THE PROMPTS FOR THE MONTH
SUNDAY 1st MY HAPPY PLACE: I’m always glad to be home
and perfectly comfortable hiking in the mountains or swimming in a pool but my
true happy place is at the beach when the sun is setting and all the tourists
and locals have left. This was the scene yesterday at the famous crab statue in
Kep
MONDAY 2nd ENVELOPE: Last year I kept a memorable
moments gratitude jar but this year we knew we would be travelling for 6 months
so I record all the exceptional events and red letter days on coloured paper
and store them in this old fashioned orange tie sealed envelope. We will read
the slips of paper and remember our special experiences in 2017 on New Year’s
Eve. I love this ritual I established to cultivate more gratitude and
appreciation
TUESDAY 3rd I BOUGHT THIS! : Yesterday it was actually
cool and overcast so we took the opportunity to explore on our bikes. As a
lover of cane ware and baskets I couldn’t resist this. I bought this locally
made basket for $1.25 at the little village market at Dam Nak Chang Er. It’s
already a welcome addition to our decor even though I have no specific purpose
for it yet
WEDNESDAY 4th FAR AWAY: Late morning we set off on our
bikes to find out how far away the monastery where we will
volunteer is? Along the way on muddy unsealed back roads we passed little
fishing villages and these ocean views and I couldn’t help but think the modern
world of technology seems far away from these fishing and salt
producing communities
THURSDAY 5th TODAY’S WEATHER: Bright sunshine and blue
skies with a hint of clouds gathering over the palms and mango trees in the
front yard. So long as you are not standing out in it, it’s perfect. Waiting
for some afternoon shade to go swimming
FRIDAY 6th SOMETHING GREEN: Green coconuts on the
stem, in piles, on the side of the road, ready to be opened up to drink outside
the market in Kep. This is a local cash crop and we often see carts of them and
mounds of them at roadside stalls. If only there were someway to serve them
without the plastic straws: all the other waste from this delicious drink is
organic.....
SATURDAY 7th RELAXING: Doing laps in this pool and
hanging out in this wonderfully peaceful garden was a relaxing start to our
weekend. We are grateful to the owner for providing us with access to this
gorgeous residence. Our regular swimming routine has certainly enhanced our
daily lives and fitness over the last three months
SUNDAY 8th TREASURE: Just one of the little treasures
that I have had with me for many years and which contribute to making each new
house a home. (This is his sixth home) This tiny Buddha sits in the kitchen
window in the School House these days and with the bright morning sun behind it
the red paper background seems to be glowing pink
MONDAY 9th GOOD FOR ME: As a traveller I try to make
food choices and purchases that are good for me and good for the local
community too
TUESDAY 10th ANGLE: Plenty of angles and the odd curve
sitting over the wing as we flew into Bangkok early this morning
WEDNESDAY 11th A FAVOURITE: Today we returned to Khun
Churn, which has been a favourite vegetarian restaurant in Bangkok for six
years and made our first ever trip to the Bangkok IKEA which is a favourite for
home wares and we have frequented the Adelaide store in the past. Several
purchases were made at both
THURSDAY 12th I SAW THIS: from the local ferry boat on
the Chao Phraya (river) in Bangkok this afternoon just as the rain was about to
set in. One of the few times Wat Arun has not been covered in scaffolding when
we sailed by
FRIDAY 13th TREES: Today it is the first anniversary
of his death, and images of King Bhumibol abound in Thailand. As an avid
conservationist he is often depicted with trees. This is one of many paintings
currently on exhibition in Bangkok
SATURDAY 14th PERSPECTIVE: Another shot from art
exhibits in Bangkok shows us how our addiction to social media dictates a new
need to be constantly charged up. This artist’s perspective spoke to me.
Social media is changing our perspective and our interaction with the world
SUNDAY 15th SNUGGLE: I admit I was a bit stumped with
this prompt but then I saw this. Whether on a bicycle or a motorcycle it’s
necessary to snuggle up to fit on the required number of passengers. Three to a
bike or ‘moto’ is pretty common here- six is the maximum I’ve seen, but it’s
hard to capture them as they whizz by. I seem to be on an art kick at the
moment too
MONDAY 16th MY NAME: spelt with one of the sets of
flash cards and scattered among other resources, all of which we bought today.
