Saturday, December 24, 2011

Camping

We went camping last Sunday and Monday for a night.  We were supposed to go for two nights but our car got halfway there and the water pump stopped working and everything got very hot.  So, we stopped where we were.  There was a big patch of rosella flowers (to make rosella jam) so we picked those for a while.  Then we locked up the car and went hiking up the nearby mountain.  The grass was very tall.  Jarrah spent most of the hike on Daddy's shoulders.  Amelie was a trooper and tromped through the grass.  

We got to the top of a little mountain which had quite a view over the surrounding mountains.    



We found leftovers from a cut down tree and Jarrah found a rock that she wanted to bring home. 
 The girls had to climb up every incline tree they came across and pretend to be riding a horse.  



We got back to the car finally after trudging through neck high grass for what seemed like forever.  We set up camp in a rice field and had a campfire (burning up the rice straw).  The owner of the field came by to see what we were up to and to make sure we didn't end up burning his roofing that was drying nearby.  Had a comfortable nights sleep on our mattresses in our tent!  Pretty fancy camping.  Amelie was the chief fire attendant.  Had a great view of the millions of stars in the sky through the skylight in our tent.

And that was day one of our campout.
I shall write more later.  I need to go and cook something sweet with passionfruit again!

Friday, December 23, 2011

Jarrah's little words

We went camping on the weekend.  Jarrah was on Ben's shoulders most of the time.  She told him she was her "cuddle pack" because she likes to have cuddles all the time.  Either that, or she said she had a "cuddle attack" a term we use regularly as she so often comes up to us and says "I need a cuddle."  Cuddly little thing.  I like the cuddle pack.

On the toilet just tonight, Ben was going to finish her up (i.e. wipe).  She said, "I need Mummy to wipe me because she's my owner."

Then earlier today, she had gone to the village for an outing with her best friend, Bong Na to her house - she wanted to go, and she hadn't been for so long (I got the afternoon - or a few hours at least - to myself).  Ben brought her home at about 4.30 pm.  She says to me, "I ate the things inside."  "Inside what?" I ask.  "I ate the things in the shells."  Ahhhh, she ate these little shell snacky things they like to eat here.  She doesn't realise we don't eat that stuff.  She liked them.  They know we don't eat pork... but I didn't think of the shells!  I shall have to leave instructions.

Happy Sabbath, Merry Christmas!

I was trying to put up some photos but the connection is too slow - i had even straightened them !  will try again later.

Monday, December 5, 2011

Passionfruit

We have lots of passionfruit.  It is growing up high in a tall tree.  We can't pick it.  The squirrels can.  And when the ripe ones drop to the ground the deer get them.  We have Ung (our helper) climb up the tree and make them fall and gather them off the ground.  Well, we have about 50 of them right now sitting on my counter.  I went through them and sorted the ones which had split on impact and removed the pulp last night.  This afternoon, I made three things with them - Passionfruit Butter (or curd), Passionfruit and Banana Jam (I also have a cage full of banana's which are getting overripe!) and straight Passionfruit Jam.  The problem is my jams never congeal.  We'll see how this one goes.  I didn't have the patience to do the plate in the fridge test.  So... I wish you all could have some and I wish some professional jam makers could coach me better!

We are gearing up for Christmas.  I made some Christmas bunting and we have 25 flags with numbers on them - each with a little activity to do for each day.  We decorated our Christmas "bush" yesterday.  I still need to reorganise our wiring so that we can plug in the lights.  We made a wreath and have that hanging in our window.  It has some crane feathers, made of vines and bamboo.  Ben won't let me harvest any peacock feathers even though they would be very very beautiful.  The male peacock is almost in full feather and is strutting around. He is quite beautiful.  I shall post some pictures when I get around to it.

It is getting cold now, 18 degrees last night.  Need to go and get a shower before we freeze... I shall have to boil water.

Love Sharyn

Saturday, November 26, 2011

Facts of Life

Jarrah is learning her reproductive facts via Amelie.  She was talking to Ben tonight:

"I'm having a baby filly"

How are you having a baby filly?

"The daddy horse is helping.  Now I've had it and I'm keeping it safe from the grizzly bear."

