oNe PhOtO a DaY ApRiL 2023:

APRIL FACELESS SELF PORTRAIT: Playing with the shadows and light on the terrace and enjoying the early morning cool breezes

*This one was selected for the Facebook Fab grid

 

APRIL 2nd OUTSIDE: I’m always happy to spot gum trees on the trail running parallel to the train line and this morning was no exception. Not complaining about the aircon carriage, which is actually a bonus as its been extremely hot lately but it does mean taking pics through grimy windows

APRIL 3rd SOMETHING PURPLE: A beautiful purple flower in my favourite secluded garden in Kep

APRIL 4th ABOVE YOUR HEAD: Our second trip to the pagoda today for special memorial services and the decorations for Khmer New Year are already up and its looking great. There are hundreds of umbrellas and traditional scarves above my head. Second selfie this month too  

*The decorations that have been made as preparation for Khmer New Year

 

APRIL 5th SOLO: vendors plying their trade with hand carts, on moto food trucks or from shoulder poles still abound all over Cambodia. Phnom Penh is no exception and I often wonder how many kilometres they clock up on a daily basis

 

APRIL 6th ARTIFICIAL: The Royal Palace under artificial light as we strolled by today

 

APRIL 7th SOMETHING GOOD: Ian’s homemade bread making the apartment smell delicious

 

APRIL 8th A FAVOURITE SPACE: The terrace of our apartment is where we eat almost all our meals, cool off and entertain. It is certainly a favourite and ever evolving space which I love even more now we have finally installed a spirit house

 

APRIL 9th EGG: Yay! This prompt inspired a delicious soft-boiled egg breakfast

 

APRIL 10th ENTRANCE: to Street 5, which is closed off to traffic but not pedestrians this morning looked like this. The whole block is full of monks, devotees and ceremonial paraphernalia and decorations as the ceremonies and celebrations for Khmer New Year begin in earnest. We awoke to squealing and water fight shenanigans from the nightclub district at 3am and are now being soothed by the sound of dozens of monks chanting

APRIL 11th DELICATE: Lotus blooms rarely last more than a single day and yet they are always locally available. Folding in the petals for display is also a very delicate process. I can’t resist them and always think of the quote, “Like the lotus we can rise from the murky mud, bloom from the darkness and trust in our unfolding.” No wonder I cannot resist them

 

APRIL 12th A NUMBER: It’s not often that we are number one at anything but we were happy to claim the prime river view and street scenes seats in the local last night when we spontaneously decided to slip out to enjoy the revelry of dancing, water fights, drinking, overbearingly loud music, street side BBQ’s and general frivolity as the whole city turns up the dial on celebrations preceding Khmer New Year

 

APRIL 13th A PATTERN: The exquisite dragonfly and leaf pattern rendered in lacquer on a coconut bowl I recently purchased

APRIL 14th THIS SEASON: in Cambodia is celebratory as today is the first day of Khmer New Year, called Maha Sangkranta. On this day people wear new clothes, and decorate their spirit houses or front porches with flowers, fruit and incense to welcome the new angel who will come and take nourishment then bless the household for the whole of the coming year

APRIL15th SOMETHING WHITE: These white, feather-like seeds are from the spectacular Flamboyant tree which are all over the Kingdom of Wonder. I have loved them since I saw them used in garlands in Bhutan. These are from my seed pod display in the living room

 

APRIL 16th WHAT INSPIRES ME: most of all is travelling to somewhere new. Even though we lived in Kep for almost five years we never visited Angkol Beach until this morning

 

APRIL 17th STARTS WITH B: The blessing of burning Bhutanese butter lamps is my choice for today because although it is an archive shot today we got news that makes us believe we will be blessed enough to be in Bhutan again

 

APRIL 18th MIX: This feature wall is a mix of old shutters and in a mix of bright colours in a new resto-bar in Kep

APRIL 19th CARD: I have something of an obsession with cards and postcards and buy, collect and send them regularly. This is one of only two reclining Buddhas we have and both came from Lao

 

