One PhOtO a DaY sEpTeMbEr 2024:

SEPTEMBER 1st THINGS I LOVE: include travel and photography: capturing the images that reinforce the memories. Just a few of my favourite travel pictures from my collection

SEPTEMBER 2nd A COLOURFUL DOOR: Actually one of four wooden panels that are the doors of the main entrance of a Chinese Temple built during the time Cambodia was a French Protectorate. It is now in the grounds of a school in our local neighborhood. These panels all depict door gods or deities in pairs

SEPTEMBER 3rd ARTISTIC SELFIE: I am neither very artistic nor good at selfies so as my dear ole mum used to say, “That’s as good as it gets.”

SEPTEMBER 4th A PLAYGROUND: very near our home and actually full of kids in the late afternoon but I thought it was a bit weird to photograph other people’s children without their permission

AUGUST 5th A CUP OF TEA:   I almost never drink tea; give me coffee every time. There are very few varieties I can stomach. However I do always have some in the house as we have guests and friends for whom it is their preferred tipple so that’s the cup of tea for me

SEPTEMBER 6th SUNRISE: from our front terrace in Phnom Penh. It’s an archive shot from September two years ago as I was sound asleep at sunrise this morning and after months of waking up at 2 or 3am and lack of sleep I’m revelling in actually sleeping again 

AUGUST 7th CURVES: I spent a couple of hours yesterday morning trying to clean the curves and straights of the fretwork security screens on our terrace. It’s rather the thankless task as they don’t actually look much better than when I started but I at least know I did it 

SEPTEMBER 8th SHADOWS ON THE WALL: Our standing Buddha casting shadows on the living room wall that make it look like it has faces on both sides

SEPTEMBER 9th INTERESTING DOOR KNOB: on the main doors of a local Chinese Temple. The square in the centre contains the auspicious Chinese character meaning double happiness which is most often associated with weddings

SEPTEMBER 10th IN MY HAND: is the stick of the Tibetan Singing Bowl I recently bought and like to ring almost everyday. The pedantic in me knows the bowl is actually on my hand but that was what prompted the shot

SEPTEMBER 11th A CANDLE: There are several candles in the house but I really like the ceramic pot that this one is in. There are some Aussie touches in our Asian decor too

SEPTEMBER 12th FAMILY TRADITION: The only thing I can come up with is baking. I can never remember having bought desserts at home or sweet snacks in our school lunchboxes. My mum baked everything we ate and had a rule for herself to give at least half of it away. I too follow this tradition as these cookies baked today are already packed to gift

*unexpected this one was chosen for the Fab Four on Facebook 

SEPTEMBER 13th A BICYCLE WHEEL: Rear bicycle wheels lined up on a busy corner and available for public rental

SEPTEMBER 14th HIDDEN BEAUTY: The architectural hidden beauty can be overlooked amongst the development and bustle of inner city living but we are fortunate to live in one of the oldest districts of Phnom Penh and I still notice little remnants

 SEPTEMBER 15th A FENCE: that surrounds the beautiful green space of Wat Phnom and one that mimics the peaks of the traditional rooflines as seen in the pavilion behind it. Just five minutes from home and a little haven in the mid city

SEPTEMBER 16th A STATUE: of a Khmer warrior at the stunning pool we often swim in

SEPTEMBER 17th BUBBLES: of a celebratory nature.  A very old fashion but delicious Kir Royale cocktail on the terrace at home

 SEPTEMBER 18th A COLOURFUL MURAL: down a back alley and almost always at least partially covered by parked food trucks And overhead wires

SEPTEMBER 19th WILDFLOWERS: They do grow wild all over Cambodian but this particular one is on our terrace. The best I can manage given that we live in a bustling capital city of about two and a half million people

SEPTEMPER 20th ARCHITECTURAL FEATURE: I love the turrets we randomly see all over the city and this one is just metres from home

SEPTEMBER 21st PLAY TIME: for adults at one of our favourite sky bar locations with Aussie guests and mates

SEPTEMBER 22nd A NATIONAL FLAG: The Khmer flag is frequently flown on public holidays in Cambodia and we just happened to have one at home so that we too can follow the local customs

SEPTEMBER 23rd AN OLD PHOTO: I specifically went to this gorgeous shop in Kampot immediately after we arrived today for this prompt. They have an extensive collection of old black and white photos of many South East Asian countries but of course I was attracted to the Cambodian images and had to buy a few including this one of traditional dancers

SEPTEMBER 24th A CAR INTERIOR: I’m hoping the open boot counts? Having sold my last car in 1989 this was my best option today. It’s seemed a bit invasive to be sticking my head or phone into someone else’s vehicle. This driver is looking for passengers and the open boot indicates he is definitely going today as in that esky are fresh crabs. This is how it works in towns across Cambodia. Open the boot show the cargo and anyone interested negotiates a passenger price with the driver and off you go

SEPTEMBER 25th A ROOFTOP: Several rooftops actually. Taken from a rooftop bar overlooking the Russian Market in Phnom Penh

SEPTEMBER 26th BOOKSHELF: A house is not a home until it contains books. We have very few shelves in our home and there are little piles of books in each of them. This is the bedroom collection of books we are currently reading and those that are still unread

SEPTEMBER 26th BOOKSHELF: A house is not a home until it contains books. We have very few shelves in our home and there are little piles of books in each of them. This is the bedroom collection of books we are currently reading and those that are still unread

SEPTEMBER 28th A NEON SIGN AT NIGHT: Well neon lights on the iconic old bridge in Kampot, with its eclectic styles from the various repairs and reconstructions  over the years

SEPTEMBER 29th CLEAN: That’s how you get the dishes clean if you are a street side vendor in the market area here in Phnom Penh!

