Diary of a farang in Isaan

[kokesaat]

We've lived in the same neck of the jungle for 25 years......seen a lot of unusual birds/prey over that time.  But an orange bat?  My Swiss neighbor and his wife found one inside their home recently.  They were able to capture and release it. (I got the photo off the web.....but they have photos of it as well)

 

[Kadilo]

On 4/11/2021 at 10:59 AM, bluesofa said:

You mean he was a bit of a ladies man?

Bit of a Dick

[Peter Denis]

15 hours ago, kokesaat said:

...

 

These Support Trump actions seem to have gone somewhat off-limits.

 

[Fat is a type of crazy]

20 hours ago, owl sees all said:

Owl Log - 12-04-2021 - Monday morning

 

Should go into Ban Dung today. Mrs Owl says we need supplies, and I have to pay my internet bill in Big C. Must find out if I can pay it on-line. She is sleeping at the mo'. Not speaking to me since yesterday.

 

Mildred went fishing for just half an hour last evening and caught 7 pla nin from pond two. Gave four away to a passing guy on a motorbike, and took the three biggest back home. I noticed that the fish were still in the bucket at 22-00. "Are you not going to sort out the fish teerak (which were then well and truly brown bread)?" "It's a buddha day. Cannot kill anything." "So you gonna stay up 'til twelve tonight then dear." "What you say, ding dong farang." My funny was simply wasted; as it normally is.

 

 

I did say to Milly that I'd make a her a new fishing rod. The one she uses is a tad short. Cut a new bamboo down a few days ago.

 

 

Beginning to dry out nicely. Another week and I'll get started. Too long, and too heavy at the mo'.

 

 

Have to keep it out of the sun during this drying phase, or it will warp.

 

The little Avocado tree is taking to its new home well.

 

 

Gonna give it some water every day. Can't rely on any rain up here. I think it will be another very poor year for rain. Although I've just watched a vid' of Pattaya beach being washed away. Some areas are getting more than a little drop.

 

I have a favourite euca tree which also gets special treatment; a bucket of water every few days. Pond water too. So better than any rain.

 

About five metres plus high/tall now. Put in the ground in the first week in June last year. Don't think I'll ever cut it down.

 

 

Ah yes! That time of year is fast approaching. Reminds me a bit of the week after xmas in England. Every time ya go to visit someone (but not last year; covid) "Hi Owl. Cup of rosy (or glass of beer) and a turkey sarnie?"

 

"I've got mangoes for my breckies. Mangoes for my diner. Mangoes for my supper and mangoes for my tea. I got mangoes!" Spike Milligan song.

 

 

When we arrive at the farm. The chickens have a butchers to establish if Mrs Owl is in the pick-up or not. Yesterday she was not. Busy at at the village discussing lottery numbers at the corner shop. So!

 

 

 

What to make of the footy? City getting dumped by Leeds. They put their third team out and thought that would be enough. No! Manchester first and second. Bolton on the move.

 

Had a monster of a row with the Mrs yesterday. It's a little complicated. Mrs owl had been saying that the boys were coming over and they should get a little something for songram. They arrived last night about seven. I didn't have any change so I walked next door and bought drinks for Milly, Snack and Tang. Ready to pay at the shop and the lady showed me Nan's beer bill; 360 baht. I paid up; naturally.

 

Got back home and gave the two boys 100 baht each with their drink. Nan and the Mrs chatted for 10 minutes outside, and then she left. As soon as Nan had gone, WW3 broke out. "Nan not have money. Why you not give her?" I was thinking that this was secret squirrel talk. "You not tell me she didn't have any money?" Then I added. "She needed money to pay her beer bill?" Big mistake! "What beer? You are stupid farang. Husband not get money for work yet. She need buy food."

 

She went on to tell me that I could easily die tonight for being a bad farang. I'm OK til midnight I thought. Anyway! This morning I got my cuppa, and soon after a bowl of spicy porridge.

 

Even after all these years I can't comprehend the double talk I sometimes get from the wife. What's wrong with simple straight talking?

 

I started Milly on one of my books; George Orwell's 1984. Reading the words is a lot easier than understanding them I feel. Did the first two pages. Enough for starters.

 

Not had a game of chess for a while. Maybe this afternoon; if I don't go to town.

 

Still keeping up the running. Sprinted 160 metres on Saturday. Raced Mildred. I won. She stopped to pick up some plastic rubbish during the race; but I reckon I would still have finished first anyway.

 

When we did the euca planting last June, I started taking pic's from the same spot every so often to see progress. They are taken from the far corner of number one farm. Have three angles. Looking north; looking east; looking north-east.