Ben's Foot

Ben's feet have had an interesting past.  In 1994, he was shot by some renegade soldiers while on his motorbike.  He first noticed blood on his neck from a shot that grazed his adam's apple.  Realising he was in trouble, and that the soldiers blocking the road were not friendly, he started swerving across the road.  Somehow, a bullet shot from the right went through the wheel and hit is left foot, entering and exiting.  He made it to the next village and was eventually taken to the hospital (after giving them $20 for fuel).  He was medivaced to Bangkok the next day and survived.  His foot is better except for a hole which dries up from his constant thong wearing habit.

Next, he fell down a well in 1998.  From about 6 metres.  Landing mostly on his feet.  Somehow he lived through this.  He fell because he had blasted the well and a pocket of the fumes trapped in a rock cavity overcame him and he blacked out.  He survived that without any broken bones.  There was gravel embedded in his wound and he couldn't walk for quite a while.

This doesn't really count, but in 2003, we were riding on his motorbike and a dog who was being chased ran into our path.  We hit the dog.  The dog died.  Ben had a huge gash on his right knee.  We went to the local doctor who cleaned it up and stitched it.  That didn't work too well and being infected, we headed down again to Phnom Penh who sent us to Bangkok to a proper hospital.  Ten days and three surgeries later (to clean out the infection and lots of sand, cow manure and other stuff), and IV antibiotics, we came back home, repaired yet again.

Then, we have a hiatus of almost 7 years.  2010.  Ben builds a climbing wall at Jombok Haos.  A nice pretty wall.  And since we didn't have proper handgrips, a volunteer makes a whole bunch of grips out of wood.  The wall is finished at about 5.30pm.  Ben decides to try it out, bouldering low, at about a meter and a half above ground.. therefore with no ropes attached to his body.  He hits one of the grips not bolted in tightly, it swings around causing him to fall, hitting the single block left on the ground with his left foot, spraining it or worse.  Taking forever to heal.  He must have torn some ligaments or something.  That is better mostly now.

His feet have bunions.  Big, ugly bunions.  And lately, they have been causing some pain.  Or at least the right foot.  He can't hike!  And that is a problem!! So he finally decides to go into the doctors here and see if they can do anything about it.  We have been to this one private clinic here whose doctors are all from the Children's Surgical Hospital, a charity hospital that does some amazing things.  It is run by this Irish Orthapedic Surgeon, so Ben goes into this hospital to see what they can do.  He lines up behind a guy whose spine is all skewed this way and that, and a girl with all sorts of other serious problems.  If you go there on any morning, there are all sorts of serious cases waiting for attention.  They kindly look at Ben's foot, take x-rays.  The Irish doctor says he hasn't done any bunions for 30 years but could probably work something out.  He is scheduled for a surgery at the private clinic (whose profits go to the charity hospital) in October.  So we come down in November.  He meets up with the Khmer surgeon, Jim the Irishman and a visiting American pediatric spinal surgeon.  Jim is the only one who has ever done a bunion before and that was a while back.  They joke that they will watch how to do the surgery on youtube to see how it is done.  So, Thursday, Ben gets his bunion cut off and his bone cut to straighten the big toe on his right foot.  All was going well.  He has a removable boot cast which is great.

So the other day, he goes back to Phnom Penh for the month-post checkup.  He sees the doctor and he recommends keeping the cast on for another month.  As he is returning to ADRA from the clinic on a motorbike (it is peak hour traffic) he comes up next to a big black car.  A girl drives right in front of him, coming in from the front of the car (she is on the wrong side of the road) - and Ben hit her straight on.  He does not have his cast boot on at this time.  He manages to keep the bike upright, and the only part of his body that is injured, is his little toe.  One the same foot as his bunion surgery.  So, being Ben, he just comes home the next morning.  He does take the effort to get an x-ray taken in Kompong Thom on the way home but he doesn't have the time to wait for the developing.  The other day, one of our staff (who was also getting x-rays for her motorbike wreck) picked up his x-ray.  The doctor looks at it and tells her that there is a screw in his foot (obviously, from the bunion surgery) and doesn't notice that the little toe is also broken.  So, it is broken, not straight either.  He keeps hitting it, the latest was last night on his computer case that was left on the floor.  So, maybe after 15 days it still hasn't healed back up.  We'll go tomorrow to the doctor in Phnom Penh to see what's up!
And that is the story of Ben's foot (or feet, or legs actually).  I can write about his head later.
Love Sharyn.

