We Made the Bed!

For reasons i will report on later, we decided to build our IKEA bed. I meant to take a photo at every stage but of course I couldn't. Here are the photos I did take!

DW

Yellow Tie

I am the one wearing the yellow tie!

My group in Dar es Salaam this week.

DW

Speed, Distance, Time Left, Petrol Consumption

Average Speed

This is not complicated but it's what I did as I was travelling from A to B on a long bus journey: I set up a spreadsheet to deal with the following.

Although there should have been nothing to worry about, I wanted to be sure that I would make my connection at my destination.

So I wanted to know how fast we were going. There were kilometre posts on the road side for most of the journey and my phone has a stopwatch utility. I found the speed of the bus by combining the distance travelled, one kilometre; and time taken to travel it. I could check our speed whenever I wanted to now!

Then I wanted to know how long it would take us at the last recorded speed to get to our destination B. All I needed to know was the distance to B and then use my knowledge of speed to estimate the time remaining. I could find the distance to B every now and again from the sign posts on the road that told us!

That's all I really needed to know but then I enhanced my spreadsheet by adding these calculations too:

Time to cover one kilometre:

In minutes
In seconds

I considered creating a table to record all of the speeds I found together with distances remaining etc but decided that was academic!

Finally, this spreadsheet can cope with kilometres or miles ... and can convert from one to the other.

Petrol Consumption

As I bought a new car recently I decided I would keep a record of all of the petrol I buy for it. I have also kept a record of the kilometres driven. I record the litres of petrol bought, odometer reading at the time I bought the petrol, cost of petrol, type of petrol: my car can use either E20 or gasohol 91 petrol.

My very simple spreadsheet shows all of the above data and the calculation of kilometres driven per litre of petrol and average cost per litre.

At this stage there are very few data points and the consumption averages have yet to settle down.

Duncan Williamson

Water, Water ... Anywhere?

The water for the house comes from the ground. So they are drilling for it today. As you can see here!

DW

Point to Point

Since i moved to Thailand i have travelled to Saudi Arabia, Mexico, England and Bangkok. All of those journeys essentially started in Bangkok.

Today i am taking a 6-7 hour bus journey to get to Bangkok as I wend my way to Dar es Salaam. 

The bus left 30 minutes late, which is not much of a worry as it can easily make up the lost time en route.

Any stress will come as we approach Bangkok. Last time I did this journey there were horrific holds ups at major road works near Bangkok. 

Whilst i am confident that my schedule has some slack in it, i like to control such things but when I can't I get tetchy! Anyone who has travelled with in times of loss of slack knows what I mean.

So far so good, then: free biscuits already  eaten and free bottle water started. 😁

DW

PS we were well on our way to the bus station when Namwan told me I'd left my jacket behind. Very unusually for me I turned the car round and got said Jacket. Clot!

Kitchen Work has Started

They have started fitting the kitchen now and the skirting tiles are going on ...

DW

Furniture Number One

The first piece of furniture we have built for the house: chest of drawers for the master suite. Being used before we move in, to tidy the space we're occupying at the moment 😁

DW

Book Review: We Bought a Zoo

Benjamin Mee wrote this good easy read. Matt Damon and Scarlett Johansson starred in the film of the book.

Surprise number one: the film is set in the USA, the book is set in England and France. The zoo is in England.

Mee is or was a journalist so his writing style is good, his story flows and develops stories and characters very well.

The story gas several prongs that include the death of the father, who we never meet; the death of the wife, who we do meet and the outrageously unlikely prospect of going from journalist to zoo owner and manager!

They do it! That's not much of a spoiler really as they made a documentary series on the Mee's rehabilitation of the zoo and there is that film to go on!

Mee tells stories of cowardly dogs, wild and very dangerous animals as well as people stories.

There's the big cat under sedation, being carried to the surgery ... when it wakes up 😳 everyone scatters as you can well imagine. Mee is left in its sights and groggy as the cat is, it is still a lethal killing machine. All ends well but it is the kind of story that keeps the book going.

As i was about half way through the book i thought that the stories of leadership, raising money, organising the family, learning how a business works, knowing who to hire and why made this as much a business book as a family tale. Much to learn here by your BA (BS) and B Com student.

The book us a few years old now but well worth reading: family and business points of view alike.

DW

Torrential rain Stopped Play

It rained and rained and lashed it down overnight and none of the building team came to work 😔

There was water in the dining room to mop up and dust to sweep: easily dealt with.

Then we spent an hour or so enjoying the peace and potential of this house. Reading my book, checking emails and so on.

We are looking forward to moving in!!

DW

The Rats Dug Deeper

We went to collect the car today from the Toyota repair shop to be told we couldn't have it yet.

