harsu

No, it's a water pump with a small "scotchbrite" type filter that I clean every day.

The water sample would have been a good idea, but I've already changed the water and all seems fine now - I hope!

As you have a power supply stick in a bubble one as well can't do any damage and the full monty only cost's a few hundred bt. Hope all go's well. There is another option Gold fish now they never die.

I don't think I've seen goldfish here. What are they called in Thai?

Goldfish are called ปลา ทอง (blah tohng ) = fish gold!

We currently have 8 in an outdoor raised brick pond. The pond has two levels, the first is only about 60cm deep, then it drops down another 40cm to help with maintaining water temp.

When we bought them they were approx. 5cm long, now - 18months later - they are all about 18cm long, including their long tails. They are 'reject' lion head and fancy tailed ones, so won't grow as big as normal ones. We have lost a couple to the local Coucal bird and nearly another when I took off one of the filters and left the pump running- came back to find one goldfish sucked tight against the pipe. Despite bruising and scale loss , he survived. The other near disaster was when we thought we'd be clever and introduce a few louches to eat the algae. Day one - lovely, they were rasping away, keeping us amused by clinging onto the vase for the fountain to enjoy the gush of water. Day two - what was that hanging onto the side of that goldfish? A blooming louch! Apparently they shouldn't be put in with slow moving fish like goldfish as they like to latch onto other fish and eat their mucous coating. They can erode right through into the fish body. Needless to say they were found an alternative home, and we learnt to research things a bit more thoroughly.

We have found them to be interesting and stunning to watch , and as long as their water is kept clean, very easy to care for. They are all called Bob.

I tried to give blood for this man, but unfortunately was not allowed too as I have recently had a vaccination.

Hope he gets what he needs soon, best wishes.....

At the risk of sounding boring, I'll add my plea for any of you to come forward to help.

If you don't know what blood group you are, then why not combine a bit of shopping /visit to the cinema with giving a blood donation - at Central Plaza on the 9th September (I think it was between 10 and 3pm!!) there will be your opportunity to find out.

Drink plenty of fluids (non-alcoholic) before and after, eat normally that day, and remember you won't be able to give blood if you have previously had chemotherapy, are on antibiotics/antivirals, have recently had a vaccination, and have or had certain diseases such as hepatitis, or are HIV +ve etc. and if you have to take one of the (very)limited range of medications that prevent you giving blood. Most of us under the age of 60 would be able to give blood.

See you all tomorrow. We will see if our weather lucky streak continues. Lots of cover nonetheless.

We can always play a very fast game of Pooh sticks on the NamKok - it's some flow at the moment.

Please don't... not unless you do so with full compliance and authorisation from the Thai authorities.

No matter how well-intentioned the motive behind importing non- certified and authorised stock/ seed and related plant material is - you also have the potential to bring in viruses, fungi and other disease causing organisms. You also - though I've no doubt this is not the case with the advacado plant! - have the risk of introducing a plant species which , when it gets into this new environment will a, not thrive,( or , even worse), b, thrive so well that it becomes a pest as it is not controlled by local bugs and diseases. ...Mimosa pigra and pudica, giant Hogweed, Japanese Knot weed all spring to mind.

The Thai government has importation regulations in place. I'm sure someone on here will add the exact details.

I'm sure you've all seen the signs around town announcing the opening of a new coffee shop and spa by the NamKok. ... just along the road from the RimKok Hotel and the Imperial Riverside resort. Beautiful wooden construction in a colonial/tropical style - high ceilings, white wood, small conservatory, pretty 'English' garden with delphiniums and borders overlooking the river. Very nice owner(s)- Thai with Swiss husband. She cooks all the cakes/pastries herself - and they are scrumptious. Big portion sizes - took three of us to eat a slice of the Banoffee pie.

Tried it out last week. Between us we tried an Americano, Caramel latte, and a white chocolate frappe -which had nice lumps of choc. in it. All v.v. good.

There's a spa building attached - a friend tried it and recommends it too. Prices are a little higher than Wawee or Doi Chang, but it's now no. 1 for us. Relaxing.

