cooked

some basic tests that you can do yourself, I used to do when transferring plants to the botanical gardens where I used to work:

Soil acidity

Granulometry (heavy clay, sand...)

Climate (seasonal rain..?.)

shadow, half shadow, full sun?

Organic material content (colour and smell)

Nutrient content

Moisture (under water, ... arid conditions)

Even doing this I sometimes had failures, with smaller plants I would take as much soil with me as possible.

I agree its a choice, but only for some. Science has proven that we are hard wired. Some people can walk away from it, some people cannot. It's in our DNA. Alcohol, cigarettes, cocaine, meth, caffeine, etc. Drugs are drugs.

Complete and utter twaddle.

Drugs are physically addictive. It has nothing to do with genetics, and people are not heard wired. Peoples personalities can vary for thousands of reasons.

The ability to not become or get over addiction is down to personality and circumstance and nothing to do with a genetic predisposition that cannot ever be overcome.

It's not easy and some will claim to find it easier than others, but that has nothing to do with being hard wired. Overcoming addiction is possible and achievable for everyone.

Not an intelligent comment.

Nice to know better than what scientific experiments have shown. Climate change is a load of twaddle also, as is the theory of evolution.

Yeah they grow on you. It was only when a sleep out of doors hanger on mut got ill and I thought he might leave us that I realised how much I liked the stupid animal.

The response will be that this is a good way to get rid of addicts just as the occurrence of Aids was thought to be a good way to get rid of 'deviants'.

I have talked to a few addicts and I can assure that feeding your addiction is not a matter of choice.

I have thought about this long and hard for some time. It is all very well saying that you prefer to die at home than go through unpleasant treatments, but who knows how you will be feeling when you hear the dreaded C word? I'm not sure that it is all that easy to get hold of morphine for use at home.

Going to a public hospital is not my idea of fun. Worse than in the UK 50 years ago, not clean, dependent on family to keep you clean and fed on something else than rice soup, and I have been told that you are still expected to pay for your medicines, otherwise they let you rot there, as they tend to do with Thais anyway. You can rent a private room for ฿600.- a day.

I went to a private hospital locally (Buriram) that seemed a lot better run and have much shorter waiting times than at the public (6 hours or more) and did the necessary to get a card from them. They have my address, a few health details, realise that I am not an unserious Farang that is trying to exploit the system.

I have a cheap Thai insurance that I had to conclude before the age of 65, am saving ฿6600.- a month as self insurance and have the possibility of going back home for treatment.

I f you decide to go for a nocturnal walk around here you have a very good chance of getting shot. And people think that Isaan is boring.

You only need one button for the dreaDED CAPS LOCK to spring into action.

Sharpen a scythe? You really want to know? Would be fun to do a video , but can't you find this on Youtube already?

At the top of the form that I printed out the first time I tried was written 'Bangkok' in Thai, which I didn't recognise then. I also had to fill out a new form by hand, no trouble since though.

...What is likely to happen if you show the finger to a big car with tinted windows?

We have aloe Vera growing in a few different places in the garden as four accident prone active kids about (my 3 sons and myself) and use it right from a broken leaf. Seems to take care of most of the cuts, scraps and bites.

ME Smith - just try keeping me off my bike and out of the jungle, might as well just pack up and move back to Boston

riceyumm - been to hosptial and I'm on antibiotic as well as other meds listed in OP

Johpa - totally lost me with the reference

But anyway learnt a lot from this topic, feeling a bit better today so think its getting better, thanks for all the input and love - there's so much love on TV it make me want to?!!

Apocalypse now I think. The guy gets out of the boat to collect mangoes and gets attacked by a tiger.

Did you try aloe vera yet?

Do you use it? How? I have read about preparing, just smearing on the juice doesn't work apparently: http://dokmaidogma.wordpress.com/2012/10/09/aloe-vera-does-cure-middle-age-acne/

When I got Swiss nationality years ago I was supposed to do nothing to prolong by UK passport. However the UK embassy told me that inside their embassy it was UK laws that were applicable, not Swiss. I would have a word with the Oz embassy, I'm sure they don't care if you also have Thai nationality despite their issuing an intent to renounce.

