Kinnock

'Our' house is in her name, and after 13 years together she's not shown any inclination to throw me off the balcony .... mind you the balcony is only one floor up.😀 But I decided to not go with the complexity of company ownership or leasing the land, as I want her to have the house after I've gone. We also have a will in case she goes before me ... unlikely as she's quite a bit younger than me. I trust her completely, and she's never given me any doubts. However, the post about family pressure is a highly valid one. She is regularly asked to give financial support to various family members, and as she's the youngest in the family, there's an expectation she should help - simply because her sisters are entitled by being born before her. She's smart and tough enough to either just say no, or structure it as a loan, with no further support given until it's paid off. To my surprise they eventually do pay her back, but not without mounting resentment and friction. My wife is no longer on speaking terms with her older siblings. (The nieces and nephews are very different and more independent, but the older generation clings to the idea of 'gert gorn' entitlement). I've given up trying to explain the destruction of value by providing interest free loans, and the amounts are not huge, but the family's perception of her 'wealth' has created many issues. I should add that she project managed the design and build of the house, so it's right that it's at least partially hers ..... and she's super hot - so I tend to do as she asks anyway 🙂.

Went to the UK visa agent (VFS) office last year .... as others have said, entering the Trendy foyer area is no problem as there's coffee shops and restaurants there. Also several visa agents and places to copy docs. Going up to the offices there's a couple of private security guys to help organise the queues, but no checks for phones etc. While waiting for the Missus to get a visa I was messaging on my phone, but making a loud phone call with the speaker on would be bad form (anywhere).

Better to find a trusted lady here and fly her to your home country to look after the old chap. He'd probably prefer someone to cook and clean for him. Get her a French Maid uniform to cheer him up.

Don't think so - giving blood is part of the Buddhist 'making merit' tradition here. And if you come from a country that had CJD cases during the BSE issue you can't even be a blood donor here (although I heard that rule may change)

I caught a few random episodes of Yellostone .... I thought it was a shame that such good production values and actors was wasted on a sub-Dallas storyline. And (spoiler alert) could you really kill someone by throwing a snake at them?

Any vegetables (and fruit) can be contaminated with bacteria or viruses. E.coli from natural fertiliser or from animals on the farm, and Hepatitis A from people handling the fruit & veg are the most common risks. But in general raw onions are not often associated with food poisoning as they have a (slight) anti bacterial effect and the peel gives some protection. Using a vegetable wash is a good idea though. As mentioned earlier, the mayonnaise or the tuna is more likely to be the issue.

That's normal. The airline can only help with changes if you booked direct with the airline. Also, lower cost tickets often have limitations on changes, even those booked direct with airline.

The Honda ADV 160 has slightly better suspension travel than other scooters. But the best bike I had for bad roads was a Honda CRF 250M. It's now a 300 and the Motard version is no longer available, but Kawasaki also do 250 and 300 trail bikes, and the motard version is best for roads. The Honda CT125 is also a good option if you like semi auto.

I don't believe in the 'making merit' philosophy, and as my Mother used to say "no good deed ever goes unpunished, - but I do get pleasure from helping others, although I don't expect a reward in return apart from my personal enjoyment and the big smiles. The most fun I had a few Christmases ago was dressing up as Santa's and taking a big sack of toys and food to Khlong Toey and handing things out to the kids. Providing meals at a local community school is also fun ... that's my birthday tradition. But the master of this is the Sunrise Taco's guy and the Bangkok Community Help Foundation. They add real value to the community.

Equaliser 3 is worth watching (saw it on Netflix) - good, slow build with sudden outbreaks of violent action, but a few cheesy scenes .... overall good though. For that type of movie, I think "Man on Fire" is the best. Just started watching 'Happy' (also on Netflix) - great fun series, like a cross between John Wick and My Little Pony. And for a series that's sheer mindless entertainment with action and naked boobies - 'Obliterated' is hard to beat.

Thai Lion Air had a big fanfare about receiving their new 737 Max. They were also listed in an FAA report post the Alaska Air incident as a Max user. They did stop using them after the Indonesia crash, but have started again. This may be why some sites do not list them. https://mgronline.com/onlinesection/detail/9620000025898

Thai Lion Air fly the Max 9 .... but it's the sardine seat plan with a door where the panel blew out. But all the 737 Max series are suspect in my view .... been modified too many times when a complete new design was needed.

It wasn't criminal assault, it was a special military haircut.

Honda CRF 300 Rally or Enfield Himalayan in my view. .... but currently difficult or even impossible to ride solo into Myanmar or China. Can't ride into Vietnam either. So option for a long ride is to head South through Malaysia and to Singapore. But with so many great places to ride in Thailand, better to tour in Thailand now until borders open.

The Thai defamation law is archaic and the facts of the original issue are not relevant to the case. Looks like you'll need your own lawyer. Another option I've seen work for others is more negative social media to shame the 'guest' into withdrawing the case. You can't be critical of the guests, or you'll have another defamation case, but you can get factual reports about the case into the media. Airbnb may be able help with this? International media reports tend to cause more feelings of shame in people using this law.