The rats had done far more damage than everyone had thought and it will take more time to sort it all out.

😡 We've got to go back to Bangkok on Thursday!!!

DW

T'tiles are bein' laid

Here you are ... they are laying floor tiles now.

The fuse box was installed today ... about 20 fuses/switches altogether.

Progress!

Here's a Universal Truth

When you are carrying out a significant task or project or some such, everyone who has access to your work will tell you what you are doing wrong or that you are just creating problems for the future.

Very few, if any, if these people will say to you, i would like to help you here ... and then, actually give you that help. 

Of course, such help is often not needed in the slightest!

DW

Miss Mozzie Regrets

If you are a mosquito who bites my legs and feels they might like to read my book, too, take heed ... I will probably do this to you ...

DW

Channel V ... down wi' d kids!!

Channel V is on in the room and i take a look every now and again. This is what i see:

After a maximum of two seconds, the image/scene changes

The singer or group is singing on a stage in a studio or somewhere

The singer/group does, right, forward and backward steps to comprise the dance

They might grab their crotch st some stage

The same two second rule applies 

After a short time as they continue with their dance they will have suddenly changed their clothes from black to white

Each singer takes it in turn to face the camera and tries to look cool or worldly wise as they do so

The good news is that all of the singers look clean and tidy but of course there are still tattoos here and there.

Don't worry about baseball caps either: when worn, they are worn at a raunchy angle!

Not much originality boys and girls!

DW

The 9:15 am ...

This is the 9:15 am Gold Class service from Bangkok to Sisaket and it has just left on time.

DW

Two to the Power of what?

We had planned to tavel back to Isaan on Sunday or even Monday but things changed, as sometimes happens. That meant that we had to book our places on the coach by phone, go to 7-11 to pay for them, all quick quick.

Namwan did everything of course and when she told me it would cost 1,024 Baht for both of us i said,

That's two to the power of ten ...

Namwan: what?

Me: 1,024, that's two to the power of ten. Two to the power of ten is one thousand and twenty four.

Namwan: What are you saying?

I took the piece of paper she was using and wrote 2^10 ...

Namwan: Ah! I see. 

Then she said, You can teach me English but you will never teach me mathematics!

Let's see!

DW

T' Tiles 'ave Come!

There are tiles on site now. For floors, walls and columns. For example:

They did it again!

On the way back to Bangkok i said to Namwan, don't be surprised to find a new nest on the balcony where the old one was.

Sure enough, the adult surviving bird has found another mate and here is their new home ...

DW

Beetlemania

I had the beetle, the camera and the time. Oh! And the torch.

Here's what one might do with the aforementioned!

DW

Today's Nursery Update

The birds are doing well now and their eyes are beginning to open.

We are still feeding them on bread and water but found some ants today. Let's see if they like them.

They eat huge portions i have to say!

DW

Birds? I Spy SHOES!!

At first there was rapture at the sight of those six delicate little birds. Then they saw the shoes that Her Indoors had brought with her.

Birds ... you're already history!!!

DW

Parents of Orphans

Death comes to all of us and to find one parent dead and the other gone, one's thoughts turn to the children. There are six children of this union: sextuplets, in fact. That's rare enough but to be orphaned too makes it even more rare don't you think?

I am not sure what species of bird they are but i photograpged them as they built their nest on our balcony and then settled for what became inevitable: she would get pregnant. They would raise their chicks. Everyone would fly away and the life cycle would have started all over again.

I can hear at least one survivor as type: on the balcony in their nest, now modified to allow human access.

We are trying to rear these chicks but i think our first attempts have given them the itches. Muesli mixed with cow's milk and mashed to a pulp. They were all feeding last night.

I can just hope that the next three weeks or so are kind to all of us and here they are:

DW

Feminists: you did something bad, really bad

Just read this article, everyone.

https://m.devex.com/news/breastfeeding-needs-more-aid/81555?mkt_tok=3RkMMJWWfF9wsRonuK%2FOce%2FhmjTEU5z16ewrUaayhokz2EFye%2BLIHETpodcMS8ZlPK%2BTFAwTG5toziV8R7bNKc1r2NkQXBfn

Now, when you meet a feminist just tell her to stop worrying about portraits of women on a bank note and worry about the catastrophic consequences of bottle rather thab breast fed babies.

It's shocking.

DW

Lungfish or Abouttodiefish?

This fish was skittering across the garden: wither and whence I know not!

Is it a lungfish?

I made a very short video ... usual story, i can't upload from this app. Will try another way.

DW

UPDATE: when we returned from Bangkok the fish had gone! No one else knew it was in the pot so i assume it went over the wall in good old POW fashion!!

