oNe PhOtO a DaY aUgUsT 2018

THE PROMPTS FOR THE MONTH

WEDNESDAY 1st VICE: I guess my biggest vice is coffee. It is the one thing I have never really tried to give up. You just wouldn’t want to know me in the morning if there was no coffee in my life

THURSDAY 2nd FUN: Learning can be fun for these little monks with such exciting props to keep them interested. Unfortunately, they were having so much fun with the phlat balls that they actually forgot to keep counting which was rather the point of the game

FRIDAY 3rd LEAF: This beautiful leaf was on the beachfront strip at Kep this morning when we took a quick stroll before our bus ride to Kampot. Magnificent huge trees provide shade for most of the beach zone and although they are never bare, there are always some red leaves under them and in the canopy. Unfortunately, I don’t know what kind of trees they are but they are certainly an asset to the atmosphere

SATURDAY 4th WEEKEND VIBES: Time for a home pedicure after the thrashing our feet have had walking an average of 10kms a day on our recent trip. Torrential monsoon rain inspires happy at home activities. My feet are going to love me again

SUNDAY 5th SUNSHINE: These days it’s overcast or raining most of the time but there was a brief glimpse of the sun and a spot of sunshine on our way back from the monastery this morning

MONDAY 6th INK: The blue and red ink stamps We use to encourage and motivate our little monks to write. They love to apply them to their arms and faces as tattoos but we do try to discourage that

TUESDAY 7th FLYING: One of our favourite things to do when we lived in Bhutan, was flying prayer flags to commemorate special events and occasions. Now we have prayer flags flying in Kep as a reminder of that beautiful kingdom and all the joy it brought us. Recently we have had very strong winds and today with the front doors open the flags were flying in the living room. It sent my heart flying back to the kingdom of happiness

WEDNESDAY 8th CITRUS: I have come to appreciate limes since moving to Kep. They are cheap, readily available and so versatile. We use them in refreshing drinks and to add a touch of citrus to salads, curries and other savoury dishes on a daily basis. One of the joys of being expats is adapting our diets to the availability of the local produce and to suit the local climate

THURSDAY 9th PURPLE: Is not one of my favourite colours. However, eggplants add an essential hue to our efforts to eat a rainbow and Baba Ganoush is the perfect dish to make with them

Friday 10th HEART SHAPED: Cookies inspired by the cookie cutter left in our kitchen by a previous resident of this house and today’s prompt. I’m more a wholesome and nutritious kinda baker so I was totally out of my comfort zone with this style of baking but gave it a go today. Just couldn’t bring myself to dip them in chocolate too, as the recipe requested. They are already decadent enough for me

SATURDAY 11th CHEEKY: Despite our best efforts to keep this cheeky tokay gecko outside, it snuck in again last night when we left the living room window open. It immediately beelined for its favourite position - hanging upside down on the wall behind the fridge. Ian successfully caught it and removed it to the garden again this morning. This week we have enjoyed the company of a two-metre snake, several frogs, a snail and now a tokay gecko indoors. Oh, the joys of the monsoon season. Luckily most of these intruders seem to be glad to return to the outdoors just ‘the monster’ as we refer to him persists

SUNDAY 12th UPSIDE DOWN: Necessity is the mother of invention! The cut in half upside-down pet bottle, turned funnel, enabled us to filter out the red peppercorns from the Vodka in which they were steeping this morning. Our first attempt at red pepper spiced vodka but the results are not to be tasted until September. We are undertaking an Arid (alcohol-free) August in the vein of the popular Dry July practice of many Aussies. July was the holiday-birthday month so that was not a possibility. With visitors arriving, it will be just the thing for a Celebratory September.... Bloody Mary’s to come!

