THE PROMPTS
TUESDAY 1st WHITE: The gorgeous orchids still flowering in our garden and displayed on the little Buddhist altar in the living room
WEDNESDAY 2nd YELLOW: deliciousness in the form of my favourite fruit today. Local mango bought in the market and consumed as an afternoon snack
THURSDAY 3rd BLUE: A retro shopfront sign hanging inside one of our favourite cafés in Kampot. I’m pretty sure it’s announcing a motorcycle cleaning business. Although the hoardings have changed somewhat, they are still very popular start up business to this day
FRIDAY 4th AQUA: Today I have been packing and preparing products for the Xmas Market on Sunday in Kep. Fingers crossed these and other upcycled trash bags sell for IWA. We will be volunteering and selling our own eco-wraps. Two products that tackle the pollution problem and offer alternatives at affordable prices. I’m also excited at the prospect of doing something other than sitting around at home focusing on my knee
SATURDAY5th BLACK: Yesterday we finally started making traditional Xmas cakes from a Scottish recipe that calls for Guinness or black beer! This mixture of dried fruit, sugar, butter and spices has now been brought to the boil and simmered for ten minutes. After three days of allowing it to brew with the occasional stir and taste testing of course, we will bake the cakes and douse them in Scotch not Brandy. No self-respecting Scott would settle for anything less!
SUNDAY 6th PINK: The flash of fire as the sun hits the pink hibiscus syrup in my keep cup. It’s a nice reflection of banana palms too. Tasting provided by Sweet & Spicy at the Sunday Market in Kep
MONDAY 7th BROWN: I’m pretty happy with the inaugural bake in the new oven today. First batch of traditional Xmas cakes are now baked and cooling. Everything seems to have cooked through and browned nicely on top, even the almonds. Next batch we’ll have to bake a few minis to taste test while these all age until Xmas Day
TUESDAY 8th PURPLE: The beautiful purple cover of the book I just finished reading. I really love Pearl Buck’s stories. They illuminate the everyday lives of Chinese in every walk of life, in different eras. This one was a digital purchase to help me escape my current home bound existence and I loved every page
WEDNESDAY 8th ORANGE: With so many orange possessions I didn’t think I would go for an archive shot today but I love this Aussie sunset, which is in the gallery on our living room walls. It was only when I tracked it down in digital form that I realised it has been on the wall upside down for over three years. Gotta laugh! I will never forget Xmas Day Adelaide, Australia 2013
THURSDAY 10th NAVY: The first mask I bought back in March when we were in Phnom Penh and refused entry to a shop to buy water because we weren’t wearing masks. Neither was anyone else at that time but rumours had spread that foreigners were the cause of the pandemic in Cambodia so we just complied to alleviate stress and ill feeling. That notion has definitely subsided now but the mask remains with me whenever I go out. Discretion is the better part of valour. At the time I thought it was black but it turned out to be navy
FRIDAY 11th GREEN: The green canopy of the coconut palms screams resort but this is an everyday sight here. I delighted in being able to go out to dinner last night and feel that life might actually reset into a viable routine soon
SATURDAY 12th RED: My favourite brand of toothpaste. It’s Ayurvedic and difficult to find, though I now have on three continents. Who else can say they actually bought toothpaste as a souvenir but we did last year in Bhutan! Imagine my delight when I discovered it in an Indian spice shop in Phnom Penh last year. Persistence pays off
SUNDAY 13th GREY: “It is in your hands to create a better world for all who live in it.” Nelson Mandala. Image from a postcard I collected in Lao many moons ago and simply could not part with
MONDAY 14th BLACK AND WHITE: This month’s selfie featuring my favourite pants in a black and white outfit on the porch, where I have been spending way too much time recently
TUESDAY 15th PATTERN: The pattern in each of these pieces will forever remind me of the specific country from which each piece came. We have had the privilege and honour to live in all four countries. I wonder if you can guess which countries they are? Would you like to try?
WEDNESDAY 16th MINIMAL: No flashy sunset just a minimal ocean view I snapped as we drove by in a car today
THURSDAY 17th RAINBOW: We bought this tiny multicoloured prayer wheel in Bhutan last year and I can’t walk past it without giving it a spin. Since today is the 113th National Day of Bhutan, it seemed like the obvious choice for a rainbow photo. Tashi Delek!!
FRIDAY 18th ONE COLOUR: I thought this was going to be the month that our little monks didn’t make it into a prompt but I’m glad to say we saw them at the pagoda a couple of days ago. Robes come in all shades of yellow and orange here and the monk body of each pagoda seems to wear just one shade. For our monks this dusty mustard orange/yellow is their one colour for attire
SATURDAY 19th TWO COLOURS: Delving into possessions for inspiration today, I came across this gold printed Buddha on hand-made burgundy paper. You don’t have to be wealthy to collect art as long as you appreciate simple aesthetics
SUNDAY 20th THREE COLOURS: The first three ingredients for the “eat a rainbow” salad I made for dinner tonight
MONDAY 21st DARK: The image is dark but the prognosis is good. It seems my kneecap is actually knitting back together and healing and mobility returning. The whole morning was spent at the hospital but a celebratory lunch is definitely in order now
TUESDAY 22nd LIGHT: Dappled light on the yellow orchid flourishing in the garden. It’s been a grey old day and this was a rare burst of sunlight, which inspired me to take a short walk outside
WEDNESDAY 23rd POP OF COLOUR: This is the furushiki - wrapping cloth I made this morning especially to fit a gift for a friend. I love that even the cloth is part of the present and can be reused again and again. No waste wrapping is the way to go this season
THURSDAY 24th PASTEL: A festive sunset and drink in pastel shades taken earlier this year as today is a crazy weather day. Still a favourite place to soak up the Kep ambiance
FRIDAY 25th A FAVE COLOUR: orange
SATURDAY 26th COOL: I think Ian was pretty cool riding this ‘cyclo’ through Kep and past the iconic Kep Crab in weekend traffic and dressing the part of a cyclo-rider to do it. I was in the support vehicle and managed to snap a few shots and videos along the over ten-kilometre route he covered in the heat and humidity that day
SUNDAY 27th WARM: With the addition of fresh, local, green, peppercorns which have now been turned into a sauce and salted green peppercorns, tonight’s dinner will be warm but not hot
MONDAY 28th MONOCHROME: Keeping it simple with local tamarind
TUESDAY 29th GOLDEN: memories, golden Buddhas, a golden frisbee and Gam the golden boy in the classroom and at play. We miss him now he’s given up his robes but we hope we will soon resume classes and he will return as many do. An archive shot from July when we first all played with frisbees together
WEDNESDAY 30th MATCHING: Two matching Bhutanese treasures from our last trip to the kingdom and our last major trip anywhere actually! Waiting hopefully to resume the wandering with these two in hand
THURSDAY 31st BRIGHT: A final bright ocean sunset to end the year on a high note. It was actually a bit grey and gloomy today but this shot captures the hope and optimism I want to project into the coming year
No comments:
Post a Comment