APRIL 20th ALLEY: The indoor-outdoor zone of the local market is maze of alleys and half covered areas, which can be very difficult to navigate. It has evolved over time with an old wooden house functioning as the administration office buried in the heart of it and every conceivable item is available. It’s just a matter of finding what you need

*This one was selected on the day as a fabber on Facebook

 

APRIL 21st LEAFY: Since moving in we have been trying to cultivate a wall of leafy greenery on the terrace of the Aerie as a privacy screen as we would rather not view the neighbour’s washing or antics from our terrace. I think it’s coming along nicely and the soon to arrive rainy season may just keep it alive in our absence

*This one was chosen as a fabber on Facebook too

 

APRIL 22nd SOMETHING PRETTY: a pink cannonball tree flower I spotted in front of the National Museum returning from a breakfast out with a friend this morning, fits the bill for me. I was actually looking for an alternative to flowers but once I realized that today is Earth Day I decided this was just perfect

 

APRIL 23rd OPEN: Whenever I see Khmer grown lotus roots I always buy them. The key is to ensure that the ends are all completely closed and they have not been exposed to the air. It’s only when you cut them open that you can see if they are clean and fresh like these that I purchased in the market this morning and have since turned into my favourite salad

 

APRIL 24th PEACEFUL: In my mind there is nothing more peaceful or calming than the sound of the ocean. This was taken a week ago, on our last day in Kep when we were out walking in the early morning and there was not another soul in sight. The inner city in a heat wave is not so peaceful actually

 

APRIL 25th FOUND: I finally found the courage to trust another hairdresser in Phnom Penh and maybe I’ve found my regular now. In a heat wave a number zero with the clippers is just perfect! Another selfie done for this month too

 

APRIL 26th BOWL: We had just decided that we were going to have Buddha Bowls for dinner when I looked up today’s prompt so I decided that was the shot to take. The bowl I almost always eat dinner from at home with a favourite dinner we haven’t had in a while in it, is it for today

 

APRIL 27th FOUR-LEGGED: Geckos are the most frequent four-legged friends visiting our home but these Tokay Geckos are usually heard but not seen. They can be quite aggressive and are always very loud. Khmer believe it’s a blessing to have one in your house. The markings are very striking and they give you the impression that they are always watching you

 

APRIL 28th SIMPLE JOY: Creating a wall collage of photographs of us and family and friends that spans a forty-year timeframe. I added three more this morning. It brings me joy every time I pass by and I often stop and look for an image of someone I’m thinking about

 

APRIL 29th FAMILY: Three generations of one family on one motor scooter. This is the norm here. The most I have seen are six members of the same family on one Moto but today this was the best I could get

 

APRIL 30th POP OF COLOUR: When we hung the art, we returned from Australia with, it seemed a bit too gloomy against the stark white expanse of wall. After long deliberation we purchased this incredible pop of colour by a local artist to add to the mix

 

THE PROMPTS

 

 

 

 

Random thoughts and pondering - playing the waiting game!

May just might be a mystery…… 

 

 

18/4

I have my best hopes placed in the idea that we will be in Bhutan in May.

 

Given that we finally managed to get our apartment in June last year after a prolonged and frustrating four months of waiting, that actually means we have never experienced May in the capital.

 

If things go according to plan then we might just be in Bhutan in May this year and we have actually been waiting for that for a couple of months now too. 

 

That however means that we will have had to wait 23 months to know what living in PP in May involves, by then. 

 

“It’s a mystery to me

The game commences…”

Well the waiting game continues but here we go again.

 

April has actually been a scorcher, with incredible heat wave conditions across the region and we soon discovered that there can be several hours of no water in the middle of the day on a regular basis. Luckily, we were alerted to this prospect by an article in the Khmer Times and were grateful that we have lived in several places where this has been the case and thus responded promptly and had a tried and true coping strategy to follow. 

 

Add in, that Khmer New year water fights seem to have priority over households when it comes to the available supply, but this one  was the first for us in the capital and we loved the noise, the antics and the water bombings.

 

 Now the waiting for the rainy season begins in earnest as it will also ensure that we return to a more regular water supply and hopefully the end of the heat wave. 

 

Setting a challenge…….. 

