THE PROMPTS FOR THE MONTH
MONDAY 1st YELLOW: A perfect example of magnificently restored and renovated colonial architecture on the main drag in Kep and it’s available for rent. It always makes me contemplate the viability of “The Sacred Lotus Hotel” in the vein of “The Exotic Marigold Hotel”
TUESDAY 2nd PINK: It strikes me as something of an anomaly that the cover photo of this book is nuns in pink. As far as I know most Buddhist nuns wear white, maroon or saffron and only those in Myanmar don pink robes. Given the title it’s an odd choice but a wonderful image and read
WEDNESDAY 3rd BLUE: The wooden shutters of traditional Khmer houses are always blue but so few remain in the towns and cities anymore. I sought out this particular one as it’s the only remaining building that has shutters, I know of in Kep and unusually it has white highlights. Its decaying state suggests it too will soon be gone
THURSDAY 4th GREEN: The current vistas in Kep: The green of the rice crop in the foreground and the ever present green of the coconut palms in the back ground
FRIDAY 5th RED: Grenadine syrup is decidedly red and I sneaked behind the bar at our local to snap this shot. We’ve been left in charge for brief periods of time several times in the last couple of days as local dramas unfolded!!!!
SATURDAY 6th PURPLE: Until we lived in Kep I didn’t realise that passionfruit could be either yellow or purple skinned. Although it is mostly the yellow ones that grow here, I still prefer the purple variety
SUNDAY 7th ORANGE: I find it hard to resist clothes and accessories in orange. It is my go to colour. This is a simple flat lay of a small portion of the many orange items I own
MONDAY 8th AQUA: Early morning at beautiful Kep Beach, when it’s hard to discern which is more aqua the sky or the ocean. Maybe neither! Are they both sky blue? I struggle to identify this colour from other hues of blue and turquoise but it was a great start to the day nonetheless
TUESDAY 9th GREY: stone Buddha at the entrance to the monastery where we teach the little monks. In these parts most Buddhas are glitzy gold and heavily ornamented but this simple grey stone version has more appeal for me
WEDNESDAY 10th WHITE: A stunning white orchid, which grew itself in our front yard. I can take no credit for it but now realise that these exquisite flowers thrive in the right conditions, which Kep certainly seems to have. This is also my one flower prompt for this colour month. I needed to restrain myself to ensure it didn’t become a month of food and flowers. Therefore, I have restricted myself to each photo having a completely different subject
THURSDAY 11th BLACK: A little black magic Aussie style. I am so not a morning person and it’s Vegemite and black coffee that actually get me out of bed and ready to function most mornings
THURSDAY 11th BLACK TAKE TWO: Just when I’d posted my black photo for today’s prompt, this beetle presented itself in our teaching space at the monastery
FRIDAY 12th FAVE COLOUR: Orange without a doubt. This Khmer mask was a new addition to the decor in a favourite cafe in Kampot today. Even though it looks a bit yellow in this shot it is actually definitely orange
SATURDAY 13th NATURAL: The main trunk of a traveller’s palm growing with natural tone starting from beige and gradually changing through yellow to pale green
SUNDAY 14th BABY PINK: A small baby pink shell from Kep Beach
MONDAY 15th BABY BLUE: Faded wooden panels and door with a baby blue patina on an old shop front house in Kampot. It’s an archive shot and I’ve posted it once already this year but as I suspected when I took it in March, renovation was very likely. It is now a bamboo gated front yard with a snazzy orange facade. Change is inevitable ….nostalgia
TUESDAY 16th CHOCOLATE: This prompt was the motivation I needed to bake vegan chocolate brownies. We will resume volunteering at Kep Gardens tomorrow and I heard there are several new, young volunteers there at the moment. With the return of the heat and no electricity for refrigeration or cooling for most of the day, I’m hoping this will bring out the smiles
WEDNESDAY 17th LIGHT: The magical light of twilight over the rice paddies at Kep Gardens today
THURSDAY 18th DARK: No more dark stubble! When you’re a monk a clean shaven head is a must and it takes co-operation to achieve the desired result
FRIDAY 19th PALETTE: The palette of colours we use to create resources for our little monks and give them to do some colouring in. After almost a year almost all of them now select from the whole palette and not just the range of yellows, oranges and maroons that match the robes they wear. Though it still takes the newcomers a while to broaden their palettes
SATURDAY 20th LEMON: This local product has a divine lemon scent and is also refreshing
SUNDAY 21st LIME: We are never without local limes and they find their way into refreshing drinks, stir fries, curries and desserts. One of the little pleasures of life in the tropics
MONDAY 22nd GOLD: A handcrafted gold leaf representation of Buddha in the reclining position. Although this particular one came from Lao it is typical of the Theravada style which is practised here in Cambodia
TUESDAY 23rd SILVER: The “Om” charm I wear around my neck is silver. Today for my second hospital visit I was chanting every mantra I know for an improved condition and got exactly that result. The end isn’t exactly in sight yet but progress is being made
“Om mani padme hum”
WEDNESDAY 24th TWO COLOURS: I choose nature’s combination of pale green and vibrant pink. These two colours appear on the potted succulent next to the steps of the porch at our house
THURSDAY 25th PATTERN: I’m not big on patterns. For me it more about plain and simple. However, I like cane and rattan very much. Since I’m house bound at the moment, been lots of imaginative searching has going on
FRIDAY 26th BRIGHT: A bright and cheery piece of Khmer Culture. An archive shot of street art in Phnom Pehn because it’s all I’ve got today
SATURDAY 27th POP: Someone popped a beautiful lotus bloom in Buddha’s hand and it is a delightful pop of colour. Another archive shot from PP until mobility returns, I’m limited in my wanderings
SUNDAY 28th CONTRAST: Although there are no real seasons in Kep, the sharp contrast of the variable weather conditions is obvious in these shots taken at a favourite spot on the coast, where we often stop to admire the play of light on the old wooden pylons of a long gone jetty and the shimmering water
MONDAY 29th BLACK AND WHITE: A magnificent old growth tree covered in vines in Kep National Park. Somehow it seems more regal in black and white
TUESDAY 30th PASTEL: The pastel tones of the map we have of Cambodia, clearly showing Kep of course. Despite all the electronic sophistication available, I can’t resist a good paper map and I do love to refer to one too
WEDNESDAY 31st RAINBOW: I’m always delighted to see the rainbow colouring the little monks produce. Although it is in no way realistic it demonstrates how far they have come from the early days when most of them couldn’t hold a pencil and they always chose from a range of colours which duplicated the robes they wear- yellow, orange and maroon. If only violins, elephants and pumpkins really were all rainbow coloured