MONDAY 13th EYES: This is a popular recognition book with those learning to read at Kep Gardens school. The eyes are hidden under the fold down flap, which says Peekaboo

TUESDAY 14th EDGE: Picturesque, though it is, currently it is impossible to discern where the edge of the road and the beginning of of the adjoining fields, is. With nearly constant rain for the past few weeks, it is no longer possible to cycle to our little monks’ class. This was taken from the Tuk Tuk on our way home this afternoon. We still got soaked but not bogged or mud splattered, so that’s a win

WEDNESDAY 15th ANIMAL: Almost every Khmer family in this area seems to keep at least a few of these cows. They are by far the animal most commonly sighted in these parts. They are somehow an asset although they are not milked and not raised for meat. Many locals hand feed them or spend part of their day walking them to and from roadside spots including the median strip, where they can graze

(NB:There were so many negative comments about this shot when I posted it in PAD that I felt compelled to remove it. In fact, the cow is not starving, maltreated or undernourished but it’s typical of the thin breed and it must have been taken at an odd angle. I am happy to report we have seen it several times, happily grazing in the same location and supervised by its owner, since this shot was taken)

THURSDAY 16th TOPPINGS: of passionfruit pulp, chocolate chips, sunflower seeds and roasted pecans added a touch of decadence to a dessert of layers of cinnamon coconut cake, espresso jelly, kheer and ice cream. It’s not often we have such concoctions and I did wish I could have served it in the Deco Parfait glasses I have at home in Oz instead of these everyday water ones but there were no complaints about the taste

FRIDAY 17th SOMETHING WARM: The glow of a scented candle subtlety lighting a framed photo of a tree from Tanzania on my dressing table,qualifies as something warm and calming in my view

SATURDAY 18th WHITE ON WHITE: The first purchase we made towards the already well-established garden in our rental house. We were told it’s a Cuban Jasmine but after observing its habit and flowering we think it might be a relative of the ginger family. If you are familiar with these exotically intoxicating perfumed blooms please let me know what they are...

SUNDAY 19th TRUST: With the monsoon rain and growling thunder, a baking day at home was required. I set out just trusting the power would remain and got lucky. My trust was rewarded although it was out for several hours later in the evening

MONDAY 20th NATURE MACRO: A fragrant Ylang Ylang bloom in the garden of the pool where we swam again this afternoon

TUESDAY 21st WILD: Monks are not the first thing you think of as wild. However, once we get going on an activity and the competitive aspect cuts in, things get pretty wild in our outdoor classroom. Here the race to be the first to complete their colour alphabet one letter at a time relay style, is in action

WEDNESDAY 22nd KISSES: An archive shot and who could resist, Elephant Nature Park’s naughtiest pachyderm-Hope. Raised by Lek after being orphaned he hands out sloppy kisses to all. The one and only time I’ve ever been kissed by hefalump and Ian captured the moment

THURSDAY 23rd BRIGHTLY COLOURED: pencils for our little monks: purchased from recent donations and part of an ever-growing mountain of resources we carry back and forth every lesson

FRIDAY 24th NINE: These nine little monks are the current members of the English class we teach. We began with twelve and only six of these are from that original group. Some have gone and returned, some are new and some have disappeared completely but we persist and these nine are more than enough to keep us on our toes, especially with the addition of two enthusiastic village boys who could not be persuaded not to come

SATURDAY 25th ROUND: wagon wheels utilized in the fence of a local hotel. Very few wagons are still operational but we do see them pulled by oxen on the local roads occasionally

SUNDAY 26th WALL: Detail in a section of an old, ornate wall, from one of the many abandoned colonial mansions in ruins in Kep

MONDAY 27th ON THE GROUND: My own footprint just before the tidal wash erases it, brings to mind the old adage - “take only photographs, leave only footprints...”

TUESDAY 28th SILENCE: These silent sentinels stand watch over the little monks we teach. The monks engage in raucous play and shouting in their presence but settle into silence when we get into the writing in exercise books task

WEDNESDAY 29th A PAIR: This one brought out the English teacher in me. Nine individual items we always refer to as a pair in English. I could only think of one more and I didn’t want to disassemble my bike for the handlebars just to include them in picture

THURSDAY 30th YES: to my first attempt at growing orchids and seeing this new bloom on the stem that was once without any hint of flowers. Also, yes to the first truly blue sky and maybe just maybe an end to the monsoon and accompanying rain

FRIDAY 31st RED: So Many Asian cultures and cuisines revolved around the humble chilli and Khmer is no exception. We regularly receive them free with a few spring onions and a handful of herbs at the vegetable market. My preference is for red over green but it’s Ian that is the true addict and any colour is OK so long as it packs a punch

The Wildlife Within

It’s been almost a year since we moved into the ‘school house’ so named by me since there are no street addresses here and it is on a lane directly opposite the main entrance to the secondary school in Kep. It’s also been just over a month since we returned from our trip down-under and time to reflect upon life in our little slice of paradise. 

