oNe PhOtO a DaY OcToBer 2023:

 

OCTOBER 1st RED: wine! A rare treat in Cambodia. Glad to be me

OCTOBER 2nd BLACK: driftwood washed in on the tide and looking artistic against the white sand in Saracen Bay

OCTOBER 3rd WHITE: Long stretch of white, sandy beach without a single other soul in sight. That’s island life

 

OCTOBER 4th GREEN: Yesterday we did a short jungle hike - more like a bush bash as us Aussies might say and the end point after walking through walls of green was this rapidly flowing waterfall. The overnight monsoon rain had added substantially to the volume of water and a delightful young compatriot volunteered to guide us having been there the day before. Today is all about returning home- speedboats, tuk tuk and buses with a bit of luck and a fair wind we’ll see the sunset from the terrace

OCTOBER 5th BLUE: I’m going with this shot of the faded blue of the facade, doors and shutters in an old residence in Kampot. It’s from the archive and one of my all-time favourite images of Cambodia especially now that that it has disappeared due to renovations

 

OCTOBER 6th YELLOW: I have no idea what these flowers are used for but it must be a Khmer dish as they are always available fresh in the market and always attract a million tiny bees

 

OCTOBER 7th PURPLE: These tiny, local eggplants about the size of a quail egg, are popular across South East Asia and used in soups, curries and hotpot dishes. I find them rather bitter and prefer the elongated variety but they are in abundant supply in the markets at the moment

OCTOBER 8th AQUA: Out on a Sunday afternoon stroll keeping our eyes peeled for aqua. We decided to stop for gelato and this little aqua hare doorstop caught my eye

OCTOBER 9th PINK: Nothing says the tropics like frangipani flowers. Pink frangipani and the fragrance is the bonus

OCTOBER 10th GREY: A grey shadow selfie inspired by the grey planks of the deck and the bright sunshine today. Swimming for sanity; my movement meditation routine that clears the monkey mind and brings inner peace - Om Mani Padme Hum

 

OCTOBER 11th BROWN: Gifts from nature discovered on our urban wanderings and now a brown bouquet in the guest room

 

OCTOBER 12th ORANGE: Anyone who knows me knows….

 

OCTOBER 13th NEUTRAL TONES: my collection of sea shells in a glass jar in the bathroom. Displaying the neutral tones of nature in water to make the colours shine

 

OCTOBER 14th FAVE COLOUR: Mine is orange and today is the middle day of the three-day holiday for Pchum Ben. The second most important religious festival in Cambodia and we were at Wat Ounalom early this morning to take in the activities of families honouring their ancestors and celebrating with offerings. It was a hive of activity and all the monks were resplendent in their orange robes

 

OCTOBER 15th BLACK + WHITE: of the inner-city scape: the imprint left on the wall when an adjoining building is demolished

 

OCTOBER 16th STRIPES: This pattern of vertical and horizontal stripes denotes a temple or monastery of the Theravada Buddhist faith. This particular one is Mongkolvan Monastery, and it is currently festooned with both flags and buntings after a recent refurbishment and for the Khmer Pchum Ben festival, which officially ended yesterday. We stopped in this morning to enjoy the tranquillity of the grounds dressed in all their finery. For vegetarians like us these flags also alert us to the fact that particular food outlets are 100% pure vegetarian

 

OCTOBER 17th FLORAL: Today’s purchase at the local market as a floral offering for our home altar

 

OCTOBER 18th POP OF COLOUR: Not just any colour but definitely my favourite and one of my favourite subjects too. Orange monks

OCTOBER 19th ONE COLOUR: The chocolate brown of freshly roasted local coffee cooling off on the footpath. It was the wafting scent in the air that attracted me to the scene and the process was fascinating 

 

1. Spinning the drum to cool the beans after they have been roasted over charcoal

2. Cooling off 

3. Spraying with a solution of palmsugar and water, which creates a caramel flavour 

4. Finally spreading the beans out to complete cooling before grinding as required 

*That's the complete local process for roasting which we smell from our fourth floor apartment regularly including today. Just in case you are a curious coffee addict like me 

 

OCTOBER 20th TWO COLOURS: The gold and brown design of windows in a local pagoda

 

OCTOBER 21st PATTERN: The pattern of shadows cast on the ceiling in our bedroom due to light from the outside shining through the breather bricks of the side wall, which you can see on the right side of the image. Just one of the many original features of our apartment, which I adore

 

OCTOBER 22nd MATCHING: architectural features in these adjoining apartments in Phnom Penh. Remnants of a bygone era lovingly restored and maintained

 

OCTOBER 23rd DARK: The dark selfie reflection in the puddle of rain on the flagstones surrounding the pool today seemed ominously like my mood in recent times

 

