wEeK
oNe JaNuArY 2015
With this
new format of weekly prompts for 2015 I am trying to tell the story of our daily existence through the
prompts and the pictures they inspire. Not sure if I should be posting weekly now not monthly but as this is holiday time I will stick with monthly for Jan at least. Please feel free to comment!
THE PROMPTS FOR THE
WEEK
1. SKY: Druk
Air, the first national airline of Bhutan, landing in blue skies and clouds in
Paro today
2. SOMETHING YELLOW:
A prayer flag hung across the row of prayer wheels on the way up to Tatkshang-
Tiger’s Nest Monastery where we climbed today
3. ME TODAY:
This was me today taking a walk and familiarizing myself with Thimphu after
spending most of the day scrubbing our new apartment’s kitchen and bathrooms.
Thanks to Ian for capturing the shot
4. I HEAR: After
listening to rain most of the evening and knowing how much more difficult that
would make our road trip back to Samtengang to collect our possessions, my
blood ran cold when I heard an ambulance coming in the very slippery, muddy and
raining conditions where progress was slow and delays inevitable
wEeK tWo JaNuArY 2015
THE PROMPTS FOR THE
WEEK
5. SQUARE: Every
square inch of space was filled in the back of the Bolero and half the back
seat too, to get our household’s worth of possessions to Thimphu today. After
this photo was taken the largest piece of furniture- a bookshelf, was tied to
the top of the mattress.
6. ROUND: With the
constant packing, cleaning, loading and travelling to relocate in the past few
days this is an archive shot taken on the first day of the Winter break when
many of the BCF teachers went to visit the Royal Civil Service Commission. This
circular motif adorned all the walls in the conference hall
7. CURRENTLY
READING: I bought this book some time ago because I love proverbs, quotations
and pithy sayings and I thought it would be inspirational. I also have an
interest in numerology inherited from my mother. I am currently the same age as
my year of birth and the proverb on that page of the book is one of only 3
featured on the back cover and to my mind both poignant beautiful:-
“Life
is like footprints in the snow.
Every
step will show.”
8. LANDSCAPE:
Everyone has been predicting snow all week and this landscape was taken from
our living room balcony in Mothithang, Thimphu just before the first flurries
of the season
9. PATTERN: This
distinctive woollen weaving produced in Bumthang area is known as Yathra and I
love both the colour combinations and the pattern. I bought this one as we
passed through the area recently. Prior to living in Asia I would have thought
that pink, orange, red and burgundy could not be combined together without
clashing horribly but I have certainly changed my mind about that and this
piece is exactly those colours with a dash of blue and white thrown in for
contrast
10. HELLO: While
most Bhutanese children scream or hide at the sight of a foreigner, especially
a red haired one like me, this little chap was very keen to say hello to Ian
when his family sat down in a café in Clock Tower Square in Thimphu right
behind us today.
11. I SEE: No matter
how many times I see the flapping prayer flags on the covered bridge in Thimphu
I never tire of the sight and I have to photograph them. Today with the Sunday
Market in full swing and the sun shining it was a popular destination for many
wEeK tHrEe JaNuArY 2015
THE PROMPTS FOR THE
WEEK
12. BRIGHT: The
bright and shiny paint job on the tail of Bhutan Air’s plane contrasted against
the Himalayas with Paro’s most spectacular traditional structures (the Dzong
and Watch Tower Museum) visible behind, just before take off in Paro
International Airport today
13. LUCKY NUMBER:
vendors all over Thailand sell lottery tickets and though I’ve never bought one
I guess that everyone who does hopes that this will be their lucky number. This
vendor was outside the Phloen Chit sky train station on Sukhumvit Road today
14. NEW: haircut
(thanks Jude), new glasses today (thanks Mr Eye Centre World Bangkok), new
positive outlook and more optimistic approach to life for 2015 (Thanks to Ian
for taking the photo) ….Same old orange loving me!
15. OLD: I am so
glad that we no longer require this type of visa in Thailand, as we are not
working here now. This old visa caused us a great deal of stress and was one of
the major reasons for us deciding to leave our jobs in Thailand in 2010. Glad
to have been tourists in this beautiful country many times since then, even if
we are happy to be going home to Oz today
16. NATURE: Although
we are surrounded by the spectacular natural beauty of the Himalayas in Bhutan,
of all the nature I know and love it is the beach and the ocean that makes my
heart sing. I never feel that I am home until I’ve taken a dip in the
ocean and walked on
the sand. Home again today!
