Phnom Penh!

Well I'm captivated by this exotic place! Phnom Penh is situated at the confluence of the Tonle Sap, Tonle Bassac and mighty Mekong rivers and feels, I've decided, chaotically relaxed...The traffic is a case in point.
Busy with remork motos (tuk tuks), motos, cyclos, all sorts of cars and trucks and people everywhere, it's amazing how easily things seem to flow- most of the time.

Basically people seem to slowly pull out into the intersection, in front of people, whatever, no need to wait for a gap and people calmly merge and give way. No road rage here. The pace is calm and slow. No leaning on the horn, just the occasional gentle toot to let someone in front know you're coming through on whatever side. People indiscriminately ignore road rules, including direction of driving, (you often see people driving straight into oncoming traffic), double yellow lines seem to be only to add colour on the roadway, similarly pedestrian crossings! As a pedestrian one needs to take this same approach, steel yourself, step gently into the road and just keep walking...Mostly the traffic will be coming from left (as they drive on the right) but it pays to check all directions! Tuk tuk has been my main mode of transport when not walking and the same driver has taken me on several days.

 First to take in some of Cambodia's recent harrowing history at The Killing Fields

and S21, the high school turned prison, where people guilty of being too educated or anti Khmer Rouge were tortured before being taken to the Killing Fields.

 The sobering morning was tempered by the amazing journey past people so busy in their daily lives. It felt to me like a film set with people in diverse activity placed for maximum effect.

 I was left feeling that we in the West, and particularly our children, live in a sensorily muted world; such were the sights sounds smells, heat and general hubbub. I've also taken in some ancient Khmer history at the National Museum,

home to some of the most amazing and ancient sculptures from all around the country, some of which we'll visit later in Angkor. It was interesting to see some overlap with other contemporaneous ancient sculpture, from 5th C Greece and Rome for example, but I was left wishing I knew more art history... We have eaten and seen some amazing food, which deserves a post all to itself really...

And enjoyed exploring several different markets: more to come with the food post.  I've been thwarted in visiting The Royal Palace several times now: firstly by having sleeves too short-I could've hired something longer, but opted to come back later; secondly by the heat of an afternoon; and in setting out at 8 this morning, only to find it closed for a Royal Procession (not observable)! So I'm about to brave the heat again.

Here goes nothing!

Well looks like I'm taking the plunge and writing a blog! Who would've thought it!  I've been thinking about this for some time since I've found myself gaining so much inspiration from others' work shared on-line. It's felt a bit like cheating looking at everyone else's stuff and not contributing to what often seems like it becomes a conversation. 


Since I'm someone who does better with a deadline, or a bit of a push, this might be one way to make myself more accountable (but only to myself). Perhaps I will do more creative stuff myself rather than living vicariously looking at others.


After a bit of thought, I've called it faffling; from a word I found in a fascinating book called The Word Museum. Hey did I manage to add a link!? Faffle is "said of work which occupies much time, the results not being satisfactory or commensurate with the labour and time expended on it".  I seem to do plenty of faffling, if one can use it as a verb, and this seems to capture the idea of being playful and of wanting to make something that IS worth the labour and time! 


I've procrastinated dreadfully about this and I think that's mainly been about the techy aspects of blogging and the design aspects. I don't feel I'm particularly good at either so it's probably my pride that feels exposed putting up something that isn't good enough. Also I've wrestled with "I don't have anything much worth posting...". But get over it and just do it hey! I'll learn as I go...(The banner, for example, will personalise in time when I figure it out).


Enough of the reasoning!


My current project on the quilting front is almost done.  I'm just waiting for the binding fabric to arrive. I'm not very zoomy with these things, but I've enjoyed the process for this one and it's been a step outside my comfort zone in its improvisational approach.


As a NZer living in Australia I'm passionately patriotic, particularly about the natural environment and I really miss NZ's wild places. But one thing I do love here are the gum trees, their colours and especially their bark. 

So I wanted to make a quilt playing with that idea.  I went out to our local conservation park and took A LOT of photos of gum trees and then Kona colour card in hand, chose about sixty (!) solid colours I could see and ordered them. In the end I think I narrowed it down to twenty something shades and started chopping with a rough plan in my head and my journal.


Here's little hint of the result, but I want to wait until I've bound it and taken it back to the source of its inspiration for some proper pics...

Part of the impetus for finally getting this blog up and running is that P and I are off to Cambodia shortly- very exciting indeed!  And I thought that I could post a bit about our travels for family and friends to see perhaps. It's a bit of a learning curve starting this while away from the usual gadgets, but honestly how hard can it be?


It's going to be strange without the kids who are all off having their own adventures this holidays, quite like old times for us travel-wise; a bit sad to go to an exciting place without them, but I think I'll get over it!