MARCH 2nd SOMETHING IN YOUR KITCHEN: actually, everything in my kitchen. We have a tiny galley kitchen here in Kep and we had this shelf unit made to accommodate the crockery, cookware, food supplies and glasses as well as make bench space for our oven and well yes bar supplies! Its compact, accessible and functional and now that we are considering moving we don’t want to part with it
MARCH 3rd SKYLINE: at the pagoda and standing on the platform of the giant Buddha. It’s hard to believe that just over four and a half years ago when we started teaching the little monks here there was nothing but a small bungalow for the Abbot, an outdoor kitchen and huge tin shed with two walls that functioned as the main hall, classroom and bedroom for at least some of the boys
MARCH 4th MAKES YOU FEEL NOSTALGIC: Looking through old travel photos always makes me feel nostalgic for the days when travel was cheap, easy and fun. I’m also grateful for the many varied experiences I’ve had in different times and places and people I’ve met along the way. This was taken around 1990 on film when we had our first ever teaching overseas stint and travelled to Yunnan Province during the spring festival break. It was digitalised years later and I still love it. The Yi minority women of China are horse riders extraordinaire and strong resilient women
MARCH 5th BOOKS: that I use to study Chinese. I’ve had that elementary reader and dictionary for decades but I mostly study online and record new words or expressions in my exercise book these days. I still don’t seem to be able to part with the books, mostly because I get a real kick out of being able to look up a new character in the dictionary instead of googling it or using google translation. It’s an old fashioned study technique that has served me well. No, I’m not making much progress but for at least five minutes a day I persist
MARCH 6th A CORNER: I hope to become much more familiar with in the coming months and personalise as a reading nook. There are actually lots of corners in this shot I took recently…….. big changes are coming soon
MARCH 7th BUS STOP: In a country where almost every bus company picks up and drops off at any point along the route this bus ticket office at Kep Beach is as close as it comes to an actual bus stop
MARCH 8th SUNSET: An archive shot today as things are a bit of a roller coaster ride at the moment. The first sunset we saw in Kep this year after returning from our Xmas / New Year domestic trip. Looking out across the neighbours yard from our home
MARCH 9th FROM INSIDE THE CAR: I already picked an archive shot for this as I don’t own a car and almost never travel in one but my little swimming buddy invited me to be his passenger in a game of pretend today. So, here’s the driver taken by me the passenger from inside the car
MARCH 10th A MEAL YOU MADE: earlier in the week I flung this meal together from what was in the fridge and didn’t need to be cooked. I’m fond of finger food anyway and for the tropics it’s a great option. Life sometimes gets so complicated that simple fare is the best
MARCH 11th SOMEWHERE WITH A GOOD VIEW: Looking out over the river from the deck of a lovely little bar and restaurant with a cocktail in hand in Kampot. Day or night this is somewhere with a good view
MARCH 12th AN INSECT: I actually had to Google to make sure that butterflies really are insects but now that I know they are, here is my favourite insect. I captured it in a recent hike in Kep National Park and now that a huge road is being carved through the park to ensure everyone can drive through to appreciate nature from the comfort and convenience of their massive 4-wheel drives, I don’t think we’ll hike there again and I fear for these Lepidoptera. Will they survive the habitat loss I wonder?
MARCH 13th A CLOSE-UP: of the end of a lotus root which just happened to land like that when I was peeling and slicing them to make a salad earlier this morning
MARCH 14th SOMETHING YOU’VE NEVER PHOTOGRAPHED: until now was this! It is a recent gift from a dear friend and it has been used regularly since I acquired it. Want to guess what it is?