OCTOBER 24th LIGHT: The beautiful atrium in the centre of a traditional deco cinema building converted to a boutique hotel in Kampot. The perfect spot to appreciate the natural light, and blue sky while enjoying a delicious lunch

 

OCTOBER 25th PASTEL: We have recently started sending snail mail to friends and family again and I am always on the lookout for local images to post. Recent purchases include this set of pastel toned cards

OCTOBER 26th VIBRANT: art deco interior design is just one of the inspiring features of the Hotel Old Cinema in Kampot. Each room has its own individual tropical mural and a unique design. It’s got all the feel-good vibes. We can’t wait to go back

 

OCTOBER 27th GOLD: The pre-packaged boxes sold at various stalls in the markets and always purchased to give as an offering at pagodas. I’m always intrigued about what they may contain but I assume it would be a complete set of new robes for a newly ordained monk

 

OCTOBER 28th SILVER: The five silver rings I always wear. Each one was bought in a different country and for a specific special occasion. All of them are battered and scratched and I love them all. 
It took quite the act of contortion to get them all in the shot with the phone on 10 second timer

 

OCTOBER 29th DOTTY: An archive shot of the first thing that comes to mind when I think of dots. That would be the Yayoi Kusama Exhibition

OCTOBER 30th SUNSHINE: Blue skies, thirty two degrees and sunshine over the palms on riverside. Just another day in Phnom Penh

 

OCTOBER 31st RAINBOW: When I think of rainbow colours I always think of prayer flags flapping in the wind. This is an archive shot of the covered bridge in Thimphu and one of my favourite images from that dearly loved kingdom

 

THE PROMPTS

Observation from the Aerie 17/10

Tonight I stood on the back balcony and saw several other women doing the same - community. 

I was glad to feel connected. I can see life returning to the apartment blocks surrounding us after a short hiatus, but truth be told, as much as I love the silence when mass exodus occurs and residents retreat to the provinces for festival time with family, it’s the returning to life that fills me with joy: the reinstating of the norm. 

An agitated teenage girl standing on the narrow ledge of the back balcony, staring into the closed shutters of home, after her mother had tried to calm her down and then closed the door to give her solitude, a sarong wrapped young mum with wet hair hanging out a towel with a crying child at the doorway, a gran still rocking in the hammock, a housewife glancing skyward as she brings in the laundry! Me too. I just did that. No monsoon storms tonight. 

Standing in shared space, acknowledging each other’s presence with nods and smiles, thinking, ‘This is a privilege!’ 

“I hear and I know, I see and I remember, I do and I understand.” I always thought it was Piaget but Google tells me it was Confucius. 

Rent is unaffordable in many places around the globe. Homelessness is on the increase right now. Humanity is turning on itself and discontent is at an all-time high it seems sometimes, but to simplify, actually helps. Look for the harmony, the humanity, the connectivity. 

oNe PhOtO a DaY SePtEmBeR 2023:

SEPTEMBER 1st PHOTO FROM OUTSIDE: This morning we hiked to the incredible tree in Kep National Park for a little ’shinrin-yoku’. It used to be clearly visible and sign posted but now the jungle is engulfing it but we were thrilled to see it survived the recent addition of a new concrete road

SEPTEMBER 2nd HAPPINESS IS: visiting the little monks of Kep in the pouring rain and watching the shenanigans they get up to when the Abbot’s away and there is no way to leave the pagoda

*this shot was selected for the fab photos of the day in Facebook 

 

SEPTEMBER 3rd IT’S ME: happy to be back in our old stomping ground and enjoying a vegetarian platter at one of my favourite eateries. No dinner required when lunch looks like that

 

SEPTEMBER 4th SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL: Tamara Venn created this beautiful print featuring hornbills in a highly recognizable Phnom Penh city scape. I saw it in an exhibition yesterday and absolutely loved it and the fact that her work champions the need for environmental and wildlife preservation. I did resist the urge to purchase a copy but I do love it

 

SEPTEMBER 5th THIS IS USEFUL: Stainless steel pegs have a multitude of different household applications and are extremely useful. I bought a couple of packs over a year ago and they never breakdown from the sunlight, rust or snap in half like plastic ones or rot and fall apart like the wooden ones. Today, I finally spotted them again and bought three different sizes and almost half have been deployed already

 

SEPTEMBER 6th FROM DOWN LOW: at the southern entrance to the Central Market when the art deco dome of the original building and the monsoon sky is filtered through the more recently installed security grill, is when it takes on an eerie atmosphere

 

SEPTEMBER 7th FROM UP HIGH: A night lights shot across Phnom Penh from a sky bar recently discovered. I love that since it was taken after a torrential monsoon downpour the air is clear enough to see some stars and I can even identify many of the buildings having lived in downtown PP for over a year now

 

SEPTEMBER 8th HECK YES: Do we love our location, apartment and thriving terrace garden? Heck yes!

