THE PROMPTS FOR THE MONTH
SATURDAY 1st THIS IS GOOD: Homemade iced coffee with chocolate brownie, vanilla ice cream
SUNDAY 2nd I CARE ABOUT THIS: - preparing the materials and resources we will use with the little monks to optimise their learning and enjoyment. Planning this week’s classes and ordering flashcards was how I spent my morning
MONDAY 3rd REPEAT: Chocolate chip shortbread- mix, roll, bake and repeat. Half baked and half about to go in the oven. This is the most popular treat I make and there is never any shortage of takers, when I follow through with the vow to give away at least half of everything I bake. This time it will go to the bar run by a dear friend, who is the most frequent repeat receiver
TUESDAY 4th HERB: The local basil we grow and the peanut pesto made from it
WEDNESDAY 5th OBJECT: Now that we have visas to visit Bhutan we have begun the process of laundering our traditional clothes to take and wear on formal occasions. This object is my ‘rachu’- traditional handwoven ceremonial scarf for women. It brings back happy memories and I’m joyous about the prospect of creating more
THURSDAY 6th A DRINK: Cheers it’s now officially drink o’clock and after a day of near constant rain, I can say with certainty that the monsoon is here and I need a cheer me up. For the first time this year we needed to take a Tuk Tuk to the monks’ class this morning and we still optimistically did the washing and cycled to the bakery when we got home. Bad decisions ....
FRIDAY 7th PERFECT: The perfect gift for two café owners we know in Thimphu. Locally sourced bamboo and stainless-steel straws. Also the perfect way to put your money where your mouth is - these will be the 4th and 5th café, restaurant or bars we have given eco-friendly straws to - changing the world one small step at a time
SATURDAY 8th IMPERFECT: My favourite hiking pants very visibly and imperfectly mended by me. Proud to repair rather than replace whenever possible, even if it is imperfectly
SUNDAY 9th SOCK: I just love these compression socks given to me by a friend. This is an archive shot from when I first received them last year in winter in Oz. Here in Cambodia I think I have worn socks just four times this year. I also love that only after this shot was taken did I realise that they are labelled left and right and of course I have them on the wrong feet
MONDAY 10th A ROOM: in our little house in Kep. This small room doubles as a living room and dining room and it is where we spend a great deal of time reading, relaxing, eating and chatting with friends. I love the prayer flags flying and all the photos of our travels on the walls and the geckos love hiding behind them too
TUESDAY 11th I LIKE TO EAT THIS: It’s my twist on street food we used to eat in Beijing decades ago, so it’s dubbed Beijing Salad. A combination of tofu skins, mushrooms and sliced lotus root simmered in soya sauce and black vinegar and chilled. It’s served with cashews and raw veggies after marinating for 24 hours. I really like to make and eat this but it’s not always possible to get all the ingredients. Tonight, it will be part of our dumpling feast for friends in Kep.