MARCH 15th A PLAYGROUND: an adult one actually and it has been a privilege and a joy to be able to play here for almost five years. Today more than ever I need it and my ‘swimming for sanity’ routine
MARCH 16th A LOCAL CAFÉ: This is Epic Arts in Kampot. It has changed very little in the ten years since we first went there. It serves simple, fresh and tasty breakfasts, lunches and snacks made from mostly locally sourced produce and is a local social enterprise supporting young people with disabilities and encouraging artistic pursuits. I get a big kick out of knowing the money I spend contributes to greater opportunities and a better future for marginalised and vulnerable young people
MARCH 17th SOMETHING YOU THINK IS BORING: Some people call it football others call it soccer but I call it boring. In fact, so boring that this is an archive shot of the Bhutan National team warming up before their game in 2015 and the very last time I attended a match. This prompt has had me stumped all day. I honestly just don’t get bored and have no trouble amusing myself
MARCH 18th FLOWERS: Nothing quite says summer at the beach like Frangipanis in my option. I snapped these beautiful flowers in the garden late yesterday afternoon and just looking at them brings a smile to my lips
MARCH 19th A GROCERY STORE: Not our local as we are once again in the big smoke, but a very typical one in Cambodia
MARCH 20th SOMETHING WEIRD: We always travel with the makings for real coffee since I should not be allowed in the public domain unless I’ve been caffeinated, but this morning we discovered we had no paper filters. Despite being a complete non-morning person, I improvised this paper coffee filter from kitchen towels, which absurdly we did have, so we could have a cuppa before heading out to buy some. Looks a bit weird to me but it worked a treat. Not one grain of coffee in the cup
MARCH 21st A COLOURFUL PLACE: On Saturday night we went to the Hard Rock Café Phnom Penh. The stage on which the live music was presented was certainly extremely colourful and the band and singers, doing covers, were top notch. A great night out and a lot more colourful than today, as I had a root canal treatment and spent most of the morning in a very sterile, clean and white dental clinic
MARCH 22nd A GARDEN: setting as the entrance to an urban resort in the capital. We went to see an art exhibition there and thought the ambience was delightful
MARCH 23rd A LEAF: on the cactus on the balcony of our hotel room. I’m not fond of these plants as each of those tips on the leaf has the potential to be another adult plant but they are certainly very interesting
MARCH 24th A SUNBEAM: I took this about a week ago when the light diffused by the mangroves caught my attention riding home from our little monks’ class. The single sunbeam captured doesn’t seem real but I took two near identical shots so it was - certainly a magical moment
MARCH 25th GRAFFITI: I’m never quite sure if graffiti includes street art or tagging as I would consider them all art so this one on a wall in Phnom Penh covers all three options. It’s rather striking and a new discovery for me at least
MARCH 26th AN EMPTY ROAD: snapped as we pottered by in a tuk tuk this morning. It was a red-letter day for one little Cambodian boy, who we and a couple of Aussie mates sponsored to get his first bicycle today. His father is a dear friend and our favourite tuk tuk driver so we puttered along behind as the proud Tan Nouk cycled the five kilometres home from the bicycle shop. Those smiles were gorgeous and I actually think dad was happier than the son. Moments to remember
26a the bike he was instantly drawn to
26b cycling home, grinning and chatting to dad in the tuk tuk – no way was that new bike going in the tuk tuk, he took off moments after the money was paid and rode 5 kilometres home
26c waving goodbye to us before the turnoff to the dirt road home
MARCH 27th A TREE: that provides the shade over the pool when we swim in the late afternoon. I also just remembered I hadn’t done a selfie this month so me availing of the shade before swimming yesterday too
MARCH 28th A SHOP WINDOW: Not just any shop but our favourite shop in Phnom Penh, with a wonderful collection of original clothing, homewares, art, jewellery, ceramics and eclectic salvaged pieces from another era - TRUNKH. It also just happens to have a stunning and unusual shop window and a front courtyard that draws you in to browse
MARCH 29th OLD BUILDING: As an antipodean I customarily think that colonial buildings are old. This magnificent example of a fully restored, old, colonial building is in Phnom Pehn and currently functioning as the Centre for Distance and Digital Education. As is frequently the case, those that are beautifully returned to their former glory are government offices and far too many others are decaying ruins. I find both thoroughly fascinating
MARCH 30th A STRANGER: pulled into the driveway when we were visiting a friend today and simply smiled up at me when I went to see who it was
MARCH 31st UNDER A TREE: In their break time, in this hot dry season the little monks gravitate to the shade under the Banyan tree at the pagoda to eat their snacks and drink their milk. This week they were thrilled to have cold slices of watermelon, which is also a new vocab item
THE PROMPTS