We arrived home after a few extra days in the capital, painlessly solving our visa renewals. Whoo Hoo, we are officially retirees with visas to prove it and totally thrilled to be so. Upon opening the front door of our little bungalow, we discovered every floor surface covered in trillions of small and mostly dead ants. Luckily not the fire ants, which are very nasty and bite. Before unpacking anything, we swept, and mopped the whole place, whilst simultaneously smugly congratulating ourselves for having left a homemade meal in the freezer for our return. 

We were expecting a big clean up. It’s unrealistic to leave a house locked up for over a month and not come home to some massive cleaning. However, it seemed like every insect on the property had taken refuge in our house as the monsoon rains had flooded the backyard and encroached just a little into the kitchen and backroom! 

The leaking through the not very well sealed kitchen windows was no news and we had taken precautions against anything being damaged there, but well, 17 continuous days of rain in our absence had not been an expectation. Neither was the rain continuing on a daily basis in varying degrees of density for the next FIVE weeks! 

Yep. That smugly satisfied feeling of sitting down to a hot meal and rice in a clean house with all the unpacking and sorting of new possessions complete, evaporated pretty fast. Sweeping up dead insects was a routine to be repeated three or four times a day for the next four days before it miraculously began to return to something less than a total insect invasion. 

Re-establishing a volunteering schedule and avoiding the constant but unpredictable rain showers became a daily obsession over the next month. Finally, we just had to accept that the roads were in no condition to allow us to cycle to either Kep Gardens or the ‘Pagoda’ for the monks' classes. It took a couple of totally drenched riding in the rain mud splattered and bicycle bogged experiences before our stubbornness gave way to practicality and we engaged Tuk Tuks for these journeys.  

Sun protection is still essential, although it has been a little cooler and a lot more overcast. Do not assume that all this rain means it is not hot or possible to be sunburnt. It is certainly not the case. 

On one very memorable occasion before we came to the logical conclusion that riding was no longer a possibility, Ian was removing his Khramer, from the hat rack which stands by the front door, when he accidentally touched something. I looked up when I heard a loud thud and a large snake thumped to the ground and accompanied by a loud scream from me, luckily chose to slither out the front door and away across the yard into a neighbouring property. I do not exaggerate; this thing was about two metres long! We were glad to mount our trusty bikes and scurry off, carefully watching the driveway as we exited, despite the near impossible ride to the pagoda, that day. Escape was all that was on our minds. We were much more hesitant to re-enter and I still carefully examine the offending hat rack before touching it or removing anything from it, to this day! No more snake sightings but we are almost sure it was inside to escape the rising water levels in the yard and possibly climbing the hat rack as it is a tree dwelling variety and maybe wanted to shed its skin.

The spiders, snails, small and large frogs and centipedes can usually be encouraged to leave of their own volition, with the assistance of a broom. Many frogs, however take off in enormous leaps in the wrong direction and I have simply lost interest in hunting them down. I do feel disheartened sweeping up dehydrated tiny frog carcases in the morning though and wonder why they feel the need to take shelter indoors when it is raining but I still have no answer to that perplexing question.

We continue to live with any number of small geckos and Ian has artfully removed several of the larger Tokay Geckos that do love to come indoors and hang upside down behind the fridge – presumably for the warmth of the motor. I loathe them and especially the sound they make. It is from this sound that their name is derived. We have taken a great number of precautions to prevent them entering, but enter they do. Determined and persistent, they certainly are. At this point I should also possibly mention that our neighbour told us, the Khmer believe it is lucky for these Tokay Geckos to come indoors and they do not discourage them. We therefore feel totally justified in encouraging them to vacate our home and take up residency next door. 

Last night to add to our alarm we were woken by loud scratching, clawing and perhaps chewing in in the middle of the night. It didn’t take long to realise it was coming from the ceiling directly above our bed! It is not the first time we have heard these sounds but it is usually faintly and in the living room.  I instantly assume that that therefore means these new ‘monsters’ are about to fall on top of us. Not true, but still a possibility. It-they could be rats, snakes, birds or more large lizards and geckos. Since it is nocturnal, I’m trying to rule out rats and birds. Since it is noisy, I don’t believe it is snakes. That leaves me with the ever persistent and resourceful geckos. Not life threatening but can they really make that much noise and wake two adults in the middle of the night? 

