THE PROMPTS
MAY 1st SOMETHING YELLOW: This capsicum from our early morning haul at the market helps us stick to our eat a rainbow policy and fits the bill perfectly
MAY 2nd THIS INSPIRES ME: The appreciation and thanks offered up today to me by former students. I’m inspired to believe with youth like this the world may in fact become a better place
MAY 4th IN THE DISTANCE: On a clear day, the view across the bay from the pagoda where we teach the little monks of Kep shows Rabbit Island in the distance
MAY 4th SOMETHING COLOURFUL: Vegetables roasted in olive oil, honey, soya sauce, balsamic vinegar and rosemary just came out of the oven and the house smells divine. This will become couscous, risotto and a salad over the next few days! My lazy cooking style involves preparing batches in advance so dinner is an easier process later
MAY 5th SOMEONE I LOVE: with all my heart and all my soul - always have and always will. Swifty you are a champion and always up for a challenge
MAY 6th AN OBJECT: A hand-stitched sunshade, made from four sarongs I completed this morning. Now we can create more shade and spend more time sitting in the garden
MAY 7th HALF: a baguette with the lot is just my kind of breakfast. My better half prepares it like this almost every morning. He gets the other half
MAY 8th WINDOW LIGHT: When the ocean view and palms are framed by the windows and the filtered fading sunlight creates shadows on the tiles and blocks most of the adjacent building from view, you have the perfect space for quiet contemplation
MAY 9th OUTSIDE: It was too difficult for the delicate petals of the lotus in full bloom to withstand the torrential rain and thunder and lightning storm last night, but we enjoyed standing outside on the porch and watching nature’s display
MAY 10th MESSY: A bit of lesson prep mess on the table today as we got the green light for classes to restart with the little monks of Kep tomorrow. We’ve missed them
MAY:11th ON TOP: We are feeling on top of the world to have restarted classes with the little monks of Kep today Therefore I chose this is giant statue at the pagoda depicting a naga protecting Buddha on top
MAY 12th ONTHE SHELF: We have a tiny galley kitchen with no cupboards at all and no shelves anywhere in the house but the window ledge, the security screen and a little ingenuity allowed us to set up a perfectly functional compact and convenient cooking space near the counter and sink
MAY 13th WALL: Now that our class is divided into to two levels, the older boys use magnets on the wall instead of the blackboard. In today’s class reviewing “in, on under” Nit demonstrated his understanding of the concept by constructing answers relating to the picture and the train is indeed on the wall!
MAY 14th A PASSION: Although I no longer earn a salary and am officially retired, I have not lost my passion for teaching. I’m always happiest in a classroom. This is a recent shot taken by Ian with one of the most mischievous of our recent additions to the little monks of Kep class
MAY 15th MAY: A special order of eco-wraps made in a variety of wonderful patterns, due to the generosity of our friends at Trunkh, who donated fabric remnants for our project. They are headed for Switzerland soon and all proceeds go towards providing snacks, milk, sanitary products, outings and educational resources for the little monks of Kep
MAY 16th SOMETHING SMALL: The “Om” ring on my finger that grounds me. Thankful for small blessings
MAY 17th MADE ME SMILE: As soon as we got out of the pool today my new little mate came over to show me his new clothes, which he is obviously smitten with. That certainly made me smile
MAY 18th TO MY RIGHT: In today’s class with the three older boys, Hong sat to my right and applied himself diligently to the word recognition and writing task with action verbs. This month there seems to have been a lot of monk shots but I guess that demonstrates how much we have missed them with the on-again, off-again aspect of lessons during these times of restrictions and protocols
MAY 19th SHADOW PLAY: Lotus pods with a palm frond in the background, on the front porch in the early morning light
MAY 20th DINNER: The hot, sunny, humid weather of late makes tonight’s dinner just perfect by my standards; chilled salads made from scratch and only possible because we availed of the region’s best market in Kampot while we were there yesterday
MAY 21st MIRROR SELFIE: I finally found a local stylist and got a new blunt haircut this week
MAY 22nd HOME DECOR: The view of the living room from the reading chair, where I most often sit
MAY 23rd SOMETHING HOT: Straight from the oven my latest adaptation of oatmeal cookies: containing not just chocolate chips but also home dried coconut slivers, raisins, peanuts and toasted sunflower seeds
MAY 24th MUSIC: Every bag and purse I have owned since 1986 has had a bell attached to it. The Tibetan bell on my backpack woke me and I prevented a thief from stealing it on a train in Italy in that year. Every bell has a story. Best anti- theft device ever! “She shall have music wherever she goes”
MAY 25th FACIAL FEATURE: The eyes of Buddha on the chorten in Trashi Yangtse. An archive shot of one of our favourite places in the kingdom of happiness
MAY 26th A STACK: of flashcards from three of the different themes we have been working on with the little monks of Kep. This was taken in yesterday’s class and Nit is looking pretty pleased with himself for recognizing and correctly pronouncing the words on the cards on the table in front of him and in his hands. He secured more than three quarters of the cards in this round and I had to adapt the game and deal out cards to give those who were slower and less confident a chance to score
MAY 27th TEN: little monks all in a row. Standing from tallest to shortest in our class this morning. Just snapped this in time because as of next week there will only be eight. The two oldest boys are heading to a pagoda in Phnom Penh to continue their studies
MAY 28th FLAT LAY: My attempt at a nature mandala from the scant offerings available in our garden at the moment
MAY 29th A TREAT: No lunch for us today we had a treat with coffee instead: warm chocolate brownie straight from the oven, icecream, mango purée and passionfruit pulp. Oh yes that is divine
MAY 30th A PLANT: I’m currently just a bit obsessed with the lotus plant. I’ve always adored them and now we have established a small pot-pond in our front yard and I photograph them daily. The local children also come to inspect their progress and in the case of one six-year old twin pat the buds and talk to them. When this one opened, we had 6 children squealing with delight in the yard!!
MAY 31st IN MY CAR: I sold my last car in 1989 to get fitter, save money and help the environment so this is as close as it gets these days. If we can’t ride our bikes there we take a tuk tuk! So, in my vehicle with our regular driver and good friend