SEPTEMBER 30th A BATHROOM: in our apartment where the mirror reflects the family of friends collage I created on the wall opposite it

PROMPTS

oNe PhOtO a DaY jUlY 2024:

JULY 1st SKYLINE: After months in the Himalayas we have been hanging out to swim and were disappointed that we arrived too late last night. This afternoon we went up to check out the pool but I found the skyline pretty impressive too

JULY 2nd TO MY LEFT: We went on a discovery wander through the old traditional Talat Noi district in Bangkok this afternoon. The narrow alleys and lanes contain coopers and heavy machinery parts, specialised coffee roasters and street art, Chinese temples and colonial architecture. It’s a history lesson, an evolving community and a testimony to those living artisans still practicing age old traditions. This tuk tuk was parked adjacent to a rickshaw tucked into a corner near the river

 

JULY 3rd LETERS: There were stacks of letters at the post office when we were there to dispatch our postcards, which by the way were very difficult to even find. Continuing our snail mail project as every recipient seems to get a kick out of it

JULY 4th BOLD COLOURS: in one of the many street art murals we saw in Talat Noi a couple of days ago

 

JULY 5th DAPPLED SUNLIGHT: through the clouds on the riverside at twilight was the best I could muster today as it’s been overcast and threatening rain all day

 

JULY 6th PETS AT PLAY: Without pets of our own we took a stroll along riverside at twilight hoping for a scene to fit the prompt but this is as close as it got….. keen to play at least

 

JULY 7th UP CLOSE SND PERSONAL: with one of the little trinkets I bought for myself in Bhutan …. Any guesses what it is?

 

JULY 8th CONTRAST: The old and the new. Old breather bricks providing ventilation and new glass bricks providing extra light in the bathroom and working in harmony despite their differences

JULY 9th A QUIET PLACE: The newly refurbished and very quiet GPO in Phnom Penh this afternoon, was looking lovely. We dropped in to mail a postcard and were called not long after to come back and collect a package and it was pretty much quiet and empty on both occasions

 

JULY 10th A COLLECTION: A large part of today has been spent sorting, cleaning and arranging wardrobe space and I seem to have several collections but the one I most frequently add to, is scarves. This is just a small sample and those that I wear frequently. I also collect baskets.  I am thrilled with this use to store my scarves so I can just grab the one I want easily and the handles making the perfect shelf for the Panama hat was just an added bonus

JULY 11th METAL: One of the more impressive street sculptures in Phnom Penh is this peace dove made from weapons. I had to revisit today for this prompt

JULY 12th HISTORIC BUILDING: We walk past this almost every day and I always look at it. The National Museum truly is in a stunning location and a beautiful, historic building that is currently undergoing restoration and rejuvenation

JULY 13th NIGHT TIME: in the city we love to live in and the view from a favourite watering hole, from which we can see our own apartment

JULY 14th PEOPLE IN MOTION: I love these old style cyclos and the fact that they are still enabling people to earn an income. They are a daily sight here and used both as delivery vehicles and as a regular form of transport for many especially in the market zones

 

JULY 15th THE COLOUR RED: Hello new ‘OM’ welcome to your new home

 

JULY 16th A PARK BENCH: right on the Gulf of Thailand in Kep and one we have often sat on but today has been wet and wild and the ocean is turbulent so we were happy just to stand and watch

JULY 17th BLUE & WHITE: The iconic Kep crab

JULY 18th A STACK OF BOOKS: painted on the column of the entrance to a second-hand bookstore selling titles in 10 or so different languages. Serving expats in Cambodia!!

 

JULY 19th WINDOW VIEW: or in this case a view of a shuttered window facing the street and looking weatherworn

 

JULY 20th A CONSTRUCTION SITE: for what will be very modern new addition to the Phnom Penh skyline. Already it is visible from many locations in the city including our own terrace

JULY 21st NUMBERS: There are plenty of numbers in our games box

*this was selected for the Fab Four on Face book much to my suprise

JULY 22nd HANDS IN ACTION: The little monks of Kep were all hands in action and not exactly playing by the rules of this memory game but I was impressed that it was still in use and almost all the pieces still there when we saw them last week

 

JULY 23rd MACHINERY: The kind of machinery you would think is now obsolete, is in fact working overtime in this tropical environment

 

JULY 24th SUNSET: over the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh. It’s an archive shot from January because it’s rainy season now and it mostly one hundred percent cloud cover

JULY 25th HAND PAINTED: by a friend and very talented artist in Bhutan and just this morning hung in our apartment entranceway

This is the bigger picture of the entrance to our apartment 

 

JULY 26th TASTY: Spicy noodles with vegetables and tofu in miso soup has been a staple in our house since we lived in Japan but it has evolved into an Asian fusion dish over 30 years and I still love to make it and eat it

 

JULY 27th BOTTLE: My go to perfume forever. I’ve never consistently worn any other and many give me headaches when someone else is wearing them so this is the bottle for me for the foreseeable future

JULY 28th RELAXING: sitting in my little reading nook in the living room, with my feet up, a great book I’m just dying to start, a couple of postcards to write and a freshly baked zucchini, capsicum and cheese muffin and iced water for lunch. Sunday vibes

 

JULY 29th SCENTED: Our apartment is often scented like a Bhutanese Lhakhang thanks to this incense purchased on our most recent travels

 

JULY 30th IN THE DRAWER: of my bedside table are a lot of little personal treasures and most of them have their very own drawstring bag. That way I can identify what they are and grab what I need anytime I want it

 

JULY 31st JOURNEY: Not often I get to see the train tracks from the driver’s perspective. First stop Takeo! The driver just slipped off for a coffee so I thought I’d take a look

THE PROMPTS