 

19/4

 

I decided last night to make sure we did something productive to prepare to consult in Bhutan, to make the Aerie better packed up to walk away from at short notice and to purchase both personal and educational items to take with us as a daily challenge until we know dates and have visas.

And today we did just that. I completed the document on play-way I have been working on and decided to work on place-based next but I also acknowledged to myself that the real challenge will be phonics. And that is what my thoughts continually return to, so now I’m glad I collected a few resources and digital phonics references while we were in Kep.

 

We are hoping that the strategies and methodology we applied to teaching phonics to our little monks in Kep will once again prove to be both successful and fun in a classroom setting. Only time will tell how well they suit the Bhutanese scenario, however. 

 

We were also able to deal with the root bound Jasmine bush and repot it so that more of the terrace garden stands a chance of survival in our absence.

 

We went out on a mission to buy a policeman’s cap but the shop was closed or more likely not yet reopened after Khmer New Year, so I ended up with a backpack to use for school and hand luggage and some gifts. Pretty good start on this phase of “Bracing for Bhutan.”

Coming up the stairs more easily twice today has also reminded me that I need to add a daily inclusion of exercise to the new regime! I’m back to more diligently applying myself to the stretch and balance exercises prescribed by Hugo, now that swimming isn’t frequent enough to yield improvement in both range of motion and balance! It seems to be paying off too.

 

I’m actually feeling more positive than I have in weeks.

 

Learning to like me ……..

 

21/4

I’ve convinced myself for most of my life that I’m just too sensitive and I shouldn’t take things to heart so much but recently I’ve decided that there is no such thing as too sensitive!

 

Actually no one wants to be the lowest priority, or be kept waiting constantly, or feel they are being taken for granted or simply ignored. That’s not too sensitive. It’s normal. What’s the flip side? It’s being insensitive, indifferent, uncaring or unconcerned? Better to own your feelings and acknowledge them even if it’s only to yourself, I say.

 

Nope I’m sensitive. It’s a positive. That’s it.

 

I’ve also been constantly told that I’m ‘so organized.’ I’ve always thought that was positive but the statement has often been delivered in such a way that it sounds like a criticism or pseudonym for boring!

 

A long time ago I realized that it’s actually being mindful and I can thank Bhutan for that insight.

 

Mindfulness is a relatively new buzz word but I see so much mindlessness around me in the modern world that I am certain we would all do well to adopt a more mindful attitude to daily life.

 

I’m finally beginning to see myself in a more positive light. How many decades has that taken!

oNe PhOtO a DaY MaRcH 2023:

 

MARCH 1st LOOK UP: Over drinks at the Crab Market last night we were all completely awed by the view and had to look up time and time again to observe the ever-changing palette displayed in the sky

 

MARCH 2nd ROUND: Today we dropped by a friend’s recently sold home and I noticed this cool round architectural feature in the bungalow. It's an open breeze space between indoor and outdoor spaces

 

MARCH 3rd SOMETHING GREEN: Gorgeous green garden setting in the courtyard restaurant we discovered yesterday and the green, traditional shutters are a nice touch too

 

MARCH 4th A BUNCH OF SOMETHING: This is an ever-evolving display on the coffee table in the living room. It is a bunch of seed pods, and shells discovered on our wanderings in various places all over the Kingdom of Wonder. I have always loved pods, and nature’s creations and can’t resist having them in the house. This morning after returning from Kep with more I had to add some to a vase as well as the tray was getting too over crowded. The Aussie collection hasn’t even been assembled yet either. The simple things……

MARCH 5th RANDOM: We had the opportunity to stop by the pagoda and see the little monks of Kep not once but twice in this last week and we haven’t been there for two months so they were joyous occasions. No matter what random time it is when we turn up the boys are always happy to see us and we love the connection. One of these two is Gam, who is the only remaining monk who has been with the project from its inception. We love them all dearly and look forward to every random visit

 

MARCH 6th SOMETHING I DREAD: As much as I love this apartment, since Ian’s accident last year, I dread the possibility of another accident on these stairs or the day coming when we can no longer manage them. With the assistance of two foreign neighbours we are trying our best to get all four flights repaired, but the wheels of bureaucracy move slowly here even when the benefit to the whole community is necessary and obvious. Patience is key