So, in our one year in this little house, we are still happy to call home, we have come to realise that it is impossible to escape the “indoor / outdoor” living that we first experienced in the Bamboo House. It is in fact the Cambodian norm. This house is more watertight but not without entry points and it is better to accept it than fight it. 

To end on a positive note, we are also surrounded by and treated to sightings of a huge range of birds in both our yard and the much-frequented route to the pagoda, past the mangroves. These include many species as yet unidentified by us, as well as Asian Koels, Coucals, Kingfishers, Egrets, Stilts and yesterday a magnificent pair of Sea Eagles riding the updrafts and hunting directing above our house.  

oNe PhOtO a DaY jUlY 2018

THE PROMPTS FOR THE MONTH

SUNDAY 1st LONELY: one lonely seagull foraging on the foreshore spotted on our walk from Glenelg to Brighton Beach

MONDAY 2nd FURRY: The newest fur baby in the family is my sister’s dog- Lolly or Lollipop. We just met her but she is the epitome of furry. A clipping is coming

TUESDAY 3rd HOT: roasted vegetables straight out of the oven. Perfect for a winter warm up with minestrone soup

WEDNESDAY 4th HEART: The sculpture down the Bay was the first thing that came to mind today so we made an early morning stop at the heart before our busy day of sightseeing in the Barossa Valley. Thanks to Ian for taking my photo

THURSDAY 5TH TIRED: We spotted this gorgeous but very tired koala on our wanderings around the Gorge Wildlife Park today. While others were happy to be held and cuddled he slept through the whole afternoon

FRIDAY 6th BLUSH: We were guides to our guests through our favourite market today so I present the blush of the produce and fare of the Adelaide Central Market. Hues of pink to burgundy in fruit, vegetables, flowers and wine all available under one roof

SATURDAY 7th YAWN: Our cultural day today included the Colours of Impressionism exhibition at the Art Gallery, Indigenous art at the SA Museum and Tandanya as well as the Himeiji Gardens. This is hopefully a yawn not a shark about to attack from the museum display

SUNDAY 8th WONKY: This delicious Greek dessert was part of our dinner to farewell our LA mates and celebrate Ian’s birthday. Unfortunately the writing was a bit wonky but I appreciated the artistic touch of writing the name of the restaurant. It actually reads ‘Estia’

MONDAY 9th BLACK: This statue of a man in black, who I always think of as a waiter, stands on the mantelpiece of the beautiful Art Deco apartment in Glenelg where we are once again staying. He is just one of the decorations and part of the styling which makes this place all the more in character and delightful

TUESDAY 10th LUCKY: After putting it off for years we finally bit the bullet today and bought a new McBook Pro. I feel lucky and grateful that we could afford it and had the time to set it up with the professional and friendly service at the Apple Store

WEDNESDAY 11th OUTDOORS:  Sunsets over the ocean are the reward for being outdoors in the early evening. Just managed to capture this one as we alighted from the tram in Glenelg last night

THURSDAY 12th ENERGY: I finally got to catch up with my gorgeous niece Kim and her family today. It takes a lot of energy to keep up with her delightfully well-mannered and exuberant children but we all had a lot of fun

FRIDAY 13th HOORAY: It’s NAIDOC week and Australia is finally celebrating indigenous culture and contribution. “The times they are a changing”

SATURDAY 14th WHITE BACKGROUND: By far my favourite and most frequented place in Adelaide is the central market. We did our final marketing run today and bought from some of our favourite stalls. I focused on the white backgrounds of the stall signs and labels of produce as we soaked in the atmosphere and appreciated our good fortune

SUNDAY 15th SPORT: My favourite sport has to be swimming and we swim three times a week in this pool in Kep. However we are currently in Adelaide and even though we did see one brave woman heading into the ocean in 6°C temperatures this morning, we firmly believe it’s much too cold to swim. This is an archive shot of me taken by Ian.