I think it's open till 7pm at night.

Even for farang?

What were the movies?

There was a group of us (13) that went. Saw Captain America. Surprisingly good.

Yes, even for farang. Also an over 60 discount if you do not go on Wednesday.

Only bad thing is the English language ones are generally the 3D and premium. Only one non 3D english that I have been able to watch,.

We were terribly bad/sad and went back again yesterday to see the new planet of the apes film - enjoyed it - ties up the other threads of the series very well. Not in 3D, cost 180B each..which compared to UK prices is pretty reasonable.

We've also seen two trailers for the Cowboys and Aliens film - one was in Thai, the other in English, so I don't know what language the actual film is going to be in.

Cineplex appears to be learning. The Movie Thor is Englsh with Thai subtitles. But being a 3 D movie the ticket prices are higher at about 200 per person.

Now a few more Thai Movies are being shown with English Subtitles. 2 are Thai Movies with English subtitles. But 2 other Hollywood films are still Thai soundtrack only.

Strange how many movies start or end and McDonalds and other fast foods in Central are already closed.

Tried out the cineplex at Central this week- pleasantly surprized, Comfortable seats and very nice cheese popcorn. Both films we saw were in English with Thai subtitles, good quality soundtrack. Only one thing to be aware of - if you are reserving seats on-line, please note that though the web-site says you can pick up your tickets up to 30 minutes before the film starts, in fact your pre-booking lapses if you don't pick them up 45 minutes before the film starts. Not a problem for us today as it was mid-afternoon and quiet, but could be a bit of a problem at busier times and if you are travelling some distance to CR. This cancellation obviously doesn't apply if you pre-pay as well.

Also note that Wednesday is discount price day.

Thank you for heartening response. Feeling better this morning. I guess it came to a head when the damp attracted the toads. The kitchen is an outdoor Thai one and the cupboard doors wouldn't close (too waterlogged so the wood swelled) and the toads moved in permanently. Hot on their heels came a 5 foot green and yellow snake, keen to help with the housekeeping. It all got a bit much, on top of the continuous problems with the TV and the internet. I will sit down calmly today and think. I DO appreciate your kind advice. Thank you very much.

The only comforting thing I can add, is that the snake was probably a golden tree snake and, therefore,non- poisonous. My penny's worth: there are many very nice areas in CR, set yourself a time limit for how long you are willing to tolerate the conditions/ lack of repair of same, and if not sorted by that date, move. CR forum posters will help with suggestions of where is nice, what they know is available etc.

While life is not meant to be totally problem free, having to put up with miserable living conditions - when you have the freedom and resources to alter this - is a shame. Don't let it spoil your stay here.

P.S Nice to hear another female voice on the forum.

Try a couple of sheep.

Never seen sheep in Thailand at least not where I live.

Rule 1 for Thai wildlife....if it is de.licious it has been eaten allready.

I think goats survive here better than sheep and coud be suitible too.

Goats are great in some respects but they will mow off your shrubs and flowers. They will also strip the trees as high as they can reach when standing up on their hind legs. They aren't picky eaters.

Not picky - but just don't let them try rich tea biscuits. Being mugged by a herd of British Alpines everytime they hear (or think they hear) the rustle of biscuit paper can be tiring, especially when you're trying to do some field work. Ours would trample each other in the rush for these, pea pods and rosebay willow herb as well. Goat milk is great too, can be frozen (doesn't seperate on thawing) and makes delicious yogurt etc. Lovely animals.

I was deeply disappointed at todays' PotLuck. Despite strenuous efforts I was unable to sample more than a quarter of what was on offer. Too much good food. I started from the right hand side of the groaning table (well, it would have groaned if it hadn't been made of concrete), but only got 2 feet along before my plate was overflowing. This is unfair.

Lots of chatter, a brief foray into the art of bocci/boule/petanque, new faces - all made for a nice relaxing afternoon.

ditto fredob43's post, my dad grew up with geese on a farm and said they can be quite vicious although they are great guards.

Maybe you'd be better off with a couple of ducks.

We kept geese on our croft (small farm) in UK. for a few years.