 

Looking north: First entry is 5th July. Just a month after planting.

 

 

28-August; 10 weeks later.

 

 

20th October; after 4 months.

 

 

27th December; just over 6 months. Looks better with the grass cut!

 

 

3rd February. 8 months in the ground.

 

 

11th April (yesterday). 10 months.

 

 

After a pretty slowish start they are doing well. Most are approaching 2 metres high now. Nowhere near as big as the trees in the lower areas though.

 

That's it for now.

 

Bye y'all.

Well done with the trees. Hopefully the rain will really get them going. 

Good to hear I am not the only one whose partner has Buddha days. My girlfriend had one day a week where a range of things were off limits. 

Just when there was talk of a bubble between Australia and Thailand, in Australian news, covid takes off there and vaccine rollout is  slow here. It's cold here and she says it's stiflingly hot  there so not much fun for either of us. 

Good book 1984..Good for her to learn about how countries all around Thailand control the masses...she might be a bit young for some of the concepts though and room 101 might be a bit full on for her.  

[owl sees all]

20 hours ago, Odysseus123 said:

Thanks for that Owl..

I have done a little digging and we are bang on for your area..

William Leefe Robinson VC.

 

Took off from Sutton's Farm (Hornchurch)  and destroyed Zeppelin SL 11 in the air on the night of 2/3 September,1916.Awarded the VC-his only navigational equipment (apart from the compass) was a small torch..to read the compass and look at the map..

 

Hainault Farm was another satellite aerodrome of Hornchurch.

 

Captain Robinson died of the Spanish 'flu, December 1918.

 

For further fantastic reading: https://rafhornchurch.com/

 

I cannot find a link to Hainault Park, but there was a Havering Park, which is just next door.

 

1942

 

 

 

In 1937 it was just a farm; in green outline.

 

 

1955. The last traces were fully removed in 1960. A real crime that.

 

 

Some of the heroes are remembered by street names locally.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[owl sees all]

23 hours ago, FarFlungFalang said:

I haven't played for yonks so do I have to challenge like we did  for the "cup" (a coffee mug with a cat holding a balloon with "woppee" written on it) and the cup holder wasn't allowed to refuse a challenge?How do we get this to happen?chess.com?Let's do it!

I'll pop over with a set FFF.

 

Get the beer ready!

[FarFlungFalang]

3 minutes ago, owl sees all said:

I'll pop over with a set FFF.

 

Get the beer ready!

I've got a chess board well it's a vinyl mat if regulation size but the pieces have ling been Isaaned.The beer is in the fridge in the village shop.I'm just going to do some research to see how we could do it online with video like I see on some chess vids I've seen.Any ideas?

[owl sees all]

23 hours ago, bannork said:

I'll post some photos of the eucalyptus trees I cut down. Shame they'll grow again but then if they didn't, the owner would have let me fell them.

Owl, what bait does Mildred use to catch your pla nin? My brother-in-law uses a wide net but I'd like to have a go with a rod. 

Bit of a scorcher today.

 

Tried lots of different baits, but return to the regular fish-pellet.

 

 

Can fish it in different ways. Get a big pellet and drill a hole whilst dry. Or use a smaller pellet and soak then completely; but only for a few seconds. They will swell up quite quickly. Can either thread two or three on the hook, or do as Mildred usually does, and mound them into little balls.

 

Tight lines.

 

[FarFlungFalang]

20 minutes ago, owl sees all said:

 

Tried lots of different baits, but return to the regular fish-pellet.

 

 

Can fish it in different ways. Get a big pellet and drill a hole whilst dry. Or use a smaller pellet and soak then completely; but only for a few seconds. They will swell up quite quickly. Can either thread two or three on the hook, or do as Mildred usually does, and mound them into little balls.

 

Tight lines.

 

I've heard that maggots are also good bait.

[Odysseus123]

2 hours ago, owl sees all said:

 

For further fantastic reading: https://rafhornchurch.com/

 

I cannot find a link to Hainault Park, but there was a Havering Park, which is just next door.

 

1942

 

 

 

In 1937 it was just a farm; in green outline.

 

 

1955. The last traces were fully removed in 1960. A real crime that.

 

 

Some of the heroes are remembered by street names locally.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hi Owl..

Thanks for prompting the memories of a wonderful Battle of Britain Day (1974) when I visited Hornchurch and read about Lieutenant Robinson VC...nearly 50 years ago...how the years have flown..

