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

Black is the new Invisible

Of late I have been going to and staying in places with dark furniture, low level lighting conditions, carrying black lined suitcases.

Here's the thing.

Trying to find a black wire attached to a black charger in a black lined suitcase in a dimly lit room with no windows is a thorough nightmare.

The hotel I am staying in at the moment has a dark wood panelled theme. I open the wardroobe door and even though the light  outside the wardrobe is on, it takes me a while to find my black socks!

Lighten up world!

DW

Coffee Makers

You don't want to forget to put the cup under the spigot of the coffee maker in your hotel room.

Otherwise i can imagine the complete mess you would have to clean up!

Another top tip from ...

DW

The Bard of Bangkok

Our Secretary of State for Education has pronounced that children of 5 to 10 should learn things like poetry and stuff. In a discussion forum on the internet, I penned this ode. Oh! Flippin' 'eck and misery me What ever can that Gove chap be? Is he a gadfly or a pantomime horse? I doubt that I shall pass HIS course. I cannot deny that literature fair is something grand, even debonair but forcing children as young s five to read this stuff just cannot jive I quite agree with that dandy Gove that learning is one's treasure trove but there is just one thing to take as a rule the majority of us do not go to public school In other words, Gove out! Duncan

Oh! by the way ... about your lost luggage

... we'd like to tell you that we've done it to you again! Hope you don't mind. See you soon: pip, pip! For the third time in a row, one or other airline and/or a national security system has decided that I don't need my clothes, toiletries and so on when I arrive at my destination so they have kept them in New York. For a while. The people at the airport here were very nice and informative. The concierge at the hotel has taken my document and is poised ... I took the view after the KLM/Egypt Air debacle in April that there will be no more stress and no more chasing of delayed luggage. If it comes it comes. I will certainly never spend £120 of my own money again to solve a problem that they caused. If necessary, I will wait until I am going home and see what they tell me at every airport I touch on the way back. I have lived before for a week in the same clothes ... washing smalls in the evening and then drying them overnight. I travel dressed in a smart casual way anyway and my clients are very tolerant of lost luggage. I never travel in jeans. So let's see what happens this week. They told me that the next flight from New York would arrive at 5 am today ... and they would deliver my case to my hotel. Someone else at the airport told me that the security people in New York often hold bags back for special analysis ... well, good luck to them. I'll keep you informed.

UPDATE Sunday 7th August, Andy Murray Day, my suitcase arrived! It took me ages to break the seal the airline had secured it with. All is well.

DW

Panoramic View from my Window

I have used the panorama setting on a few cameras now and here's my latest effort ... from my hotel bedroom window just now.

DW

With Bulldog Tenacity Like this, how on Earth did the Banks ever get into such a mess?

Every now and again my bank, nem con, blocks my Visa Debit card and either calls me or sends me an sms to tell me FRAUD ALERT FRAUD ALERT FRAUD ALERT ... we have noticed unusual activity on your card and have blocked it for your security. Call this UK number urgently ... It's happened so often that I just slept on it and then called a few minutes ago. They took me through the usual stuff: date of birth, card number, house number and post code la la la. Then they list the latest transactions on the card and ask, did you do that? Yes, yes, yes ... is my usual answer. So I passed that test and she said, put the phone down and you can use the card straight away. I said, can say something? She said yes. I said, if you look over my account for the last n years you will see that it's not unusual for me to go from Thailand to Dubai to New York to Mexico City, where I am now; and because of that, a few years ago I made an agreement with you to give me worldwide clearance for my transactions. She said, that agreement is still in place but your activity triggered our fraud alert. I asked which one or other transactions and she said, the online transaction ... it was that one that we blocked. She then said something about systems, coming into place next month and I stopped listening. I was thinking, it's going to happen again, laddie! So I simply said thank you as she said thank you. I am grateful that they are looking after me but when I put the phone down I roared with laughter because the transactions they were querying were for >£200 for cash (to pay the rent), <£400 (at Dubai Duty Free), £6.5 (for on board access to the internet, which I have never done before) and £10 (online to top up my UK phone number). It was the £10 online transaction that spooked them!!! Ten Pounds out of about £650!! Take care of the pennies!! DW

It Knows you Know

You've had those times, I'm sure, when you've left your computer for a while, maybe as long as an hour or even more. For  some reason the monitor has stayed on for when you return. Then either as you get back to it or even sit down to start using it, the monitor then decides to switch off.