The negative side :Loud, noisy, belligerent, very good warning system of unusual activity in the vicinity- but not necessarily what you or your neighbours want to hear in the early hours of the morning. They can take a dislike to a family member and chase them or even try to attack them. They do eat grass, they also need a commercial or home made more varied diet to compensate for the lack of variety if they only have access to grass. They pass copious amounts of poo - which is a good fertiliser but not pleasant if you have to walk through it in your one rai of land. They really need to have access to water to bathe and swim in daily to maintain feather quality and for their well-being. If you can only offer them a small pond- be aware of how quickly the water becomes fouled- geese don't come out to poo, and they make a lot of mud, especially in rainy weather when they dabble with their beaks through the grass looking for worms and other invertebrates. The pair of geese (which you might choose) will not necessarily fall in love with each other and be happy to make babies for you. They can squabble quite ferociously with each other.

The positive side: if you find the right ones, they will be friendly, noisy beautiful birds who produce delicious eggs. But not pets. They also live a long time.

If you want to keep waterfowl, and you can provide the space then my recommendation would be to go for the ubiquitous Muscovy duck (a tree roosting duck- or maybe goose!-) from South America. Brilliant mothers- it's not unusual for the duck to successfully rear 20-24 ducklings in the UK. They will also warn of intruders, but are much more family friendly and can be great characters. They do lots of hissing and tail wafting, neck bobbing to establish flock position. Very hardy, don't tend to wander and really don't do much more than a very low level fly past if they are being extremely energetic. We kept them for about 15 years, until fox predation just got past the point of it being enjoyable any more. Treat them nicely, don't chase them and they'll come and take food from your hand , and leave the babies with you while they go off and have a bath.

You do have to watch where they lay their eggs though - being originally a tree- nesting duck, it wasn't unusual for them to lay their eggs up on the steading wall shelving (about 7ft up) and then when the eggs hatched, the ducklings would have to jump - we used to put straw bales under where we hoped they'd leap off. And they still will make a lot of poo and mess - they won't go with a pristine garden. They also need more than grass to eat to keep them healthy.

Hi anyone care to jot a few notes on how to start donating in Thailand, please? I've given 101 shots (that's 80 litres of prime O negative blood, don't know where it all came from 'cos me only 60kg), keen to get 'revamped'... should I just walk into local hospital (no Chumphon) or contact Red Cross?. Thanks, aarn

Hurrah! If you phone the local regional hospital on the number I gave in the original post, and ask to be put through to their Blood bank, they will give you the information you need.

If - however- you experience some language/communication difficulties, you can p.m me and I will pass on your name and phone number to Dr. Pichanu (Dep.Dir.)of the hospital who is trying to put together a list of Rh.Neg. donors for contact in an emergency.

Brilliant Anna.

Enjoy your youth; your enthusiasm for life and never ever Join the Chiang Rai Womens institute.

And don't ask me about the CR womens institute, its more a state of mind than a reality

Yes, a thousand men can post a gripe on here and get all kinds of advice and moral support but if a woman does it and there are replies, we have to mark it as inconsequential whinings of a female, not old enough to know better. I know enough guys in this town who still work, most of them ridiculous hours, still gripe about it and who still acknowledge that what they are doing is better than not doing anything. Of course, when the topic comes up, there are suggestion and offers of opinions and alternatives by the listeners. And by and by, some of them change jobs occasionally. They all know what they want but nobody is going to give them what it takes to get there. And as in my case, I have finally gotten to that end goal many times, only to discover that there are still a lot of things out there I want to try.

I think it is obvious that Anna is WAY ahead of some, regardless of her age. She actually knows what it is like to devote some of her time and resources to helping others. She can identify places to make a positive difference in someone else's life and then she acts on that information. Let us hope that indeed, she never does, at any age, decide it is better to become a member of the bitter Chiang Rai Women's Institute. She is a bright star on the little planet. Wish there were more like her.

