THE PROMPTS
FEBRUARY 1st TODAY’S WEATHER: “Mackerel Sky not long dry”. Not a hint of rain in the forecast but this is today’s weather
FEBRUARY 2nd FLORAL: Just about the only time we see cut flowers outside of Phnom Penh is in the Phasar Leur (market) in Kampot. Today’s shopping expedition did not disappoint. This floral display was very tempting but I resisted as I know they would not survive the Tuk Tuk ride back to Kep very well
FEBRUARY 3rd SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL: A traditional, dragon face brooch and the traditional woven container I store it. Both are treasures from Bhutan. I have worn the brooch innumerable times with my traditional clothes and I look forward to being able to visit and do so again in the future. I just can't bring myself to wear it with anything but kira
FEBRUARY 4th DUO: It’s no secret I love rattan and baskets so when I discovered these rattan bangles I just couldn’t resist. I struggled to decide which design I liked best and finally settled on the lower twisted one which was out of stock in my size, at the time, so I had to order it in Siem Reap, where they are made. That meant I had to wait for it to be delivered. One day later in Phnom Penh I saw the elliptical one and instantly bought it. Now they are a duo and I have never worn them except together. In fact, now I’m sure I’m going to wear them again tonight
FEBRUARY 5th MY HAPPY PLACE: I would ordinarily have said that is the pool but I have spent so much time indoors recently, my new happy place is in a Tuk Tuk. I think the cheesy grin confirms it. It means I’m out of the house, the wind is in my hair and I feel life is regaining some normality, even if a huge truck is barrelling down on us. Make your own adventures
FEBRUARY 6th FREE CHOICE Best surprise ever ..... We had a visit from one of our most capable and serene monks today. Nit you made my morning. Catching up on the monk gos. Sadly, he came to tell us of the many boys who have now left the monastery either for other temples or to re-join their families! We can’t wait to see them again. Maybe March... we miss you boys.
Today’s actual prompt is “Something Borrowed” but I am just not a borrower: a lender yes. I haven’t posted our little monks of Kep for so long that I’m going with this
FEBRUARY 7th MORNING: After rain overnight, it’s a rare, fresh, cool morning here. The raindrops on my favourite orchid inspired me to get out of bed to take photos before they evaporated
FEBRUARY 8th BRIGHT: The bright almost gaudy murals on the pagoda walls are almost complete now and we had the opportunity to visit today with a benefactor and dear friend. I bit the bullet and returned to the exact spot where I had my accident and actually took the photo I was trying to when it happened
FEBRUARY 9th FAVE FOOD: I don’t really have one fave food but I do love this lotus root salad and of all the dishes I make it is certainly the most popular among friends. I always get fresh lotus roots when they are available here but it isn’t always possible. We never see it in Kep but it is on my list again when we shop in Kampot market tomorrow
FEBRUARY 10th LOVE IS.. surviving the seven-year itch twice and then getting married. This is my favourite of all our wedding shots. Our two witnesses and very best friends at our secret wedding ceremony and this was taken at the photo shoot after in the Botanic Gardens. Still going strong twenty four years later. Love is knowing this is forever
FEBRUARY 11th 10am: My two favourite Chinese dishes are almost ready to be packed to take to the Chinese New Year celebration we were invited to yesterday. Luckily, we were heading into the Kampot market at the time so I could get all the ingredients. The raw veggies need to be combined with the tofu skins, mushrooms and cashews as soon as that cooked component is cooled. Busy morning in our house but I might just get showered and get these dishes assembled and packed before our 11am pick up. Fire crackers have already startled me twice this morning
FEBRUARY 12th KINDNESS: is a habit I learned from my Mum and a tradition I continue after having lived many years in Asia, where almost no-one has an oven. Always give away half of what you bake! These banana and chocolate chip muffins, which just came out of the oven are destined to be mostly gifted to friends for Chinese New Year treats. Well OK there’s zucchini in them too but don’t tell the kids that
FEBRUARY 13th RED: These are 红包!: red packets, which are traditionally given with money inside to children, for Chinese New Year. They are actually left over from last year - Year of the Rat but I didn’t buy any this year - Year of the Ox. I chose them because they have my favourite Chinese blessing written on them. 万事如意！“10,000 matters as you would wish them.” This is the first year I can remember that we haven’t cooked a Chinese banquet for friends but we were invited to celebrate with the Khmer family of a friend, two days ago on New Year’s Eve