 

Here is the trifecta-Hainault Farm..

https://www.abct.org.uk/airfields/airfield-finder/hainault-farm-ilford/

 

For anyone interested in the history of aviation at that time may I recommend the superb memoirs of Cecil Lewis 'Sagittarius Rising' as he joined the RFC at the age of 17 in 1916.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cecil_Arthur_Lewis

Edited April 13, 2021 by Odysseus123

[owl sees all]

50 minutes ago, Odysseus123 said:

Hi Owl..

Thanks for prompting the memories of a wonderful Battle of Britain Day (1974) when I visited Hornchurch and read about Lieutenant Robinson VC...nearly 50 years ago...how the years have flown..

 

Here is the trifecta-Hainault Farm..

https://www.abct.org.uk/airfields/airfield-finder/hainault-farm-ilford/

 

For anyone interested in the history of aviation at that time may I recommend the superb memoirs of Cecil Lewis 'Sagittarius Rising' as he joined the RFC at the age of 17 in 1916.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cecil_Arthur_Lewis

 

Thanks Ody.

 

That 'field' is only 400 metres south-west of the Hainault lake. The name is new to me. When it was used again in WW2 I reckon it was called 'Fairlop'; which I am more familiar with.

 

I'll get some research done.

 

I don't suppose you have any pics from the 1974 visit.

Edited April 13, 2021 by owl sees all

[owl sees all]

3 hours ago, FarFlungFalang said:

I've heard that maggots are also good bait.

Bang on the money FFF.

 

Worms too! At the farm, sometimes the idea of having a fish comes suddenly, and there is always a supply of fish-pellets on hand. So for a 30 minute stint, pellets are ideal.

 

 

Edited April 13, 2021 by owl sees all

[Odysseus123]

1 hour ago, owl sees all said:

 

I don't suppose you have any pics from the 1974 visit.

Hi Owl....

No..sorry..I lost all my photos and family memorabilia in a house fire in 2017..the owner of the house perished too..

I rely on my memories now..

"Ah Essex...the Quantocks..the valley of the Avon...Skye..the Norfolk Broads.Arundel,etc,etc!

[owl sees all]

Owl Log 15-04-2021 - Thursday afternoon

 

Mildred is not going to school for the present and I don't then pick her up in the afternoon, so not too much on the bridge repairs. And when I do get some pics, progress has jumped forward.

 

Nearly ready for the first batch of concrete.

 

 

Old steel bundled up

.

 

The Mrs don't like me stopping to record bridge progress. Thinks all the vehicles queuing behind are talking about us.

 

 

A fair bit of work to do yet. Well into next month I'd say. Perhaps even into June.

 

 

Mildred fished again last evening. Caught eight nin in less than an hour. I didn't fish. Looked after baiting up and unhooking.

 

Was looking on Lazada to find out what has happened to my electric cord-less grass cutter that I had ordered on the 6th April. Turned out that the order was cancelled as I didn't pay within three days of ordering. Thought I was getting CoD! Never mind. Ordered a different one.

 

But! While I was looking, a bargain popped up. A rod and reel and 10 hooks for 20 baht. Twenty baht!!?? Just had to go for it. P&P was more than the fishing set at 29 baht. So not that cheap overall. I also ordered a 4.5 metre pole.

 

Lots of lovely surprises due to be delivered soon; a Richard Dawkins book; Twenty baht fishing set; fishing pole and the grass cutter.

 

Brewed up a batch of rosella yesterday. I small pack from Big C (29 baht) made five litres of the drink.

 

 

The family paid their respects to deceased Grandfather this week; at the village Buddha.

 

 

Had a sort out with the avocadoes. A few had not taken and gotten themselves mouldy. Started with eight last month and now down to five. Although only three are growing as of now.

 

 

Gonna put the next nuts straight into a grow-bag. Saw on the internet that, although a bit slower to get started (than the tooth-pick method), they really take of when they do.

 

Very noisy party opposite us on Tuesday evening. Started in the afternoon with Poom's five year birthday party, then livened up for the adults. They borrowed my two extension leads when it got dark. About 50 people in all, including a group of young ladies I'd never seen before. All between 18 and 25 I reckon; five or six of them. Might have been a girl-band! Very skimpily dressed. Music and laughter and squealing until late. Mrs Owl wasn't keen on me going over for a bit of cake. But I did get a bit next morning.

 

No rain here, but my brother in Pattaya said there was a lot of water on his balcony. It came into his condo through the bottom of the door. kept him up for hours. They do say - on the world weather map - that there is a cloud on its way from the South China Sea. Could visit us. Keep 'em crossed.

 

If I can get to the farm today, I'll pump some water into number 6 pond. Mildred goes net fishing in pond 5, and every time she catches a carp she pops in into number 6. The Mekongs have been showing a lot recently. When they are in the mood the water is churned up; big time.

