JANUARY 1st HI, IT’S ME: all dolled up for the New Year Parade last night. The excesses and over exuberance of the evening mean today is not a good one for selfies
*however this was selected along with eight others for the fabulous grid on Facebook
DECEMBER 2nd SOMETHING GOOD: Catching up with friends we met in Bhutan over eleven years ago and haven’t seen again in all that time in our own hood tonight
JANUARY 3rd CURRENTLY READING: I just discovered this is the third selfie in a row for this month…. Me, who never enjoys taking selfies is suddenly on a roll??? I am also currently reading two books, which is something else I never do…. Perhaps 2025 is breaking the mold of who I used to be and honouring living in the moment
JANUARY 4th BLACK AND WHITE : This photograph titled “Ouk Chaktrang” was my selection in the vote for the best three photos in the Eyes on Cambodia 2024 photo completion. The title is the name of the traditional game being played and it appealed to me because the elderly person’s hand is so beautiful and the missing pieces in the set have been replaced with shells and a bottle top. Unfortunately the photographer was not stipulated
JANUARY 5th ON MY PLATE: is the kind of breakfast that we know, is just such an Asian fusion style that no one else is ever eating anything like this and yet we love every morsel. Buckwheat, rice and wheat flour with spring onion pancakes and homemade kimchi and simmered shiitake mushrooms, French beans, rocket and tomato. Yum yum yum
JANUARY 6th SKY :The facade of the central market with the clear blue sky as a backdrop
JANUARY 7th 5 MINS AGO: It’s the public holiday for Victory Over Genocide today in Cambodia and on our riverside walk (note the toes in the bottom left) we saw lots of people offering flowers and incense at the public altar
JANUARY 8th SWEET: My local favourite is coconut water with the sweet young coconut flesh from the shell blended through it. I’m
Not a big fan of super sweet and this is perfect for me
JANUARY 9th KITCHEN BENCH: during breakfast preparation this morning - all the essentials for my favourite breakfast right there
JANUARY 10th A FAVE PLACE: Actually any swimming pool is the best place for me but this one is my all time favourite and that’s exactly where we were this morning
JANUARY 11th MORNING: One of my favorite early morning scenes returning from the market is seeing the local monks on their alms walk
JANUARY 12th WHAT I SEE: Having gone out and bought a vacuum cleaner this morning after choosing not to own one for over a decade, what I see is a frenzy of cleaning hard to reach and long neglected crevices, ledges and nooks
JANUARY 13th HAPPY: Always happy to be packing my bags and anticipating another short domestic jaunt
JANUARY 14th ENTRANCE: A quaint little entrance to a very traditional rural home I spotted from the car today on the drive to Siem Reap
JANUARY 15th SIMPLE: The simple pleasure of an elephant - finding a secret stash of sugar cane after feeding time is over. We spent most of the day in Kulen Elephant Forest
JANUARY 16th 9 O’CLOCK: We were out walking on the riverside in Siem Reap and this gallery is part of the plan for the day but it still wasn’t open at 9 o’clock
JANUARY 17th LOOK UP: One of my favourite buildings in this neighborhood has this light well with hanging plants over the stairwell. It creates a lovely atmosphere and highlights the character of the space
JANUARY 18th A FAVE ANIMAL: Elephants are definitely up there as my favourites and having been to a sanctuary just a few days ago, this was an easy choice. My favourite shot of the day, is this thirsty pachyderm who seems to be smiling
JANUARY 19th WHERE I LIVE: The small hall table in the entrance of our apartment is one feature of where I live that always helps me feel calm and relaxed
JANUARY 20th REAL LIFE: moment, when the kids flying their kite on riverside lodge it in a palm and fill a pet water bottle to throw up to dislodge it. Good throw but they are still working on it
JANUARY 21st EMPTY: They better be empty! There are two coffin shops, no not undertakers, right on the front of the downtown, riverside bar and restaurant strip. I always wonder how they do enough business to survive
JANUARY 22nd GRATEFUL: That quote sums it all up for me. I practice everyday by keeping a gratitude journal and it’s always improved the present for me. Archive shot from when I wrote a positive and motivational quote on the whiteboard in our apartment in Thimphu every morning before heading out the door
JANUARY 23rd A VIEW: across the Kampot salt fields to a drying shed off in the distance
JANUARY 24th FAVE CLOTHING: I don’t really have a particular favourite but I do love scarves and especially these Cambodian kramas and absolutely anything orange so I’m going with this. That’s what I’m wearing today anyway
*surprisingly this one was selected for the excellent eleven on Facebook. Funny two selfies selected this month, when I know I’m not good at them
JANUARY 25th THE WEATHER TODAY: like most days here is hot, humid and sunny. Anyone with any sense is seeking shade in the afternoon at least
JANUARY 26th A FAVE BREAKFAST: The Hungry Bellies vegetarian breakfast at Seapony Cafe on Koh Rong Sanloem Island, is pretty hard to beat. I have to get it at least once every trip there. Might just be the best place for breakfast in the entire Kingdom of Wonder
JANUARY 27th WHAT I’M DOING NOW: Enjoying a coffee and a delicious home baked cheese cake gifted to us by a friend
JANUARY 28th COOKING: It’s the eve of Chinese New Year and northerners, having cleaned their houses, all gather to together to make dumplings as a family. We lived in China back in the nineties and this dumpling style and filling using walnuts and carrots is typical of the province where we lived. Of course we’ve added our own twist to it too but it’s dumplings for dinner tonight
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JANUARY 29th ON MY OWN: I thought of the idea and found appropriate adult phrases and presented them for our celebration on the weekend. Blessings for Chinese New Year. I do know red envelopes are supposed to have money in them and be gifted to children but this is a bit of fun. Thrilled I could still read, write and comprehend them
JANUARY 30th TO THE LEFT: is a group of tourists traveling by cyclo to see the sights of Phnom Penh on the riverside strip. Not an unusual sight in these parts, not that I’m tempted myself
JANUARY 31st SOMETHING UNEXPECTED: A snail mail from the UK arrived today and we went to the post office to collect it. There is no mail delivery here hence the phone number on the address so that we can be called to come and collect. 10 days is also the record time for any of the seven countries we have been writing to in the last two and a half years since I started my snail mail project. Well done chaps at Royal Mail
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