MONDAY 16th CLOSE: These guys are as close as I get to having my own kids. They are my niece and nephew and their partners and they are as close as siblings can get. Pity I wasn’t able to get close to their older brother this trip but hanging out with them was a highlight of our hometown visit

TUESDAY 17th YUMMO!: Buddha Bowls are my favourite dish and this was the only one we ate in Australia.  This first attempt by a dear friend was made especially for us and it was yummo. We have been showered with love this trip and feel closely connected to family and friends

WEDNESDAY 18th YOUNG: Miss Elle is the youngest family member we got to spend time with this trip home but there are two even younger members we unfortunately weren’t able to catch up with

THURSDAY 19th SOMETHING HEAVY: would be our bags as we fly out of Adelaide this morning. Heading for Thailand and then home to Cambodia a few days later. What a fabulous whirlwind tour of fun and festivities. Thanks to the family and mates for the love shown to us

FRIDAY 20th TEXT: Seventeen hours after leaving home, having waited at the baggage carousel for an hour and a half due to the non-arrival of our luggage in Bangkok, I was thrilled to see this text and the bag it was attached to. All’s well that ends well

SATURDAY 21st MELT: Segments of some of the photographs in the “Beyond the Air We Breathe” exhibition at the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre, which we attended this morning. By far the most striking images focused on melting glaciers and ice caps. I can’t help but think have we learnt anything when we continue to allow the great ice landscapes to melt and threaten the very existence of the magnificent creatures, who depend upon them?

(The photos included in this collage are from left to right and top to bottom -Henry Dallas’s Remnants of a 10,000 year old Glacier, Emanuel Coupe-Kalormiris’ Areial series of Icelandic Rivers, Sebastian Copeland’s Summer Sea Ice and Bear One and James Balog’s Birthday Canyon Greenland Ice Sheet)

SUNDAY 22nd OPPOSITES ATTRACT: These opposites attract to create balance and harmony in the mirror black and white images that make up the yin yang symbol. This one is a leather bag at a stall in the Khao San Road market strip, which we visited today. I have worn this symbol in my left ear for more than 30 years because the philosophy speaks to me

MONDAY 23rd IMITATION:I spotted this imitation traditional Thai teak house selling souvenirs at the Don Mueang International Airport today. We are flying back to Phnom Penh after a fabulous break

TUESDAY 24th WIND: Thanks to the breeze the Hand of Buddha wind chime is creating a delicate tinkling sound, in the outdoor courtyard of The Vegetarian, which is another of our favourite eateries in PP. It never disappoints

WEDNESDAY 25th FAVE COLOUR: ORANGE! Anyone who knows me knows that. This is the collection of things in my luggage on this final day of travel. Some were gifts, some are years old and one was bought just yesterday. I’ve now packed them up and pulled them out again three times to get the shot I imagined. LOL!

THURSDAY 26th PILE: This is the latest pile of resources we purchased in Phnom Penh to assist our little monks to learn English. The funds to pay for them came from generous donations from family and friends during our trip home. Thanks to all concerned and this is just the beginning of what it will be possible to buy thanks to your support

FRIDAY 27th GIFT: A small selection of the little gifts from our latest trip. Unfortunately I had already given some away before I saw this prompt.  I know some little monks, who will be delighted with the Caramello Koalas even if they have suffered a little in the heat, and as for the phlat balls donated by a dear friend, I can hardly wait to watch them play with them. In addition there is a certain Singaporean, who delights in chewing gum, a bar that needs to up grade its policy on plastic straws and redecorate as well as random other people who need a few simple treats. For me the joy is all in the giving

SATURDAY 28th HELPFUL: A few of the products I find helpful in the battle against plastic and disposable items in this modern world. Some have been with me for years and some are re

cent purchases. I firmly believe we all need to be vigilantes in the battle to save our planet for future generations

SUNDAY 29th COOL: Today’s cool craft project was converting two, grotty, old, red tea towels into potholders to replace the two, grotty, old, yellow ones I made a year ago. Reduce, reuse, recycle

MONDAY 30th DELIGHT: Although when I purchased orchids for our hanging baskets from a local nursery this one was the frailest and seemed least likely to survive, it has thrived. The other two are dormant now but this morning I noticed with delight that it is still blooming and had withstood the torrential downpours in our absence

TUESDAY 31st FACELESS PORTRAIT: of one of our little monks demonstrating his alphabet skills in today’s class: the first since we returned to Kep