Thursday, November 24, 2011

Thanksgiving


This has been our first thanksgiving that we have celebrated as a family at our home.  Normally, we just let the day go by but this year, we thought we should start making memories and do something.



Ben promised me that he would get us a chicken for me to roast on Thanksgiving but they must have heard and all avoided the traps today.  This was the easiest poultry that we could find however I wasn't allowed to roast him.
   

Sorry these pictures are on the side again.  I need to fix the direction before I upload and I forgot and there doesn't appear to be a tool to set them straight.  And they took so long to upload.  We made thanks turkeys and everyone wrote their thankfulnesses on the feathers.  Jarrah was too busy eating the tofu (in lieu of the turkey) to worry about being thankful.  She did say she was thankful for God, for TVP and for the Amalous (animals).  She has this tasty TVP she is addicted to at the moment and likes them dry.  Lucky we only have a little bit of it so when we are out we are out.


I cooked roast potatoes which turned out OK, roast pumpkin which was too slow and mostly didn't make the meal (I burnt some which I tried to cook on the stove and the stuff in the oven was OK, but not done in time), and string beans with fried tofu as the protein!  And a pumpkin pie of course.  Which was OK.  Pastry needs work though.  It is hard to make without butter.  Then I had leftover pumpkin puree so I have about 40 muffin /cookies which are "interesting."

So, that was our thanksgiving, it was a good day.. mostly.  Amelie did something naughty (threw something at a boy) and so we made her write lines - 100!  "I must not throw things at other people") so she said she didn't have a very happy thanksgiving.. sadly!

That is all for now.  I will end now. Bye.

Sunday, October 23, 2011

Cowgirls

We need to get Amelie and Jarrah a couple of horses.  Today, Sunday, Amelie was very happy because she didn't have any school.  So, the two proceeded to turn our house into stables and walked around riding their toy horses (barbie horse sized). This is what they do everyday and I am always having to drag Amelie away from their horseplay.  They both have a lassoo, cowboy hats and boots.  The dogs usually get roped into being their horses and Jarrah gets very upset when they escape from their stables or if they get untied (they are OFTEN tied up - poor dogs, they are very patient).

Jarrah loves Amelie.  She cries when Amelie goes off to school.  She is sad when Amelie can't play with her.  It is nice that they play together so well most of the time.  Amelie calls Jarrah "J." Not sure if that will stick but it is cute.

Jarrah is also our assigned gracesayer.  Everytime we ask whose turn is it for grace, she points to herself and says me.  Her current grace is:

" Dear Jesus,
thank you for the nice day,
please help Amelie's cough to get better,
please bless our food,
Amen."

She was asking for help until just the other day, and now says it all herself.

Just a minute ago, Lolly, our peacock who should be up in the trees right now as it is dark, jumped up on the table next to me and stood on Aunty Ann's book.  He tore a page!  Sorry Aunty Ann.  I was trying really hard to keep the book nice (it is the Ben Carson book if you are wondering.. really really sorry!)

Amelie just made some oatmeal cookies almost all by herself.  They last batch burned because the timer wasn't set right but they are yummy.  And I just made some eggplant pickle.  Four bottles!!  Not sure what I will do with it all as it isn't that good.  Maybe it isn't too bad.  We'll see. The eggplant were these volunteer round eggplant, small, that we had in our garden and just harvested them all to put in some other stuff.  They are very seedy.  So, that is done.  Not sure if I need to seal the bottles or not.  They are very vinegary and oily.  Maybe we can eat them before they go bad.

Anyway, those are my musings for the evening.
Love from me.