17. JUMP: At the
Greek Festival on the foreshore at Semaphore these young dancers were
showcasing their skills with a number of upbeat takes on traditional Greek
dancing and it involved many a jump to complete this routine
18. TODAY IS…. : a
sunny but mild Sunday and the prefect weather to sit outdoors admiring the view, supping on delicious Aussie wine with family we have not seen for over a
year
wEeK fOuR JaNuArY 2015
THE PROMPTS FOR THE
WEEK
19. HOMEMADE: this
has been my signature dish for years and I rarely get to make it in Bhutan so I
was thrilled that it was the first homemade dish I churned out of my sisters
kitchen when we got home Beijing Salad. Yum Yum Yum
20. WINDOW: a small
section of the beautiful glass window above the front door of my sister’s house
where we are currently staying and enjoying the hospitality and family fun
times
21. IN A ROW: The
lovely old row houses we walk past to get to the beach – 5 in a row actually
22. COLLECTION: This
lovely collection of tea service pieces is just one of the beautiful period
pieces displayed in the exquisitely restored and lovingly decorated art deco
beach accommodation we are currently staying in compliments of a generous,
creative and fun loving friend. Thanks Jane Rossetto- coming home would not be
the same without a stint in your sensational Glenelg residence
23. SOMETHING FAR
AWAY: Much as we love being home right now Bhutan and this wonderful view from
the balcony of our new apartment in Thimphu are certainly something far away
that we want to return to soon. This was taken just before we left earlier this
month
24. PLAY TIME: After
preparing this special dinner all afternoon it was playtime for adults
25. BLACK AND WHITE:
In the peloton in a race with 125 riders spotting Jack Bobridge in the 6th and
final stage of the Tour Down Under today was only possible because of the black
and white polka dots of the ‘King of the Mountain’ jersey he was wearing and
this was the title he finally won at the end of the day
wEeK fIvE JaNuArY
2015
THE PROMPTS FOR THE
WEEK
26. THREE THINGS: On
Australia Day we were lucky to be invited to share a stunning vegetarian Aussie
feast with some great cooks and friends and this dessert was the grand finale.
Thanks to Anna, Julianne and Matthew for a gorgeous day and food. The three
things on the dessert patter were mini pavlovas, lamingtons and wild lime jelly
chocolates from a great SA family business -Haighs
27. MORNING: This
morning I was drawn to the façade of the old Adelaide Fruit and Produce
Exchange in the city of Adelaide. My long departed but sorely missed dad spent
the very early hours of every morning of his working life in this wholesale
market, starting at 5am. I took school groups there on excursions in the
pre-dawn hours when it was still functioning and I am so glad they saved the
façade when it was turned over to developers and made into exclusive inner city
residences in the 1980’s. In the mid morning light it is still a very beautiful
piece of architecture, with a long history and many fond memories.
28. STRANGE: This
rose ornament made completely of shells was on the table in the doctor’s
surgery today- strange and beautiful at the same time
29. SUMMER WINTER: Summer really is all about the ocean and the beach to me and even with the very
mild weather we have been experiencing lately we have tried to make the most of
every opportunity to swim!
30. FAVE FOOD: I
love the diversity of food available in Australia compared to Bhutan and I have been really embracing trying to eat at different places and different cuisines since
we arrived home. The only place I have eaten at twice, sells affordable
Japanese food and I did in fact eat the same meal both times – the second time
being today! Agedashi Tofu Bento.
31. ON TOP: In the Botanic
Gardens in Adelaide there are 2 of these ornate lamps. One on top of each of
the posts for the iron gates at the entrance and they date back to 1857.
We did a stroll through the magnificent gardens today and thoroughly enjoyed
the splendor of the layout and the many flowering plants. The lotus blooms were
particularly spectacular
wEeK oNe FeBrUaRy 2015
1. ON MY PLATE:
Saving the best until last we had our final family get together in Adelaide
today at Estia Restaurant in Henley Beach and opted for the Mezedakia menu
sharing a variety of typical Greek dishes. On my plate was dolmathes, gigandes
(lima beans), spanakopita, kolokithi (croquettes), saganaki, pita bread, dips
and Greek salad. Wohoo I loved every bite and won’t need any dinner!