Many, many years ago (before I became a bitter and twisted person under my own steam and without undue influence from others), I was invited to go along to a WRI meeting in Boyndlie, Aberdeenshire by my nearest neighbour. A lovely 'old fashioned' farmers' wifie, I suspected it might not be for me, but I was new to the area and meeting people is often a good thing to do. .

After sitting through some prayers and then earnest discussions amongst the very nice ladies about the up-coming Trade stand competition at the Turriff show and who was going to knit the hat, make the rowies and design the card for that years' theme display, I decided it wasn't my cup of tea. We were then entertained ( without benefit of a fortifying alcoholic beverage) by a visiting group from another WRI group. Half way through the warbling my neighbour leaned over to me and asked me if I was 'enjoying the show, the 'old fat wifies are nae bad, ya ken'. Oh, I thought, that's a bit below the belt, they're really not that overweight, and maybe the niceness is just for show after all.

No, Kath. turned out to be one of the best and sincerest neighbours anyone could have wished for, and - about a week later, out driving in the car and a bit more used to the Buchan claik, the Doric, where the 'wh' are pronouned as 'f's, I saw the signpost to 'Old What' village.

Bring them along to the PotLuck on Sunday, we can try the game out. Maybe I'll source some marbles too.

Thank s everyone,this is first class information.

Also many Thanks to Harsu ,about the information on the zoo,we will certainly go there

Best Wishes & Thanks

Wiley Coyote

If they like the zoo they might like to go up to the captive breeding bird park - part of the National Wildlife/Park system - up on Doi Tung. Lots more birds, fab. green and Indian peacocks, Siamese firebacks, parakeets etc. Come off the superhighway going towards Mae Sai, and head on up towards the Royal Villa, but where you would normally turn up to the left to the garden and villa where the road divides, carry straight on past the little reservoir, a couple of small settlements. gardening ventures and the park signs , and park entrance- is on your left shortly afterwards. Free entrance again, opens about 8 till5pm. No cafe, but lots of shady areas and seating. Toilets.

In our Community events thread, you might have seen information about a Health information day held last Tuesday, and hosted by the local Health Authority.

One of the topics that came up was how we can contribute to CR. and the Dep. Director of CR Regional hospital - the big very busy one in town - made the excellent suggestion of blood donation.

Not only does this help other people, but - it may well be critical for us as incomers as well. Why? Simply because, well over 90% of the people in N.Thailand are Rhesus Positive. if you are an incomer, with Rh. negative blood and need a transfusion, the local blood bank may not have any and may have to send down to Bangkok to get a supply. Not what you want to happen in an emergency.

Whatever your blood group, you will be welcomed. All the local hospitals - private and public - share the blood bank facilities and supplies.

if you are Rhesus negative and able to give blood you can help even more by being willing to give your contact details so that the hospital can contact you in an emergency situation.

This is a tremendously worthwhile thing to do.

How to give blood.

• If you have a known disease, or if you are over 60 years of age, you will have to get a letter of health from your own doctor prior to presenting yourself to give blood. Other than these circumstances, you just need to ring to make an appointment.
• The Phone number for the regional hospital is 053-711300, and ask to be put through to the Blood Bank. When you go to the Blood bank, it has a parking area you can use.
• The Thai Red Cross will give you an Honour Coin when you donate at 1,7,16,24,36 times!

If you know what blood group you are and want to be put on the emergency contact list, you could p.m. me and I will pass on your details to the Blood bank if you like, or , please, contact them directly.

Many thanks to you all for your help and advice. To explain what we needed it for - a gentle sloping 3 metre bit of roof which doesn't throw off copious amounts of water, but needs remedying because it's: a, such a waste, and b, drips and splashes all over where we store the bikes, and for the front straight run of the car port where it runs off into the back of the pick-up converting it into a small swimming pool. Both areas are shaded for most of the day, so U.V damage is minimised.

The simplicity of the runs influenced our final decision after looking at your options. If we had a whole house to do, we'd get it made for us.

We went and visited the places suggested. Home mart had been re-vamped since we were last in there, and it had vinyl guttering and it had All the connections in stock!.. in total shock, we went ahead and bought the bits.

It was available in white or brown, make is Windsor.