Friday, October 21, 2011

The handyman

I was going to write about our trip early this month to Phnom Penh.  Then that all went too fast.  Then we came home and I have had odd things to write about here but haven't until now sat down to start and now the mosquitos are biting me and I just accidentally turned off the internet so we'll see how this goes.
On Sunday I fixed things around the house. I fixed Amelie's lamp which had a rusted out light fitting.  I replaced an electric box which needed two outlets instead of one which brings electricity from our generator to the house (and the washing machine).  I needed two outlets so that we could also plug in an inverter that would convert the 220V power coming from the generator to 110V so we could plug that into the rest of our house and then when the generator was on, we would not have to use the battery power (important in the wet season because of much rain and little sun to charge the batteries).  It is important if we do plug in the generator into our 110V system, that we turn off our regular inverter coming out of the battery so this doesn't get burnt up.  After all that, the other night I said to Ben "I'm a pretty good handyman." That was my failing.  Also, I should remember to write notes to myself.  Yesterday morning, I was doing the washing so I had the generator on.  I thought I would be smart and also plug in the inverter so I could use power in the house for the computer for a bit.  I forgot to go an unplug the other inverter.  So, I burnt up the other inverter.  The new inverter we just bought from the US.  The new inverter with the fan that works good.  The new inverter which we cannot replace except by going to the US!  So, I am not so smart.  I should never think I am smart.  And I should write notes to myself.

Anyway, today, we went through our stash of old inverters and found an old one which has been repaired once and its fan still works for how long we don't know but we are using that now for our electricity.  The kids electricity was not working in their room for some reason after this mishap.  So, today I managed to fix that quite easily luckily.  I'm not going to say anything about me being a handyman though.

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

2010 Photobook

Here is our 2010 photobook I just had published and haven't seen yet as the copies arrived two days after we left the US.  They are getting longer and longer.  I'll have to take less pictures next year.

Friday, September 30, 2011

The first week back at home

Well we got home after being away for almost 2 months.  Our first attempt to come home ended about one and a half hours out of Phnom Penh with a busted head gasket and an empty radiator.  After pouring two 20 litre buckets of water into the radiator we made it back home and took the car to the proper Land Rover repair place where it stood in the company of mostly $100K to $200K valued cars while they repaired the hose (cause of the radiator water leaking out and the consequent busted head casket).  So, two days later, we attempted another return trip home and made it.  We visited our house in Kompong Thom where our neighbours have ponies whom Amelie and Jarrah visited.

Came home and the rains had filled up our water tanks.  Our generator has been giving trouble for a while before we left for the US and it had ruined our water pump and so the only water we had was rain water.  We fixed the pump or so we thought.  So we enjoyed the rain water for a few days till the rain stopped.  I enjoy the rain water because it doesn't leave with sediment when boiled like my pump water (making my tea gritty!) thinking that we could just install the pump and we'd be set.  So, it stopped raining and we tested be pump and it STILL didn't work.  So, after using water from our creek for a day (coloured water) or so in the hope it would rain again, we gave in and bought a cheap pump from the local hardware shop.  So, I was then set to do a weeks load of washing.  Started up my washing machine and after the first agitation cycle, noticed that the drain and spin wasn't working.  It just went Errrr, and a little Er, R, Er, R.  And then it started to smell.  So, we think maybe we burned up the engine a bit, maybe, I hope not.  But we'll take it to Phnom Penh anyway to see.  We need a new generator as ours is a bit worn out and it hasn't been giving out as much power as it should have which is possibly why the machine and the water pump have been giving trouble (running on low voltage).  Anyway this train of thought is getting too technical for me.  I did however do a load of handwashing today and it almost dried.  Did I write about the washing I have had hanging out for 4 days drying because of the rain... Wishing for a dryer, stable electricity or no rain.

On another topic, we started Amelie's new school year on Monday.  She has had a 2 month break from any school and it is not too much fun adding structure back into her playtime.  Ben has been home this week and also able to occupy Miss Jarrah while I've been trying to teach Amelie.  She has her own little workbook she thinks she is studying from which keeps her busy for a little while but when she realises that I am not giving her the desired attention she complains.  Anyway, we'll have to work something out with her.  She is getting easier as she gets older at least.  Right now, Amelie is learning her 3X table, reading a book called Seaman about a dog who was an important member of the Lewis and Clark expidition from Pennsylvania to Seattle (we had just traveled on some of their route, so relevant!) and finishing up her science from last year about the solar system and space.  She just started (today) washing the dishes again and has begun again to make her bed in the morning!  Khmer school starts next week but she'll be missing the first week as we are heading again to PP.

Apart from that, the girls are both still horse crazy.  Amelie and Jarrah were both given cowboy hats in the US and Amelie got some real cowboy boots for her birthday.  They have lassos here that their dad made for them.  We made some stick horses.  So they are running around swinging lassos and galloping.  Jarrah has perfected her neighing and winnying.  