Another Moth!

This week I have seen and snapped a Tiger Moth and a half inch long frog in the loo here. Yesterday I found this one ... it's an Arctiid Moth according to http://marianlyman.wordpress.com/. Notice the image of a Lion's Head at the top of the back ... well, Lion's head as far as I can see!

What next I wonder as I ponder in the backa beyonda!! DW

Mozzie Man!

This man appeared with his smokey equipment the other day. Exciting while it lasted.

The idea is, mosquitoes eradicated.

DW

The Book ... Orf We Jolly Well!!

Here I am with manuscript in hand!

DW

Gnatwest Bank

I first opened an account with GnatWest in 1971 and, although i haven't always banked with them, for the last 10 or more years i have: maybe 20 years altogether.

Due to a blip, my fault or theirs i am not sure, i need a three WEEK line of credit. 

I called them on Friday and was handed over to a man who said there were three options available but you can't have any of them. Sorry, bye. I said the money in my fixed term deposit that matures in three weeks can easily be collateral for this three week line. No it can't. Bye!

That was it!

I complained over the rudeness of the man: not his decision but his rudeness. I also complained that a twelve month deposit suddenly became a thirteen month deposit: a) maybe i hadn't noticed this so maybe that was my fault b) this is the cause of my cash flow blip.

I had a call from a sympathetic customer complaints person on Friday and shared with her the rude emails i had received. She didn't acknowledge any of them so when i came to email her again last night for what i perceive as further sub standard service a) she had forgotten who i was in the space of three days and b) asked me for a complaints reference number which she had never shared with me.

Last night, Monday, i called the bank again and again asked BY NAME for my business manager. I had his mobile phone number before ... disconnected; i had his direct email address before, unavailable.

They ignored my request and put me through to the business "team" and guess who answered: the same rude man as last Friday. He started by saying, i already told you the answer. I said i didn't ask to speak to you ... Is my business manager in? Yes ... silence. Is he available ... silence! Then, not at the moment. I can ask him to call you back if you like but it won't do you any good. I gave him my number and waited for the return call. So far, nothing.

In the meantime i have been tweeting GnatWestBusiness and they suggest that their systems might be effective ... I tell them they are not. They promised last night they would get my business manager to call me, too. Ha ha!

This is the story so far!

DW

Can you Sing a Rainbow? And Another One? And Another One ...?

Not the world's best rainbow photo. I delayed a couple of minutes before taking it ... mistake 1. Then i only had my iPhone with me ... mistake 2.

Never mind, no one else in the universe has taken this photo!!

Did you know that every rainbow is accompanied by a fainter rainbow. If the rainbow is very bright, you should easily see its companion.

However, did you know that every rainbow has not just one but two, three ... many more companion rainbows even though we can't always see them

DW

Village Views

Just a few views from around the village ... Here they are: Buddhist Lent including morning service and in the evening a local dance troupe that was nice to watch ... young but well drilled dancers The braw bricht moolit nicht was hardly braw! Ready meal: chicken and rice ... didn't have my zoom lens unfortunately! I loved the Buffalo teeth ... I went back there especially to snap them! The paper lantern never got off the ground for some reason: it was a bit breezy and I assume that didn't help but many managed to get away. DW DW

Kitchen Designed

We had a man round yesterday! He came to measure our kitchen and design it with us.

Apart from one ridiculously expensive cupboard which we didn't need, i think we've done well.

We'll see in a month or so anyway, once it's been fitted.

DW

We got Plastered but no Headache

This happened today: we got plastered. A different kind of plaster to what we see in the UK; more like another layer of cement.

DW

We Thought it was a Good Idea

The master bedroom is quite big but a bit narrow where the bed is going to be and we just didn't appreciate that from the plans. We had an idea. Then another idea. Then a master plan.

The master bedroom is going to be a master suite: bedroom, dressing room, shower room, all en suite.

In the meantime, this is the immediate result of our change of plan:

DW

Car Gets its Plates

The car's ready with its number plates now: lucky number too ...

9+6+5+6

= 26

2+6

= 8

DW

The House: the latest

I am in Bangkok but Namwan has gone to supervise the house. Here are the latest photos.

DW

Mexico City Photos

Here are some ohotos rrom my trip last week DW

mexico City Photos

Successful Week

I had a very successful week in Mexico City including a city tour on the final afternoon, after work had finished.

Excellent delegates, very good location.

The trip home to Bangkok was uneventful but long. Had that very   inconvenient pick up thy baggage experience at New York again: a waste of an hour. That was offset by the best Emirates lounge outside of Dubai: great layout and very good staff.

DW