 

MARCH 7th IN THE DARK: Despite the plethora of comments on yesterday’s post I’m going with another shot of the entrance to our apartment. This alleyway leads to the street from several of the buildings in our community. It has always worried me that pedestrians some of whom are toddlers, vendors, cyclists and motor scooters come barrelling up and down and it is almost always in the dark except at night. Oh, the irony. Today is a red-letter day as the motion lights we have paid for will be installed at heights that ensure even the children activate them during the day. Please don’t worry we love living in this caring and kind community and contributing even a little to the comfort and safety of all brings us great joy. It’s going to be in the light from this morning on. Photo taken before 9am BTW

 

MARCH 8th SUPPLIES: Given that the temperature is now consistently in the mid-thirties and that the past several days have been alcohol free, we got in chilled supplies to celebrate International Women’s Day, this afternoon

MARCH 9th SOMETHING THAT SMELLS WONDERFUL: these gorgeous Oriental Lilies are certainly something that smells wonderful. Not only that, the fans which are almost always on, spread their heavenly scent throughout the living room. When I bought them a few days ago they were all tightly closed but now they are blooming into perfection

 

MARCH 10th A CAFE: A back alley cafe just like thousands of others all over Phnom Penh, serving up simple noodle or rice dishes and soup. They are almost never empty

MARCH 11th CONTENTS OF YOUR JUNK DRAWER: Well this is as close as it gets for me. It’s not really junk since in there I have my sewing kit, jewellery, spare glasses, perfume etc but I don’t actually have a junk drawer. In fact, in this apartment we have more drawers than any other kind of storage and at least half of them are empty! Trying to live a minimalist existence

MARCH 12th REPEAT: Not only does the making of these hybrid American-Aussie, granola- muesli, cookies-biscuits require a repeat process but they are on repeat as a major part of the breakfast menu in our place. Today’s vegan version has mashed banana instead of eggs and no chocolate chips but cranberries, dates, raisins, dried pineapple, dried mango, toasted pumpkin and sunflower seeds, peanuts and palm sugar. How can the laneway kids not think they are sweet enough? Refined sugar overload is the norm for them I guess

 

MARCH 13th YOUR FAVOURITE MUG: This is it! The quintessential Cambodian pagoda scene on my favourite mug is what initially attracted me and the coffee stains it now wears are testament to its daily use. I never drink from any other mug when I am home. Although there are many stunning designs in this range, and we have a few of them this is the one for me. Cambodia to a tee

 

MARCH 14th SOMETHING YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND: I first saw this in Thailand and it’s a regular feature of fresh markets here in Cambodia too. I don’t understand why other cultures don’t do it and eliminate the need to buy excessive quantities of fresh ingredients when only a small amount is required. It’s a small bundle of basic ingredients for a single meal. This one contained two spring onions, two chillies, two sticks of lemongrass, two stems of Thai basil, two garlic chives and two pieces of knife blade coriander all for the princely sum of 25 cents. It’s the perfect combination of flavours for many traditional Khmer dishes and it’s the only one I have ever bought

 

MARCH 15th A FLEETING MOMENT: This little one is bright as a button and always very excited to see us. Today he was wandering in the lane with a cardboard box over his head as you do when you are just four years old. Then just as we were about to start climbing the stairs he recognized my feet and whipped the box off, hugged my legs and told me he loves me. I managed to capture that fleeting moment just as he waved goodbye and the box went back on and imaginative play recommenced

 

MARCH 16th A TREASURE YOU FOUND: When we were home in Adelaide I had a list of all the treasures we had bought and been gifted over the years.  I wanted to find them in our storage and bring them back to Cambodia to hang in our apartment but I had completely forgotten this and was delighted when I found it. This beautiful scroll was written by an elderly Japanese woman who we had both taught and she gifted it to us, when we left Japan. It even has our names and the date 1995 on it!