A little girl came today with four baby rats especially for Amelie.  I have made it known that I will not lift a finger to keep them alive.  Ben is being a bit nicer about the whole thing.  Jarrah carried two of them around for a few hours today.  Later on, two were attacked by ants and died.  Another one just died (they weren't fed all day) and one is left.  Amelie is right now trying to syringe feed the last one.  Jarrah just said:

"Those rats are always getting dead." 

I hope so. 

We have caught about 14 chickens and sold about 11 of them.  We have a new income source.  I made chicken curry with the two we kept.  We have eggplant in the garden (yes, Liz, still) and cucumber and the string beans just ran out.  We have basil and Ben just fed me a spoonful of passionfruit. The wind blew and two dropped. If we don't get them right away, the deer get them.  The little squirrels sometimes make holes them and drop them so we don't get too many.  Ben is going to use his slingshot skills to get them down - they are about 10m up the tree that the vine climbed up. 

So that has been our week and a half.  It is the weekend now so have a nice weekend everyone.
Love Sharyn. 

Sunday, September 18, 2011

The USA Part II

Hello again, just a few head tips needed this time.  Sorry.  We have pictures of the girls (Sierra and Amelie) in their blue dresses from Aunty Lisa (Jarrah only graced us with wearing it once) and I barely managed to picture.  We have Cindy the horse, ice cream and Aunty Jennifer's garden with Jorgi and Theo and Amelie's birthday party and cake and Amelie with her birthday present (size 4 cowboy boots), the plane ride and swimming in the lake, and hiking in the woods.































Saturday, August 20, 2011

The USA

Here are some photos.  Sorry you'll have to tip your head from side to side.  I'll fix them later.
Love from me xx.






Saturday, July 23, 2011

Back Back Again

Knock Knock -- anyone there?
Anyway, whether anyone is or not.. here is what we are up to.
It is Sabbath afternoon.  Jarrah still napping on the bed (at 5.41pm).  Lolly the peacock just finished his nap (on the bed with Jarrah and is now drinking water from our water bucket.
We have a bucket of water in the kitchen because we have no water coming out of our taps.  The water pump is broken.  The generator (that makes the water pump pump) is also sick.  The rain has not come.  We set up an elaborate water catching system that will put rain water into our water tank.  But the rain that was coming so faithfully every night has stopped and we are experiencing the most beautiful CLEAR days since the water catching device was set up.  Ahhhh!
So, maybe we'll have to visit the village well soon.
No Lolly is on the sinck drinking from puddles left around the undone dishes.
We have a pet civit cat who is named Sammy (the Sampoet).  He is just a baby and very cute.  Jarrah loves him and can't understand why he gets to sleep all day when she wants to play with him.
The squirrel is still on the rampage.  I have learned to live with him and there haven't been any bloody situations again (yet).
We have taken to selling our chickens at the market.  Ben gets funny looks all round (somehow people think we should be giving our chickens away).  So far we have sold about 12 or so chickens.  Not bad money at $4 a kilogram.  Especially since we have run out of cash up here till we get to Phnom Penh next.
Amelie is finished with her Khmer school for the year.  They had a party today but we didn't go.  She came 15th and has been allowed to go up to 2nd grade next year.  Not bad for someone who can't speak Khmer very well and has missed about a third of the school year with all our travels.  She likes going which is good and her Khmer is coming along quite well.  Better than mine.  She complimented me the other day that I said one of her friend's name very well.  Quite a compliment.
Jarrah is growing.  Not sure what into.  She neighs and winnies most of the time.  She calls herself Flicka or Katy (Flicka's owner) half the time and Bindi the other half.  Now she is calling herself "Jayra."  Seems to have stopped calling herself Jaja.  We think we just need to buy hay for her now - should save on our food bill as she eats quite a lot.
We are heading to the US in 10 days.  "Jayra" is very happy about this because she is going to see her grandpa's horses.  So is Amelie as you can imagine.
Well, that is the end of the quick update on us for now.
Love Sharyn

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Avatars



Jarrah and Ben attended a rally today where villagers were dressing up like avatars.  They were "dialogging" with government about certain land concessions that have been granted in forest land near our house.  Jarrah here is not very happy about dressing like an avatar however.