There was a similar problem in Bangsaen, and after many complaints by local Thai residents and hotel owners, the police and the Tessabarn took action. Bangsaen has always had sellers of small fireworks on the beach, and the pop pop noise was not an issue. But a new firework 'mafia' moved in about a year ago, selling high powered Chinese fireworks that made the beach like the opening sequence of Saving Private Ryan. This was not just a few firework shows for events, it was continuous loud explosions from 7:00 pm to 6:00 am every night. The loud fireworks from dawn to dusk, plus several injuries due to fireworks, caused complaints to the police and the mayor plus a social media campaign by Thai residents. I also heard Channel 3 news were involved. There were also negative reviews by guests on hotel booking sites about the constant noise. The problem is the illegal beach sellers, and after 5 were arrested and two were sent to jail, it stopped for a while. It started again after New Year (everyone expects fireworks at new year, but they kept going for a week), and after more arrests the sellers have again switched back to the small fireworks. There was also concerns about an illegal firework warehouse .... as a store large enough for the selling of over 100 large fireworks each night is a serious explosion risk. So it looks like a concerted campaign of social and news media and direct complaints may help. Perhaps join with local Thai business owners so it's not just those pesky foreigners?

Those are all really good portraits. Good light, nice narrow DOF and great use of black and white. And yes, it's sad that the Photography forum is so quiet.

I don't think the story of the Good Samaritan translated well into Thailand. I don't remember him being a miserable kill-joy?

This is my personal view based on experience over several years ..... The Labour Department is very employee focussed, and ex-pat workers have the same rights as Thai nationals (assuming you have a valid work permit). Unless you are dismissed for an illegal act or other serious issue, you should get 30 days notice plus a month per year of continuous service. On top of this you can claim several additional months pay based on the unfair dismissal and your personal situation. The officer will suggest a reasonable amount of compensation, and this will be communicated to your employer. If your employer does not agree, they will have to appear in person at the Labour Court for the hearing. In practice the employer will not want to go to Court, so there's a good chance of getting the agreed amount. It helps to show your monthly expenditure to indicate the financial impact. Hope it goes well for you.

Good suggestion. If not practical to have a large underground tank, you could have a smaller, low level tank and ball valve to collect the low pressure municipal water, then use a small pump to send this water to the large, high level tank that supplies the booster pump.

I'm an infrequent user of an Epson ink tank printer, and each time I want to use it the print head is blocked for at least one color. Fortunately Epson have a 'power clean' option buried in the maintenance menu, and this gets it working again. But next time I'll go for a laser printer.

..... and organisations that buy from farms, those that invest in farming, and potential new students are likely to be in Bangkok. I've been to a food technology exhibition at this university, and it was impressive. Thai education may lag in other areas, but in the food and farming sector they are quite advanced.

I bet him/her/he/she/they is now rushing to B&M to buy a cheap tent and a pair of dungarees.

Nice! Ah yes, the project management. I forgot to mention that in my post. I was working out of Thailand during most the build phase (to pay for it 😀) - so the Missus had to spend 2 years sitting on a deckchair in the middle of a building site, micro managing the builders, architect, plumbers, electricians, painters, joiners, window contractors, vintage hardwood restorers, anti-termite pipe installers, AC engineers, WFI/CCTV installers, tilers, well pump contractor, painters and gardener. She also had to manage the site project manager. The workers (men and women) were from Myanmar and lived in huts on site, and one had a baby so my wife was also a part time childminder. After several mid-build redesigns, endless arguments, changes to sub contractors and disputes with suppliers - she delivered a perfect house with a unique style ..... and was left totally exhausted. The physical and mental effort required to ensure everyone does a good job is astronomical .... I was lucky that I only needed to generate the cash. So in answer to the original question .... the bigger the house, the bigger the challenge.

You've managed to foresee many of the potential issues. We built a large(ish) house on a plot we bought near the coast, and while we're happy with the place, we did encounter some challenges: 1. Unnecessary costs - We have more space than we need, but each room still needed furniture, AC and electrics etc ... so effectively it was wasted capital. Then there's the cleaning - unused rooms seem to be dustier than used ones. 2. Time spent walking - depending on the design, you may need to walk through unused rooms to get where you want to go. Sounds trivial, but the extra time and distances mount up when you forget where you left your phone 5 times a day, every damn day, and have to go on tour. 3. Raised wife expectations - status is everything in Thailand, and now your car(s), clothes, soft furnishings, pets etc will need to be upgraded to match the house. And don't forget the ginormous TV's and mega sound system needed for the bigger rooms. 4. Her family - their expectations of support from the 'rich falang' will rise in proportion to the house size. And if you don't deliver, their bitter resentment will rise on a logarithmic scale. Our house (yes I know it's hers, but I wanted that as I also have property in my home country) was only oversized by two large rooms and one excess bathroom - but the above principles still apply, and looking at what you're planning, your issues will be magnified. My advice .... just build what you need to live comfortably and don't show-off.