 

That's it for now.

 

Bye y'all.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 15, 2021 by owl sees all

[Sterling]

14 minutes ago, owl sees all said:

Mrs Owl wasn't keen on me going over for a bit of cake.

Sounds like Mrs Owl understands double entendres!

Edited April 15, 2021 by Sterling

[Golden Triangle]

Owl, I didn't realise you have a brother in Pattaya, do you get to see him very often or does he prefer the bright lights of the city ? If my brother hadn't been killed by the virus just after new year he may have considered moving here eventually.

 

We have had a hell of a lot of rain over the last 10 days or so, the usual flooding and washing away of the beach continued unabated, that doesn't bother me to much as I have a pretty quiet life out on the Darkside ????

[GarryP]

 

52 minutes ago, owl sees all said:

Mrs Owl wasn't keen on me going over for a bit of cake. 

 

37 minutes ago, Sterling said:

Sounds like Mrs Owl understands double entendres!

 

52 minutes ago, owl sees all said:

But I did get a bit next morning.

 

Your present for not going over to the party. Put a smile on your face, I bet. ???? 

[owl sees all]

15 hours ago, GarryP said:

Your present for not going over to the party. Put a smile on your face, I bet. ???? 

 

Garry! It's not what you think.

 

Gave me indigestion. Far too sweet.

[owl sees all]

16 hours ago, Golden Triangle said:

Owl, I didn't realise you have a brother in Pattaya, do you get to see him very often or does he prefer the bright lights of the city ? If my brother hadn't been killed by the virus just after new year he may have considered moving here eventually.

 

He has been here since before 1990. Not seen him for a few years. We chat on the air-waves about once a month. He enjoys the activities that Patts has to offer.

 

When my personal tragedy occurred, it was he that persuaded me to come to Thailand.

 

Sorry to hear of your brother GT.

Edited April 16, 2021 by owl sees all

[Leaver]

On 4/12/2021 at 4:57 PM, kokesaat said:

We've lived in the same neck of the jungle for 25 years......seen a lot of unusual birds/prey over that time.  But an orange bat?  My Swiss neighbor and his wife found one inside their home recently.  They were able to capture and release it. (I got the photo off the web.....but they have photos of it as well)

 

 

Thank Buddha they didn't eat it, otherwise the world would be waiting a year or more for the orange covid vaccine.  ????

[sotonowl]

On 4/16/2021 at 2:19 AM, owl sees all said:

Sorry to hear of your brother GT

Yes, I was as well. I must have missed this previously. RIP anyway GT's brother.

[sotonowl]

Where's everyone gone? Nigh on a week without a post, you all up the pox doctors or what?

[faraday]

Think Owl's gone orf to France to join Le Legion.

 

 

[bluesofa]

1 hour ago, faraday said:

Think Owl's gone orf to France to join Le Legion.

Migrated for the summer?

[Andrew Dwyer]

I have it on good authority that Owl is on a 3 weeker !!

 

Monsieur Vol u Vent let Trixibelle use the handcuffs during a quick game of “ cacher la saucisse “ and is otherwise indisposed !!

[Andrew Dwyer]

As is the custom on such occasions here are some random photos to pass the time and hopefully start a little dialogue :

 

Bil Prachak getting sil Mingkwan prepared as a novice monk

 

 

A Hya doing some parkour in a local park !!

 

 

 

A little visit to a nearby (Ang Thong) Chinese temple, beautiful inside and out !

 

 

 

 

An elephant, presumably tired of ferrying tourists around ( or maybe missing the lack of tourists ? )  broke free from his tether and went walkabout on some nearby wasteland, his handlers said they would leave him alone for a while before trying to get him back “ home “ with some tasty snacks, near Ayutthaya floating market.

 

 
 

Poor guy looked pretty fed up with his lot ????

 

[sotonowl]

2 hours ago, faraday said:

Think Owl's gone orf to France to join Le Legion.

 

 

Not again. How's he getting banned all the time. Is he in the Covid/Vaccination threads creating havoc?

[sotonowl]

Talking about Elephants. Does anyone know where this one stands? Special prize for the correct answer.

[Odysseus123]

2 hours ago, sotonowl said:

Talking about Elephants. Does anyone know where this one stands? Special prize for the correct answer.

Ah...elephants..the Carthaginian old soldier's home?

 

[faraday]

5 hours ago, sotonowl said:

Not again. How's he getting banned all the time. Is he in the Covid/Vaccination threads creating havoc?

Most likely, these 'alternative theories' don't sit well. Any deviation from the 'norm' & all that. ????

 

I feel as if I am a  naughty child by posting that.

KnowotImean?