FEBRUARY 14th HEART: My repertoire of origami increased from only paper cranes to include hearts today as a result of this prompt. A friend demonstrated and I followed along: I still need more practise to remember the whole sequence but it’s a start
FEBRUARY 15th PINK: The flash of pink bougainvillea on the roof of the pavilion at the pool
FEBRUARY 16th SOMETHING NEW: Last trip to Phnom Penh less than a month ago I got myself a new phone. Considering the previous one lasted over five and a half years I still think this is very new and I’m still learning what is capable of. Sometimes I think it’s smarter than I am
FEBRUARY 17th A FAVE PHOTO: Sisters and cousins taking an outdoor, hot stone bath in Bartsham. We were hiking with friends and heard the screaming and laughter long before we saw this. It was taken in 2011when we lived in nearby Rangjung, in eastern Bhutan. It is one of my all-time favourite shots and a print hangs in our home in Cambodia now
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FEBRUARY 18th A VIEW I LOVE: The jetty at the Sailing Club in Kep. We are rarely there at this time of day preferring cocktails at sunset but it never disappoints
FEBRUARY 19th SOMETHING OLD: Every visit to Kampot I enjoy looking up and discovering the old facades that are still a prominent feature of the buildings. I actually prefer those that have not yet been renovated and this one is my latest discovery. The tattered remains of the Khmer flag sure adds to that old-world atmosphere though the wires are certainly a distraction
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FEBRUARY 20th SWEETS: No candy in the house and no desserts either so a drive by the beach in a Tuk Tuk provided this as the only option. Ice-creams and Fairy Floss, as we Aussies say, were the only sweets I saw all day and I wasn’t tempted
FEBRUARY 21st THIS MADE ME SMILE: Our house owner at the top of this “ladder” putting plastic bags on the mangoes on the heavily laden tree, to get them to ripen. I also had to rush out there and hold on to the ladder until Ian took over so I could take a photo
FEBRUARY 22nd A GOOD THING: First time back on my bike since my accident over three months ago .... Baby steps. Stationary riding. The road to recovery is slow but a bit more confidence getting on and off and starting and stopping and I’ll be mobile again!
FEBRUARY 23rd A LOVE STORY: 39 years in the making and today we combined our love of photography and creativity in a workshop with Artist in Residence Sophal at Knai Bang Chat to take black and white portraits and transfer them to wooden tablets. We each took each other’s photos learned the magical process
FEBRUARY 24th SOMETHING BLUE: One of the renovated buildings in the magnificent Knai Bang Chat Resort is painted aqua blue. This is where we did our photography workshop yesterday and the setting right on the waterfront is breathtakingly beautiful. Those moody storm clouds are pretty dramatic as well
FEBRUARY 25th HANDWRITTEN NOTE: I’ve always been a purchaser and collector of postcards and greeting cards and a big fan of snail mail. In fact, many of those I buy I can’t bear to give away. I also keep many of beautiful images and messages I have received and display them in our home. This prompt made me immediately remember one such message, from the best principal, most inspirational leader and most devout Buddhist I have ever worked for. I treasure it and our ongoing friendship
FEBRUARY 26th A WEDDING PHOTO: I have exactly one digital image of our wedding and I actually already posted it this month, so here is a shot taken on the day of the Royal Wedding of HRH the King of Bhutan. On that day we were living in Rangjung, eastern Bhutan which was a full 2 days drive from the capital. Like all schools in the country we were given several days of special public holidays to mark the occasion. My school held a daylong celebration, starting with this morning prayer session, which lasted several hours. There were blessings for the royal couple, sports events, watching the televised ceremony and finally an evening of traditional dance performed by both the students and staff and the local primary school also participated. The picture depicts the morning prayer session and the assembled body of boys as well as the lighting of butter lamps as a sacred blessing on the upper level. The girls were also present but on the opposite side of the hall. The white shawls are a formal sign of respect and worn on all important occasions
FEBRUARY 28th WHAT I’M READING: The final book titled “A House Divided” in the Pearl S Buck trilogy - The Good Earth. I mostly read digitally these days but I still keep this bookmark for when I simply must read a paperback. I have also downloaded four new books this morning thanks to this prompt
IN 2021 THE PHOTO A DAY CHALLENGE HAS INTRODUCED A FREE CHOICE OPTION SO I HAVE OPTED FOR FREE CHOICE WHEN THE PROMPT DID NOT INSPIRE ME
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