About Me

Welcome, I'm so glad you're here.

A little bit more about me:

1.  My name is Vicky Simpson (Victoria Anne if you're not into shortened names)

myself and my awesome brother

2.  I grew up on a beautiful farm in Harding, South Africa.  Open spaces, great weather (sunny Summer days, cosy Winter nights by the fire), lazy cows, hills and trees and hidden streams make me very happy to spend time at home.

3. I have a Bachelor of Social Science and a Post Grad Certificate in Education from Rhodes University.

I spent 8 very happy years living in Grahamstown, first as a student, then as a volunteer and then as a teacher.  Through the relationships and experiences I had there I learnt about faith, unconditional love, better friendships than I ever dreamed were possible.  I was introduced to cafe lattes and loved Saturday meandering drives and strolls around the common.

4.  I recently moved to Phnom Penh, Cambodia to pursue my dream of getting involved in anti trafficking work while seeing more of the world and hopefully fitting in some travelling too.

5. I have many interests and passions, some which have stood the test of time and some which don't make it past dinnertime.  Some of the things I've shown fleeting interest in over the years have been: juggling, cross stitch, applique, deco page, professional chef, ballet, modeling, rhythmic gymnastics, fire fighting, poetry writing, piano, guitar, drum majorettes, joining the circus, basketball, quad bikes and knitting.

6.  This blog is a place to write about anything and everything that takes my fancy; faith, books, recipes, travels, misadventures,discoveries around PP and Cambodia, ideas and thoughts on social justice, short animation videos etc, hence the name, the view from where I stand.  I am a determined optimist and try to find a few things to laugh about every day.

7. I like old books, people, furniture, adverts and appliances, actually vintage anything.

8.  I am not a fan of cats, tinned asparagus, birds in cages, frogs, bad smells, trying to follow directions and poor spelling.

9.  I sprained my arm by falling off my "horse" aka my dad when I was 4.  I have a scar on my arm from an unfortunate encounter with a chainsaw.

10. The first movie I ever saw on the big screen was Bambi and the first movie I loved was Beauty and The Beast, especially the parts where Belle went skipping and singing through the village and when she saw the Beast's library for the first time.

11.  I get something akin to an adrenaline rush when I go into bookstores and stationary shops.

12. Some of the many things I miss about SA are braais, Smarties, 5 Roses, fresh milk, Beacon Marshmallow Eggs, Simba Fruit Chutney chips, South Africans, evening drinks on the verandah at home, my family, wide open spaces and biltong.

13.  Some of the many things I love about Cambodia are iced coffee, dragon fruit, fried rice, friendly people, so many cultures, buying fruit and veg at a market, learning Khmer, Flicks cinema, amazing stationary, numerous restaurants & coffee shops.