3 metre run is 560B, down pipe (3 m) is 280B, With 5 of the 3 metre lengths, all the ends and connectors, things to hold it on the fascia, corner bit, downpipe hoppers, two downpipes, top guards,etc it came to 4,842B which seemed reasonable to us as it looks and feels substantial. Only time will tell!

CR forum is the best for advice. Thanks again

Not about elephants... but if your children are quite young, they might like the little zoo off the old Chiang Mai road . Head towards Mae Lao, and where the road does a sharp right hand bend between Km marker 20 and 21, go straight on onto the minor road, then follow the signs. Free entry, the birds are the best bit, some gibbons free roaming on an island, massive iguanas sharing this too. Some of the cages for the bigger animals wouldn't score highly against modern Euro zoo standards, but it's a nice pleasant place to visit. Buy bananas there to feed the hornbills and the porcupines, and if you take some dry dog food then the otters, porcupines and green parakeets will be your friends for life. Sultanas/raisins hit the spot with the soft-billed birds. There's a little cafe for drinks and snacks.

Thanks very much everyone, we'll check out Home thingy again, then the hardware shop Kandahar suggested near Den Ha first of all. If we can't see what we need, we'll maybe need to p.m for phone numbers - though T. is very taken with the idea of blue water pipe.. We'll let you know what we find and any prices. Ta.

I happened upon one of these a while back. Can't recall the name that I was told that it was. I almost ended up in a fight for my life though. I had been walking around in the same general area for some time, just looking at different things and not aware that the thing was in the area. When I finally realized it was there, I was within about two feet of it and it was very aware of me. I froze, remembering that you are not supposed to make quick movements, as that can be perceived as a threat. Being so close, I had to decide whether I would be allowed to move away without inviting a strike or if I should actually make the first strike- "a good offense being the best defense", kind of thinking. I kind of tested him out, to see if he would tip his hand, so to speak. I leaned a bit left and then a bit right, but as I did, he moved his head right in time and motion with me, almost imperceptibly, but movement all the same. As near as I could tell, he pretty much had me in his sights and he was as capable as I of striking first. I decided to go first, hoping I could strike hard and fast and then retreat out of reach as he tried to avoid the incoming threat.

Not wanting to telegraph my move, I slowly raise both of my hands, moving them farther away from my body as I raised them. He would have to divide his attention between the two and hopefully, that would give me the advantage I needed. I also started cocking my head from side to side, just to add one more bit of movement for him to inventory. At last, I realized that he was thoroughly involved in trying to monitor my decoy movements and as long as I chose the correct hand to strike with, things would go my way. Wanting to add just a bit more confusion to his situation, I slowly raised my right foot, eventually bringing my knee up almost to my chest. It was time to strike.

Then the tour guide came by and told me to move along to the next cage, which was a turtle display and that was kind of cool to see.

Excelle

nt, had us all grinning.

On a serious note, like scea. posted, not nice to have one around. Clean tidy gardens are a must here. I have a lovely photo of my mother - then in her late 70's -holding up a 5ft long spitting cobra encountered in her kitchen which got bashed to death with some broom that was at hand. Her gardener had walked in behind her when she called out and dived headfirst out the window. Much the most sensible thing to do, I would have thought discretion rather than attack was the plan. Does anyone have any advice about what is the best thing to do if you come across one?

I happened upon one of these a while back. Can't recall the name that I was told that it was. I almost ended up in a fight for my life though. I had been walking around in the same general area for some time, just looking at different things and not aware that the thing was in the area. When I finally realized it was there, I was within about two feet of it and it was very aware of me. I froze, remembering that you are not supposed to make quick movements, as that can be perceived as a threat. Being so close, I had to decide whether I would be allowed to move away without inviting a strike or if I should actually make the first strike- "a good offense being the best defense", kind of thinking. I kind of tested him out, to see if he would tip his hand, so to speak. I leaned a bit left and then a bit right, but as I did, he moved his head right in time and motion with me, almost imperceptibly, but movement all the same. As near as I could tell, he pretty much had me in his sights and he was as capable as I of striking first. I decided to go first, hoping I could strike hard and fast and then retreat out of reach as he tried to avoid the incoming threat.

