kickstart

The local primary school where my wife's great-granddaughter attends has been shut as of today. They have had 5 cases of teachers and pupils this week. When will it reopen? next question. This is in Lopburi province.

The BTS system in Thailand was funded through private investment by the Bangkok Transit System Public Company Limited (BTSC), with Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) awarding a 30-year concession for its design, construction, and operation. Essentially, it was not a public project funded by government funding, but rather a private undertaking. I thought I was right; the project was funded by Thailand, with the only German involvement being the Siemens trains. Do your homework first.

The environment, my dear friend the environment, the tree huggers are having their own way, digging and drilling for oil and gas hurts the environment. My job has been in farming, and farmers are getting strangled by red tape, cannot do this and that, they are not farmers anymore, just stewards of the land.

The government helps out with the school uniform at 320 baht per student but like in our countries school shoes are expensive a pair of the black school shoes for a young student costs 300 baht, which is almost a day's wage for someone on minimum wage. It is still expensive for a lot of families. The family usually rallies around with hand-me-downs, wife's great-granddaughter is using a pair of sports day shoes from her cousin. Same with scouts and guids' uniforms most are hand-me-downs as for the hat, almost the same design as Baden Powell himself.

Yes, I read most days with my morning coffee. I am now reading one of my favorite authors, Ian McEwan. I just finished an Orwell; one I have not read, Coming up for air, next I think will be the king of airport junk, Ken Follett. These e-books do not appeal to me, like the feel of a real book, turning pages, to me, just like looking at a computer. P.S. Does anyone still read books at an airport.

I am not a Motown or Marvin Gaye fan, but this is rather good

I have yet to see Carabao's IPA, a beer I like ,Dunkal is not bad, but has gotten sweeter to cater to the Thai palate.

Bulld 766,is right a lot of depends, the family had a funeral over the new year, that cost was about 50 000 baht, and with what I know, that was about as cheap as you could do it,3 nights with 100 baht in the envelop, each night about 1500 baht, food was cooked by the family, that being a big part one meal on the last night cost 5000 baht, not that much alcohol was drunk, now been to a funerals where you just got a carton of milk and small cake, not a bad Ider, keeps cost down, no one seem to complain they was no "Jog", rice porridge. The funeral pyre was done with charcoal,3 sacks, which is about the norm; one sack is now about 300 baht. As bulld said, there was a village "insurance ", that is funded by members paying 100 baht into a fund for every person of the fund who dies, in this case that amounted to 20 000 baht, not a lot, but it helps, on the day and over the 3 nights, they got about 7000 baht from the mourners, a couple of 500 baht donations most being 100 baht. But a lot also has to do with face, it has to be right, with local headmen and government officials present, the mother-in-law died, just before a big election a prospective candidate came and gave 1000 baht to the family, the Abbot of the Wat gave them 1000 baht. Wife's son-in-law's mother died, they are all just rice farmers, big village do, I was told afterwards that cost 100 000 baht, where the costs went, I do not know, again as builld said, how long is a piece of string.

Thai TV said you had 60- 130 mm of rain, which is a lot in one hit, making our 48 mm look like a light shower.

They got this one right, we had 48 mm of rain today, Loburi Province, after the past 10 days of humid weather, very welcome, someone said today, end of the hot season, do not hold your breath Wife's daughter and son-in-law will be out tomorrow planting cassava, they will be getting 550 baht/rie, earning some money before they do their day job of rice farmers, that will not be for another couple of months, still waiting for lots more rain

And Trump has not done his homework, minerals, rare earth's ect , yes Ukraine has lots , like lots of other countries. but it is the processes of these minerals, and rare earth's so they can be used in manufacturing is the difficult part, and it is China that processes 90% of the worlds rare earths exports them . I would say Zelensky knows that ,and someone must have told Trump ,or is Trump saying no problem we can do the processing our self's , just go and build all the plants.

Before the last election Labour they cut taxes, they will do this and do that, pump millions into the NHS. But the batteries in the calculator must have been flat, anyone could see they proposals would not just add up, and they claim that the Tories left a 22 billion black hole, they somehow have to fill Now they are finding out their proposals will not work just no money in the coffers, hence cutting winter fuel payments, increasing NI payments, still not going to work. Basically the UK does not pay enough tax ,it was Magie T that cut taxes, hoping that all the revenue from North sea oil will make up for the short fall ,but now no North sea oil taxes ,plus other taxes ,the tax rate will have to up just not enough money coming in ,but that would be political suicide ,at the following general election ,and it would slow UK growth ,so no government will do that just Bodge along putting up other taxes like NI and cutting fuel payments. It would help if scroungers on the SS system were stopped, that is costing a lot of money it could be done, but the do- gooders would move in saying they need that money ect ,ect. Looking ahead income taxes will go up, no choice, but would we want the new Tory leader in Number 10 next time, maybe it is better, the devil you know ....,as I said before cannot see it being Farage, well I hope not.

A flash in the pan, it is like a lot of BI- Elections the Liberals do well, then come the general election and they still end up with their 10-20 seats. What was it David Steel said after one convicting bi election win, not so far from a general election "Go home and prepare for government ", the following election, same result,10-20 seats. The UK press is loving it, listen to today's Radio 4's Today program. they said above, it is the Red Top's having a field day.

If a farmer finds a dead animal the Knacker man come along picks the carcass up and pays the farmer, not a lot, if re if, the farmer decides to have the carcass examined he will contact his locale DLD office ,Department of livestock Development, all provinces have one, they should come and take tissue/blood samples from the animal and it will be sent to a lab in Saraburi, for examining ,they will be no cost to the farmer . Very rarely they are a rabies case, that case the DLD office will send the head to Saraburi for examination, they look at the brain, again no cost to the farmer.