NOVEMBER 1st HERE I AM: in my favourite afternoon spot in the reading nook with my digital book and coffee
NOVEMBER 2nd SOMETHING SMALL: A dragonfly with translucent wings landing on the incense in our Spirit House. A fleeting moment of connection
NOVEMBER 3rd SOMETHING BIG: Today we have been playing tour guides and showing guests the city, we love: twelve hours wandering, twelve and a half kilometres walked and a very big day. One of the sights was the Royal Palace, which is possibly the biggest attraction in the whole city and these are the very big gates on the front facade towering over the human sized guard houses
NOVEMBER 4th BRAVE: is almost never a descriptor of me but this is an archive shot of the first time I ventured back on to my bicycle three months after shattering my kneecap. With no strength and very little balance even this supervised stationary cycling seemed brave at the time
NOVEMBER 5th 2pm: at the National Museum. Orange lovers unite
NOVEMBER 6th TREES: This delightful courtyard cafe nestled amongst the giant trees ticks all the boxes
OCTOBER 7th FAVE SHOES: This recently bought pair are new faves as they feel like I’m walking on the clouds. After the last pair were stitched, restitched, glued and reglued, I finally replaced them and wondered why I hadn’t done that earlier
NOVEMBER 8th TIME: Right now, it’s lunchtime and though I usually don’t eat lunch, this homemade and healthy, cheese and salad baguette was perfect after a morning on the go
NOVEMBER 9th TRIO: Since moving into our apartment almost eighteen months ago we have only had one key to the terrace security door. Today we finally got two more cut. Now we have a trio
NOVEMBER 10th EYES: I finally made a few decisions and got started on my FMS Gift Exchange and walking home I remembered stone mason’s street and strolled down for the first time in a long while. I was hoping for an image of Buddha’s eyes, which when half open like this symbolise a mind that is awake but turned inwards often in meditation
NOVEMBER 11th FLUFFY: footwear is a thing here but it‘s too funky for me thanks. I actually followed this young girl out of the market to take a canid shot of her unique styling of the look - of course they were torn to tatters jeans too
NOVEMBER 12 PETALS: I have always loved the way the lotus petals are usually folded when they are presented as an offering at temples. These were in the hands of Buddha as we took our regular shortcut through the quiet temple compound this afternoon. Some are folded and some are not and one garland of jasmine threaded on cotton to make a wreath offering is included too
NOVEMBER 13th OLDER: The comparison had me flummoxed for a while but I resorted to the memories wall in our apartment. Upper me in 2002 at the Dragon’s Backbone in China and lower in our apartment with a dear Japanese friend earlier this year. I’m definitely getting a lot older
NOVEMBER 14th MINIMALISM: in this part of the world where clutter and chaos are more often the case, minimalism has enormous appeal. This tasteful traditional outdoor decor says minimalism to me
NOVEMBER 15th I LEARNT THIS: card game the summer my partner and I first met and with time on our hands and very little money, we played it often. Now forty years later the same applies and we we are once again playing crapette. It’s like double handed patience
NOVEMBER 16th IN THE MIDDLE: I was on a ferry in the middle of the Tonle Sap today, returning home after table tennis via the scenic route
NOVEMBER 17 LINES: Only after finishing breakfast did I realise that our table setting this morning was all variations on the lines theme: from the slats in the table to the woven placemats and coasters, including the swirls on the plates and dish down to the concentric rings on the juice tumbler- lines, lines, lines and more lines
NOVEMBER 18th CALM: The calm before the storm - taken a couple of weeks ago when it felt like the monsoon was never going to end and now I will dare to say, for hopefully the final time, that I really think it’s over for this year
NOVEMBER 19th SHARP: Our knives and cleaver are all sharp thanks to the wet stone and Ian’s skill using it
NOVEMBER 20th A GOAL: Whilst I have not made much of an effort to learn to speak the Khmer language, it has always been my goal to have a comprehensive understanding of the culture and Theravada Buddhism. This morning we attended the elaborate 10th year memorial service held for the partner of a very dear friend
NOVEMBER 21st SUGAR: Today was the day we started this year’s batch of Xmas Cakes. The final step before boiling all the dried fruit in juice, stout and butter is to add the sugar. In line with our buy local philosophy we adapted the recipe and used as much local dried fruit as possible and rural support, ethically produced, local palm sugar. Xmas Cakes with a tropical twist
NOVEMBER 22nd APPLES: These were the best on offer in the local market and even my favourite variety but I am super fussy about apples and didn’t purchase any. Imported Granny Smiths sitting in the tropical heat in an outdoor stall having been refrigerated overnight. I don’t think so
NOVEMBER 23rd WHAT I’M READING: is this beautifully illustrated photographic book “Bhutan, a Mosaic of the Dragon” which was gifted to me here in Cambodia. Whenever I have a need to clarify something about Bhutanese culture I turn to this book and soon find myself lost in its pages and my memories. Today, once again my thoughts have been dwelling in Bhutan
NOVEMBER 24th A VICE: Recently we have been focused on increasing the alcohol-free days count, but with the target almost achieved, the silly season almost upon us and three different groups of guests all arriving in December that’s gone out the window and the bar is being stocked for some serious celebrating
NOVEMBER 25th LEAVES: The feathery fern like leaves of the Flamboyant Tree casting shadows on the deck around the pool yesterday. Although they are native to Madagascar, here the tree is planted prolifically in the both the streets and private gardens. When they are in flower the common name of flame tree seems the perfect descriptor
NOVEMBER 26th YUMMY: Yesterday we baked the first batch of this year’s Xmas cakes and the whole apartment smelt yummy. A fine Xmas tradition that we have upheld for decades continues
NOVEMBER 27th I REMEMBER: when we left Australia to teach in China for a year just months after the Tiananmen Square ‘incident’ and it began a love affair with teaching abroad that stretched to include six countries and a total of twenty six years. Taken on timer with our first ever shared camera in our living room in Taiyuan Shanxi province in 1989. It had to be an archive shot for this prompt
NOVEMBER 28th TO DO LIST: There is only one thing on everyone’s do to list here today …. “Win, win, win.” The final day of three days of racing begins in an hour and boats have been out on the river for four or more hours already. Over thirty boats, over 20,000 rowers and there is a palpable atmosphere of exuberance on riverside as Om Tuk heads into its spectacular finale
NOVEMBER 29th A VIEW: of Wat Ounalom from the sky bar we were in last night to watch the last couple of hours of racing, spectacular floats on the Tonle Sap and fireworks display for the third and final day of Om Tuk (Water Festival)
NOVEMBER 30th IN MY BACKYARD: Living on the fourth floor we don’t actually have a backyard only a back balcony, so this was taken in a friend’s backyard yesterday. We feel very grateful to be able to regularly enjoy this beautiful space and revel in the tranquillity
THE PROMPTS
