nitpicker

I agree with the stated view here that it is the tone of voice that makes a difference but a particular experience showed me how entrenched in Thai attitude the word is. A grandfather on his motorbike and sidecar crossed two lanes of traffic to where I was standing in order to teach his young granddaughter what a farang is. The pointing that went with the little girl's 'education' was, surely by any standard, very rude. Sorry but I'm unlikely to "get over it".

I have heard that boys who enlist in a school Army Cadet Force are currently exempt from National Service. I don't know how true this is or what conditions apply but, looking at the age of your boys, it seems worth looking into.

I was hoping that one further AZ jab would be enough, since I might have to pay for it. However, that would seem likely to be about 11 to 12 weeks after the first so perhaps the situation will be clearer by then ????.