I am on a plane and my tv is not working. I can change channels but get no moving images and get no sound. When i got on board I was able to watch a film then it cut out. I was able to restart the thing but it cut out again and then it has been in a mood ever since.

After that, the monitor would come on then got to sleep. Wake it up, it sleeps.

I slept for a while but then went for a walk round the cabin and for some reason for the 15 minutes or so that I was away, the monitor stayed on: frozen screen, no sound but I could see something.

As soon as i got back into my seat the tv  closed down. As if it knew something!

Odd that!

DW

Mallard Two

It WAS green ...

From 4th July 1952 to August 1963 and its retirement Mallard's livery was Brunswick Green. Then it reverted to its original Garter Blue.

I always think of Mallard as green and now i know why.

Photo from http://oakparkrunnerssnippets.wordpress.com/2012/12/14/class-a4-pacific-mallard/

The Mallard that Didn't Quack!

This week i read the story that the A4 Pacific class steam engine Bittern is to be allowed to travel at 90 miles an hour even though steam engines are normally limited to 75 mph in England.

If you don't know this class of engine, take a look and you will see why The Mallard has been my favourite steam engine since i was a child.

I can't remember the year it happened but The Mallard was being used to pull a train going to Blackpool (?) snd it was going to pass through but not stop at my home town, Todmorden.

That was a real highlight. The Mallard duly arrived and, bliss and rapture, was held at a signal as it turned onto the Burnley line so we got to admire it for that bit longer.

No photos to mark the event. Then again, i should search the archives of the Tod Rag to see if they kept theirs!

There was an oaf and a rebel that day. As the train stopped, this clown ripped up a small piece of paper and chewed it. He then took the pump from the bike he was riding, drew the pump handle back and stuffed the soggy paper in the outlet at the end of the pump. He then pushed the handle back with great force and the paper pellet turned ballistic, doing no damage and causing no harm to anyone. Made him feel big I suppose.

The Mallard ... fantastic engine.

DW 

UPDATE: 30th September 1961 ...

"A4 'Mallard' turns onto the Burnley line with the Alan Pegler sponsored 'Northern Rubber' special on 30 September 1961. The caption suggests that the A4 left the WD banker 'standing' but in fact the banker in the shape of 90348 banked in the normal manner, and there is photographic evidence by E F Bentley showing the WD buffered up to the Devon Belle observation car and under way at the rear of the train."

Taken from a book referred to here:

http://www.hall-royd-junction.co.uk/Hall_Royd_Prototype/Bibliography.html

Stressed? Who, me?

Back to Bangkok today. The bus was due to leave from Surin, about 35 miles away, at 8:25 am. We said we'd leave at 7 am and left at 7:10 am.

The roads were quiet and we got to the bus station in good time. Unloaded the suitcase and set off to find our bus. We stopped to ask a tuk tuk driver: Oh! That bus leaves from another station, that way ... points vaguely away from where we were.

Reloaded the suitcase and set off again. The traffic lights were with us. We tootled along for a couple of kilometres but could see no sign of another bus station. We stopped and asked again ... Go back, at the lights turn right and it's on your left after 200 metres or so.

We found it with 10 minutes to spare and caught it.

Still, uncertainty one doesn't need.

As we set off, on time, we passed through the original bus station within a minute or so ... it was so close we could have walked!

By the way, following on from my previous post on the subject, the man in front of me has put his seat right back and is sleeping No one else on the bus has their seat reclined so far. It's me! I am fated. There is still plenty of legroom for me, though 😁

DW

Praying Mantis

More photos by her indoors!

DW

More Butterflies

Just by coincidence they're all butterflies but they're not all from the garden this time.

DW