I was laughed at in the village when I did a lemon grass / chili / neem mixture and let it ferment (put it through a blender first), but it works up to a point. It is a repellent meaning that when it rains you have to apply again. I have since discovered a ready made preparation which I use when I am feeling environmentally friendly.

Sounds like you need to have a chat with your local motorbike taxi riders. They don't need to get violent, just ride by a few times and see what's up.

Who the hell is Rihanna? Am I supposed to be interested?

Pretending to not know who she is (or actually not knowing) doesn't make anyone care whether you're interested

well I got quite a few responses. You in love with the girl by any chance?

I agree. I also have a young Thai daughter, and am very concerned about the education system here. Am not really sure

that the private school system here is that much better than the public system. My primary concern is her learning

the process of critical thought. Clearly that process is not really needed here in Thailand, but when she goes

abroad to America to college it will certainly be needed...... So my thought is to do a fair amount of home schooling

in combination with the public school I will be sending her to, and will be keeping an eye on how things are turning out.

Our little girl goes to a private school in Buriram, supposed to be learning English (ahem...) Chinese, ok because teachers are mostly Chinese, and Thai. She speaks Bangkok Thai and gets criticised for not knowing Isaan expressions. Chaotic classrooms, I once watched how kids from another class just walked in and ran around.

She is a worker and is one of a small group of girls that do appear to be trying to get some work done.

Home schooling: if I had my way, that's what we would be doing, resistance from the family put paid to that. (Meaning I drive her to school every day, 5 - 6 000 Baht a month only for diesel). She teaches me Thai, I teach her English, I am already noticing bad pronunciations and other mistakes).

What I notice all the time is that she enjoys stimulation, I a getting her to correct me when I deliberately (or sometimes not) make mistakes, tell her fibs, hide her shoes.

Every situation is different, we are trying this solution for now.

OP - if I were you I'd use your 1,000 baht to open a Thai bank account and have money wired to you from home.

The chances of your new card arriving by 4 Oct (or at all) are slim and then you'll have trouble activating it or maybe get it swallowed again.

Relying on a single foreign card in Thailand (or anywhere really) is dicing with danger.

The reason I was using this card was that I had nearly emptied my Thai account buying electrical equipment, I still needed some more cash. Money is automatically sent to my Thai account every month, next payment around 4 October.

I didn't put in the wrong code as I got the 5000 Baht I requested as well as a receipt.

Then you will get transferred to the IDC (immigration jail) for deportation. This is a pretty bad place, a lot worse then the regular jails.

rubbish. How you can claim that IDC is worst than a regular jail.

Have you been there?

In a normal jail you are thrown with criminals, murders, drug dealers, rapists, paedophiles

while in IDC you found yourself with other unlucky foreigner.

Luckily i never been to IDC but i use my brain and i am pretty sure that a jail is worst.

Sometime i really wonder who are all these people who spreading myths, lies and BS.

Nice friendly post there Mr. Bender. People that have gone through the process report that IDC is worse.

I hate bloody geckos shit all over my kitchen and patio every day I kill on sight and would appreciate any tips to rid my house of them. Whatbthe bhell anyone can find attractive about this vermin is beyond me,

You sir are way out of line here. Geckos are wonderful, friendly creatures and quite witty as well. Have you not seen the Geicho Insurance TV commercials from America?? Some people can be so intolerant and ignorant.

Our humble dwelling is full of geckos and they do not shit all over the place. There must be bad Karma in your immediate proximity.

Difficult to see from the photo. Isn't that the caterpillar of Hawkshead moth? Remove by hand if possible.

Pretty obvious really, but I learned a lesson. Our electrician turned up on Saturday and we didn't have enough cash for work plus material. I went to a small ATM near the shop, got my money with a foreign credit card, that then was swallowed. I blocked the card of course, Bangkok Bank say they can't get the card back! Ordering a new card was ok but I don't expect to see it soon, assuming it gets through the kind hands of our postal system.

So now until about 4 October I have 1000 Baht (luckily our local village shop will give us credit).

So in future I will only use ATMs attached to a bank during opening times.

I reckon you won't be able to get rid of the heat that will build up in the soil, despite venting. You will finish up using shading net any way. Maybe you should try a small set up before investing. I agree about the rain though, our garden was under water for three days recently, I will have to sow again.