For PH

Made this for PH's wall...I hope she likes it.

Does my bum look big in this?

A few weeks back my Mum gifted me an unwanted back pack vacuum cleaner. Great! It so happens that my resident VC is literally held together with some sort of industrial strength silver tape. My Dad expresses concern "Isn't that the one you had to wear ear muffs with?". Mum reassures him (us) that it isn't. Unwanted only because it didn't have a particular feature.

I return home with my new VC and promptly put my old one out for the council kerbside rubbish collection.

Saturday arrives, this is cleaning day (he, being Stray, is at golf as usual). I don't mind this routine, it gives me a clear run at doing the floors, without interruptions or dirty feet walking in and out of the house.

I find a power lead, not long enough, I add a second one. This is going to be great! No wheeling, pulling, unplugging, replugging from room to room. I attempt to strap it on my back and nearly topple over. And again...got it this time.

Right...turn it on...right...how? I feel and fumble around for the switch, coz I can't see anything...it's on my back. No luck, off it comes and I memorise where the switch is. Start again. Turn it on. Works a treat, strong suction, all the various head attachments. Although I must admit, I did feel a bit awkward (back heavy) and a bit silly.

A few weeks go by. Saturday (Golf) Cleaning. Saturday (Golf) Cleaning. Saturday (Golf) Cleaning.

I haven't bothered strapping it on since the first vacuuming. Now I just move it along as I go, after all, it has no wheels...it's a back pack.

My Dad enquires by email..."So, how's the VC going? Gaining enough altitude?" After all, it does look uncannily like a jet pack. Like those out of an old spy movie. "It's all going fine," I say. Although I admit I've been doing more dragging, than wearing.

Saturday (Golf, but really early start golf) Cleaning...got put off for a few hours while I got distracted with? Ah, who needs a reason? I decide to give the back wearing thing another go. Hoist it on, turn it on and off I go. I could get used to this.

Early start golf = early home. He walks in, he's never seen the back pack VC, he's always at golf. He stands in the doorway looking at me blankly.

"That's just ridiculous," he says and walks off...

...to get the camera!

Gum and patches

6 days of gum for me and 16 days of patches for him.

My recent posts have looked a bit glum...not enough pics. So here's a random one. The view from the back door of our apartment - Barcelona 2006. Brings back memories of good food and having a bag stolen by gypsies.

Shhhhhhhhhhhh...enjoying the quiet!

After the recent turmoil in BKK, it's nice to enjoy the quiet. I hope it's all over...but time will tell. On the upside, some good news City Stands United As 4000 Clean Up :)

On the up, up side, I discovered some really interesting (for me) blogs while looking for local, Thai updates and will add them to the side menu soon.

In the meantime, a dear friend in BKK sent me this link to virtual tours, of Thai Palaces. Of course, nothing can compare to actually being there.

http://www.palaces.thai.net/vt/vtgp/

Unfortunately you can't walk around, but only look up, down, left ,right and round and round.

Did I mention we now have one of these?

Yes...one grandbaby. I debated whether to include her (and family in general) in this blog...after all, she hasn't given me permission to publish her photo. We'll call her PH and she's absolutely gorgeous.

Thailand's Woes!

Just as it seemed (to me) that Thailand was headed for civil war and that the trouble was spreading to other areas of the country, this was just posted on one of the many websites I visit several times a day:

Redshirt leaders turning themselves over to the police, Waaing a Buddha image before being whisked off seperately by the police.

Nattawut, now surrounded by police and reporters has been handed a microphone and is making another address to his supporters urging them to disperse, and cooperate with the authorities in sending them home. Says again that the struggle for democracy will carry on and that his heart is with them. http://www.thailandqa.com/

But on the other hand, this just posted on another website, regarding an area called Ubon Ratchathani...not Bangkok http://memock.wordpress.com/2010/05/19/ubon-red-shirt-protests-turn-violent/

I am sure that 'it ain't over yet'.

Stray's onboard!

Stray paid his deposit today for his TEFL course and I booked our flights as far as Kuala Lumpur, leaving Australia 21st October 2010. I am waiting for the price to go down for the flight to Chiang Mai...I am such a cheapskate :), but on the other hand, it doesn't hurt to save money now, for later.

I am keeping a very close eye on the political unrest via Google news. Although the reports by the big broadcasters like CNN, Bangkok Post and BBC can sometimes be on the 'sensationalisitc' side, reporting what they think is right, in too much of a hurry. I also refer to forums and websites of people (native Thais and farang) who are living there at present.

Paknam Web Forum (a bit slow to load the page) and Stickman are proving to be quite helpful. Stickman actually visits the troubled areas regularly and takes photos. Both shed light on the actual severity of the protests...sometimes disproving news reports...sometimes, making you really think about the possible violence.

Chiang Mai Mail also provides some news of where we will be studying, although, I suspect is quite 'sterile' in its reporting.

At present we are not concerned about Chiang Mai and are in contact with people living there. But, at the end of the day, we hope that Thailand will have sorted out their unrest by the end of the year. If it escalates, we will have to consider delaying our trip.

PS. The most infuriating aspect of the whole situation to date (for me) is the involvement of some idiot Australian living in Thailand and joining the protests. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFUDNW60z8U  I wish someone would check out his credentials and visa status. I am sure we would not appreciate it, if the situation was reversed!