 

SEPTEMBER 9th MADE FROM WOOD: This wooden standing Buddha with hands in the Varada Mundra, symbolizes charity and compassion. It was bought after we had signed the contract on our apartment and it now stands in the hatch between the living room and the guest room

SEPTEMBER 10th WHAT I’M WATCHING: Sushil and Ian playing table tennis. For the first time since I shattered my kneecap I get to play, too. Haven’t played in about five years and although we are a bit rusty it is a real delight

 

SEPTEMBER 11th IN THE MIDDLE: of a bustling metropolis these enormous birds not only survive but thrive. It never ceases to amaze me that we see so many of them so often and it speaks volumes for the quality of air and abundance of fruit bearing trees in the city. This afternoon we saw them in three separate locations while out walking

SEPTEMBER 12th CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT: a decent pair of walking shoes. We clock up over five kilometres a day on our feet and having the right shoes, like this newish pair and breaking them in well is essential

 

SEPTEMBER 13th IN NATURE: A bit of a stretch for an inner-city dweller but this orange jasmine flowers prolifically. Since we repotted it, as soon as one batch of flowers fall the new buds start reappearing and we enjoy the scent sitting on our terrace. As a result, I can now identify it in other locations around the city and in nature

 

SEPTEMBER 14th ON MY TABLE: in the entrance are a few little treasures from Bhutan that bring me joy. We both spin the prayer wheel on our way out almost every time we leave

 

SEPTEMBER 15th ENVIRONMENT: Most of the vendors, from whom we purchase in the local market are well aware of our concern for the environment and wait for us to handover cloth bags, or reusable plastic boxes or package fresh herbs in huge lotus leaves. This morning’s fresh herb purchase included parsley, mint, laksa, Thai basil and fish mint

 

SEPTEMBER 16th LAST ONE: There are four flights and ninety stairs that lead to our front door and this is the last one

SEPTEMBER 17th WHOLE: The whole neighbourhood is watching one flat screen TV broadcasting a kick boxing match and betting on the outcome. We could hear their shouts and cheering from a block away as we approached on foot this afternoon

SEPTEMBER 18th A PLACE: we have visited multiple times and it looked resplendent as we strolled by this morning. The National Museum in Phnom Penh holds only a small collection but the grounds and internal courtyard are serene and it is such a calming space

 

SEPTEMBER 19th ON THE FLOOR: are the spectacular circa 1925 floor tiles of the Agence Française de Développement (AFD) building, which opens once a year on Heritage Day. We were lucky enough to have taken part in a guided tour last Saturday

 

SEPTEMBER THIS IS SEASON: for lazy days swimming in the pool as the intense heat makes a return and the monsoon storms begin to lessen and become less frequent

 

SEPTEMBER 21st ICE CREAM: Yes please. There is a new joint in town and well we just had to try it. Will we be back?  You bet!

*This was selected for the Fab Four on Insta

 

SEPTEMBER 22nd PASTA: for dinner tonight. Made with fresh local ingredients acquired in the market this morning. Perfect

SEPTEMBER 23rd BOTTLE: This bottle of chestnut liqueur was gifted to me by a friend who recently returned from a trip to his home in France and I’m actually dying to try it. A special occasion coming up in early October might be my chance. Thanks Remi

 

SEPTEMBER: 24th TRIANGLE: Whenever there is leftover rice at the end of a meal, I turn it into omisubi / onigiri (rice triangles) and somehow, they always disappear off the kitchen counter without me seeing them consumed! Waste not want not

 

SEPTEMBER 25th MESS: In the florist aisle of the central market the scent is divine and even the mess under the cutting and arrangement table has certain aesthetic

SEPTEMBER 26th GROWN: The little propagation zone on the terrace where many of the plants now flourishing on our terrace were first grown

 

SEPTEMBER 27th FAR AWAY: That long last look as Australia and our trip home for the first time in almost five years begins to turn into a memory. Taken earlier this year

 

 SEPTEMBER 28th PLAYGROUND: Packed and ready to go. Who says we are looking forward to playtime at the beach? Even big kids need playtime sometimes

SEPTEMBER 29th MOON: I waited all day and hoped to get the harvest moon tonight but well, it was trapped under cloud cover. However, today is Mid Autumn Festival so here are the moon cakes readily available and  all over the world right now. They are being consumed across Asia tonight. Cultural connection  

SEPTEMBER 30th SMALL: On our morning walk I discovered this small but perfect sea urchin among a crowd of less perfect ones washed in on the tide. I think I need to claim it as a personal treasure for the from the sea collection

THE PROMPTS