Not wanting to telegraph my move, I slowly raise both of my hands, moving them farther away from my body as I raised them. He would have to divide his attention between the two and hopefully, that would give me the advantage I needed. I also started cocking my head from side to side, just to add one more bit of movement for him to inventory. At last, I realized that he was thoroughly involved in trying to monitor my decoy movements and as long as I chose the correct hand to strike with, things would go my way. Wanting to add just a bit more confusion to his situation, I slowly raised my right foot, eventually bringing my knee up almost to my chest. It was time to strike.

Then the tour guide came by and told me to move along to the next cage, which was a turtle display and that was kind of cool to see.

Excellent, had us all grinning.

I'm being lazy and asking for information rather than getting in the car and driving around.

Does anyone know where I can find guttering in town? I don't remember seeing it in Home Pro or SaHaPaibon(!) or in any of the smaller building places. I need something that will cope with waterflow coming off a gently sloping roof. Any ideas? Thanks, in advance, for your suggestions.

I seem to remember a vet telling me once that some (NOT ALL) dogs have an extreme ear sensitivity to the thunder. Perhaps it actually even hurts their ears.

There are a lot of atmospheric changes that we tend to be unaware of (unless we really concentrate) when a thunderstorm approaches, that dogs seem to remain more sensitive to.

The atmospheric pressure changes, the air becomes ionised - it smells different ly, there is frequently a change in the wind and clouds - even electrostatic disturbances.

All these things get picked up by the animals long before we notice -they're not usually being distracted from the natural world and they have much better hearing and sense of smell than us. Many dogs seem to be disturbed by storms, and other loud noises- hounds and herders are reputed to be amongst the worst affected, but the reaction of owners definately can contribute as dogs will pick up and react to their fears.

And -I suppose - if you are a dog just sitting there, even if you've become aware of these changes, and there is an almighty bang, the earth shakes, you're not going to think - 'Ah, this is related to that other atmospheric phenomenon I saw a few seconds ago- that flash of light that burst upon the night sky in a westerly direction, lets start counting and work out how near the storm is'.

Probably a society that shows fear of storms will end up with dogs that don't like them either.... or maybe Thai dogs don't like getting wet.

My two hounds are completely unconcerned by any phenomenon unless it involves the prospect of food, or is of sufficient speed when it crosses their line of vision that it says to them 'chase me'. Not even a twitch of the ears during the recent earthquake until we dragged them outside by their collars.

There is a good one in the new row of shops directly opposite Sammakhi School, not sure of the name but it has translation service on the door/window.

I don't know if this information will be relevant for the original poster, but -just in case someone need to use this service - there is now a Legislation service set up by the Thai Passport Office in Chiang Mai.

They are the only Passport office outside Bangkok which is allowed to provide this service.

They will carry out certification of true signature, certification of Thai government documents, certification of translation of documents - (and will carry out this translation from Thai -English, and many other languages). Costs appear reasonable, and the time scales sound good - some language translations take more time than others.

They are next to the main Passport Office in Provincial Hall, Chotana Rd., C.M.

Phone (053) 891 535-6

Fax 053 891 534

An environmentally friendly cure for

fire ants has been announced by Walter Reeves on his Georgia

Gardener radio program. Testimonials that it REALLY WORKS

are coming in.

Simply pour two cups of CLUB SODA

(carbonated water) directly in the center of a fire ant

mound. The carbon dioxide in the water is heavier than air

and displaces the oxygen which suffocates the queen and the

other ants. The whole colony will be dead within about two

days.

Besides eliminating the ants, club

soda leaves no poisonous residue, does not contaminate the

ground water, and does not indiscriminately kill other

insects. It is not harmful to your pets, soaks into the

ground. Each mound must be treated individually and a one

liter bottle of club soda will kill 2 to 3 mounds.<br style="mso-special-character: line-break"> <br style="mso-special-character:line-break">

The more environmentally aggressive amongst us could always try a CO2 fire extinguisher.