbour, until just few days ago, relocated, sold and delivered most of her possessions by “moto”. Crazy loads are not such an unusual sight here but it’s usually locals who get up to theses antics. I guess that’s when you know you’ve adapted perfectly to the culture

WEDNESDAY 20th PILE: This pile of pastries tempted me this morning when we went to L’Epi d’Or to get our baguettes. The birthday celebrations begin now with a few of these treats

THURSDAY 21st WALL: Ironically this wall is almost directly opposite one of our favourite vegetarian restaurants in Phnom Penh

FRIDAY 22nd CRAVING: A ‘Phnom Penher’ to celebrate my birthday in the very capital it’s named after. Great way to revive after walking miles in the searing heat

SATURDAY 23rd OK: This is quintessential Phnom Penh - an ancient cyclo-rider relaxing with a cigarette, in a hammock, in his cyclo in the central market area. He was thrilled I wanted a photo

SUNDAY 24th BLACK AND WHITE: One of the unplanned purchases we made yesterday was a book of mandalas for colouring or painting. I think some little monks we know are going to love them

MONDAY 25th FASHION: Traditional, formal Khmer style fashion spotted yesterday just outside the National Museum. I love that it’s still possible to see people dressed like this

TUESDAY 26th SKY: Although it has been overcast for days, just as we were leaving the monastery this morning the blue sky peeked through the clouds above the heads of the golden Buddhas that line the driveway

WEDNESDAY 27th HOME: This is our current home from the perspective of the chair, where I almost always sit in the living room. It incorporates aspects of many different cultures and places where we have lived in the past as well as a double helping of Cambodia. Wednesdays are at home days mostly and right now it smells of delicious Asian treats created with spoils from our last trip to the capital

THURSDAY 28th STICK: So, what do you do when one of a pair of chopsticks is damaged, broken or lost? Turn the remaining one into a swizzle stick, of course

FRIDAY 29th MIRROR: Playing with a tiny makeup mirror and the Buddha, which sits in the living room altar I created

SATURDAY 30th PARK: The Incredible Tree labelled as such in Kep National Park, where we were once again this afternoon

SUNDAY 31st FIX: Perfect Sunday activity- experimenting with making eco- wraps. One small action towards a plastic free lifestyle. We all need to do the little we can to fix our ailing planet