We hope they will help us begin our project to teach English to the monks at a
poor local monastery in Kep
TUESDAY 17th GADGET: We have a stick blender and it is
one of the most useful kitchen gadgets I have ever owned. Cream soups, thick
dal, and sauces all became possible in the Himalayas with it and now ice-cold
smoothies and fruit shakes and hummus are regulars in our diet due to this
simple gadget. This particular one we bought in Thailand and will give as a
gift to our former landlady for allowing us to live in her beautiful bamboo
house and continuing to permit us to use her private pool. Her generosity has
enabled us to settle into our new lifestyle in Kep, with ease
Wednesday 18th ONE WORD: that always makes me smile
and almost the last purchase we made in the capital- VEGEMITE!!! We have spent
the last 10 days in Bangkok and Phnom Penh, buying things for our new house in
Kep. After checking all the places we knew, we couldn’t find any
Vegemite. Then voila walked into a new supermarket and there it was. An expat
Aussie’s dream come true. We now have about three months supply and it’s time
to stop buying and start living the simple life again
THURSDAY 19th ORGANISED: Just a month ago this was a
blank wall and there was no storage space at all in our tiny galley kitchen.
Now we have organised everything in one simple wall unit made to measure
locally. It contains all our pots and pans, storage containers, food, crockery
and glasses and we love it and how it made the limited kitchen space simple but
functional. To prove how small it is I actually had to go outside and take this
shot through the kitchen window to get most of it in the frame
FRIDAY 20TH FLORAL: A floral decoration of closed
lotus blooms taken at Central Market Phnom Penh. The lotus is a symbol of
purity and often used in Buddhist Temples. “May I live like the lotus at ease
in the muddy water” and rise unsullied from the mud to bloom in perfect purity
and bring joy and beauty into the world
SATURDAY 21st RIGHT NOW: the focus is on establishing
a garden. Seeds have been sourced in four countries. One trip to the local
nursery for potting mix and we just had to buy a few “Cuban Jasmine” plants for
the exotic fragrance as well. We have saved tones of empty yoghurt containers
to raise the seedlings. So now that the house set up, the volunteering
scheduled to start in Nov, we have a 10-day window to get composting and make a
garden happen. Starting right now
SUNDAY 22nd I WROTE THIS: on my blog at a particularly
dark time when I was anxious, worried and depressed. I tried to focus on the
positives and live with gratitude and appreciation. It helped me then and that philosophy
has guided me for more than two years now. It is also one of the most read
posts. If you want to read the whole post the blog address is in the middle of
the screen shot. These days I don’t write as much but ever since childhood I
have written down my worries, thoughts and ideas as a way of coping with them.
Now my blog is mostly PAD monthly summaries but I still find I can’t resist
writing detailed captions- just like this one LOL
MONDAY 23rd SOMETHING ORANGE: Anyone who knows me know
that I love orange. This was always going to be easy. I also love to cycle BUT
this is not my bike. It was parked at Kep Gardens when we arrived there this
morning. No bike envy but I did have to admire it
TUESDAY 24th ONE OF A KIND: There may well be other
mini mokes in Cambodia but this is certainly the only one I have seen and with
an original “water colour” of an ocean scene on the bonnet, it is most
definitely one of a kind
WEDNESDAY 25th IN FLIGHT: Today on our first full day at Kep
Gardens this illustration was on the whiteboard. I loved that it was a bird in
flight not a conventional drawing of a bird and very good copy from the text
Thursday 26th STICKY: It’s the sticky stamen in this
hibiscus flower that attracts pollinators. I love the simplicity of these sunny
summer flowers and I always associate them with summer
FRIDAY 27th GATE: On our ride to Dam Nak Chang Er
village market this morning we stopped at the gates of this temple. It is rare
to actually be able to see the temple through the gates like this. Usually
these gateways just indicate the entrance and a dirt path winds away from them
with the actual temple well out of sight.
SATURDAY 28th LOOKING DOWN: Whenever we are out on our
bikes I can’t resist looking down these enticing tracks off the main road. I’m
always searching for the next place to go exploring in the local area. This was
today’s new discovery but we were on a mission so We kept it for another day
... “yet knowing how way leads on to way”
SUNDAY 29th ON TOP: Homemade recycled folder with
Buddha’s hand on top. All the materials in this are repurposed and I made it
this morning from cardboard packaging, reused wrapping paper and greeting cards
and two plastic sleeves. Seemed appropriate to have Buddha’s hand on top as we
will use it to carry materials to the monastery, where we will begin teaching
young monks this week
MONDAY 30th HOME SWEET HOME: Although we have only
been here for a month and a half, with prayer flags up, our photographs on the
walls, the Aussie flag flying and that orange decor, it’s already starting to
feel like home sweet home
TUESDAY 31st WILD: In this humid tropical climate if
you turn your back things simply return to the wild. This gem is directly
opposite a five star resort and metres from the ocean. The sign on the gate
says “land for rent”. I’m sure it looked trim and tidy just a couple of months
ago but now the whole block has returned to the wild