*this pic was selected for the fab four on Instagram

 

MATCH 17th A COUNTRY ROAD OR CITY STREET: Not just any city street but the actual street where we live: Street 118 Phnom Penh and that’s our little slice of the action in the middle on the top floor with tiny green flashes of the terrace garden visible; hence our name for it - the Aerie

 

MARCH 18th YOUR MOST COMFORTABLE SHOES: Being a bit pedantic I cannot include boots, sandals or flip flops so that leaves me with just three choices and these win hands down. They are very old and that may well be exactly what makes them so very comfortable. I’m extremely grateful to have them back on the play list - another rescue from the storage unit in Adelaide

 

MARCH 19th A SLICE OF _ _ _ _ _: organic brown rice cake. It’s not really cake so much as a cracker to me, but I do love them and that was even our dinner last night after returning from the epic day trip to Kampot

                                                                 dinner

MARCH 20th A USEFUL OBJECT: In our household I’d say possibly the most useful object is the humble “bangchu”. A pair of Bhutanese handwoven baskets, which come in various sizes and lock together. They are traditionally used to carry a hot lunch without spillage. However, we use them to cover dishes once they are prepared, to serve bread, and snacks and store fruit, vegetables, and a variety of other things, even jewellery in the case of the tiny one pictured. As you can see some of ours are very old and faded but still working perfectly. I’m hoping this might be the year we can acquire a few replacements too

 

MARCH 21st THINGS YOU COLLECT: This is the little collection of treasures from nature that I picked up in various locations across South Australia when we were home. I still haven’t found a permanent home for them but I’m working on it. I already posted the Cambodian collection earlier this month, so I was searching for something else but finally decided to go with this one as it actually proves I really do collect these things

   *This one was chosen in the Instagram Fab Four much to my delight

MARCH 22nd A LUCKY OBJECT: Ladybugs are lucky in many cultures and this little Italian one was a gift from a friend and has been the guardian of my keys for almost a decade

 

MARCH 23rd YOUR DESK FROM ABOVE: Like almost everything that’s built-in in this apartment the desk is concrete and more of a nook in the bedroom but it is the desk we have and it is occasionally used for more than just dumping things that I need to get back to on it or don’t know where else to put. The typical array of urgent, important and necessary are visible in this photo and I am ashamed to say I made no attempt to make it look anything other than what it really is

 

MARCH 25th A MOTEL SIGN: Well there might be one amongst all those neons somewhere in Phnom Penh but I've never seen one and google maps couldn’t show me a single motel so that’s all I've got

MARCH 26th SOMETHING TIMELESS: In the sense that it is something never affected by the passage of time or fashion, I’ve gone with this handheld prayer wheel. It is another of the little treasures that I removed from storage to bring back to PP. I love that so many people who see it feel instantly attracted to it and pick it up and try to spin it

 

MARCH 27th AN OLD HOME: I discovered this on our morning walk today. When so many of these gorgeous old colonial places are being allowed to fall into ruin or being knocked down I was delighted to see how an old home like this has been lovingly restored and renovated and is now available for rent

 

MARCH 28th A MODERN BUILDING: This is probably the most recognisable, landmark, modern building in Phnom Penh. For obvious reasons it is locally known as ‘the penguin’ and that’s the monthly selfie, albeit a sweaty one, taken at 8:30am when it was already 32°

 

MARCH 29th TWO FLAVOURS YOU ENJOY: Mango and passion fruit for me, especially blended together and turned into a yoghurt smoothie or even better and just a little decadent, a topping a double baked cheesecake like I still have leftovers of in the fridge

 

The cheesecake in question  

 

MARCH 30th A SOUVENIR: We spent a good hour this morning searching for a Buddha with this exact mudra and just when I thought I had exhausted all the possibilities of finding the right size and correct hand position, I remembered a new souvenir shop we saw for the first time last Sunday. Voila the perfect serene faced Buddha and the final touch to our new spirit house

*this pic was selected for the fab four on Facebook

 

MARCH 31st YOUR BEST FRIEND: my partner in crime, my inspiration, the love of my life, my life-long travel companion, my shoulder to cry on, the person who most often makes me laugh, my confidante, my biggest fan and my best friend forever

 

 

THE PROMPTS