The step by step process is also included in the shots above
WEDNESDAY 12th SPOTTY: This illustration from a series of Dreamtime children’s books is more accurately described as dot painting but there is no denying its spotty. Of course, of the 35 drawings I could have selected I gravitated toward orange but settled on a crab - for crabby ole Kep
THURSDAY 13th OPEN UP: We headed off to teach the little monks today with sun protection, only to discover that due to a misunderstanding they thought we had already begun our break. We weren’t expecting the skies to open up but they did and we got drenched cycling home. However, by the time we returned the sun was out in force again and dripping wet we had to rush to open up to avoid being sun burnt - thanks to Ian for the shot of me cycling
FRIDAY 14th PURPLE: A purple possum, drawn by Adam Oehlers and found in the book “Celeste, Nick and the Magical Tea Party”. Since I don’t like purple I had to search the house to find this. I’m now even more grateful to the lovely French woman, who gave me this exquisitely illustrated, Australian, children’s book before departing from Kep. It also prompted me to read the story again
SATURDAY 15th CHOCOLATE: I’m not really a big fan of chocolate but I have often admired the chocolate tarts at the French Patisserie here in Kep. This prompt was the excuse I needed to finally purchase one and a lemon one which is more my style
SUNDAY 16th IN A BOWL: Homemade trail mix in an orange lacquered bamboo bowl from Vietnam. Once we are in cooler climes I will add chocolate to it for the perfect travel and hiking snack
MONDAY 17th CIRCLE: These woven baskets are all perfect circles and they lock together making a perfect, flexible, storage container. Made in Bhutan and known as “Bungchu” they are very both artistic and utilitarian. I love and use them regularly
TUESDAY 18th PEACE: Nothing quite says calm, compassion and peace like the image of Buddha for me. An ancient carved Buddha from the wall of our favourite eatery in PP and taken before I sat down to order dinner tonight
WEDNESDAY 19th I WATCHED THIS... : Daily life - ordinary people doing what they do in the Central Market and Streets of Phnom Penh
THURSDAY 20th MONEY: We are flying to Bangkok this morning. With five different currencies in my passport wallet I decided the Vietnamese Dong and Sri Lankan Rupees belonged in the Red Cross Charity box. The Thai Baht will be spent by the end of the day, Cambodian Reil will come in handy when we return and well American dollars are good security wherever you find yourself. Can’t wait to see those Bhutanese Ngultrum again
PS: I’m flattered that this one was chosen for the Fab Four on Instagram
FRIDAY 21st ON MY MIND: Right now, my home class from 2011 and 2012 are on my mind as we plan to see as many of them as possible in the next week. This is one of many shots I took of them in our final year together. I love that I can still put a name to every face and had to go searching to find some of them in the photo and found a couple were missing - oh yeah ... left school that year. They changed me more than I influenced them, I’m sure
SATURDAY 22nd MUSICAL: My bag and wallet or purse have had bells on them ever since a bell on my rucksack woke me up and prevented it from being stolen on a train in Italy. The musical security which accompanies me daily is this version
SUNDAY 23rd A STORY: We arrived back in Thimphu today and this is the main intersection in the centre of town. I don’t know if it’s true or not but there is a story that traffic lights were installed at this intersection and the local people found it too impersonal so it was returned to its original state and a team of elite traffic police man the traffic circle during the day, directing and controlling ever greater numbers of vehicles. Not that it was busy early on this Sunday morning
MONDAY 24th UNEXPECTED: We have had a bit of an evolving Bhutanese shopping list for a while but today we received an unexpected request for an item I would never have purchased otherwise. Very fortuitously we were out shopping at the time and so I purchased my first ever football jersey in the Bhutan national colours
TUESDAY 25th THIS SEASON: For students in Bhutan this is the end of the exam season, it’s also the beginning of the rainy season and the summer season but for us and our former students and colleagues it is certainly the reunion season
WEDNESDAY 26th I’M PASSIONATE ABOUT THIS: Education! A small sample of the many educational settings I have found myself in over the 40 years I have had this passion
THURSDAY 27th SUN: The sun flare and bokek on the Buddha Dordenma in Thimphu. We have visited this exact spot today and been privileged to hear part of the prayer service delivered by the Je Khempo but this is an archive shot as today is overcast and there are throngs of devotees and monks at this auspicious time
FRIDAY 28th ORANGE: A monk in orange robes painted on the interior wall of a huge prayer wheel enclosure in Zongdok Peleri Lhakhang Thimphu
SATURDAY 29th ON MY FRIDGE: This is the bar fridge in our hotel room in Thimphu, so in reality it’s not actually my fridge. However, I did manage to decorate it with the slips of paper containing the pre-written quotes I prepared so I could continue to post for my 100-day project while we are travelling
SUNDAY 30th HOLE: The rails on the covered bridge in Thimphu have holes that are painted in exactly the same patterns as traditional window frames
