mfd101

I'm looking forward to the Nobel Peace prize going to both Xi and the Donald. Wouldn't THAT be fun on stage in Oslo?

Just go to my LT site as before & type in 'Delphi' on the search button. I have 415 of them. Wonderful and thousands of pages in many cases for US3 or 4. And you should search on delphiclassics.com to check out individual ones ...

5 Victor Hugos in print books (3 in French), plus Graham Robb's 'VH', plus The Delphi & Arvensa complete works in ebks. Delphi are of course indispensable for any bibliophile, and Arvensa for the French equivalent - even higher quality - when available.

Haven't had a problem from climate. The library has the a/c on most of every day as I sit at my desk. The overflow in the main u/s bedroom has the a/c on all night. The overflow in the main bedroom d/s is the exception - no a/c except on the rare occasion when we have visitors staying (the current family overflow are sleeping on the floor of the living room) - but hasn't been a problem. The main thing I guard against is sunlight falling on the books. And of course these days in my old age and living here a million miles from civilisation all my book purchases now are ebooks. You can check out my collection on librarything.com/catalog/mfd101

Well, that rather points to what should be the heart of the question: For those of us - quite a lot - who live near the Cambodian border (in my case, Prasat Surin) the issues are practical ones. The little stalls we eat at frequently in PTT down the road have all closed (on the ground that places like PTT are likely targets of Cambodian artillery or rockets ... though none have struck here yet). If Lotus closes, then our main sources of food will have disappeared and we will have to think about what that means in terms of staying put or moving. So far the only worry has been the loud blasts that feel like an earthquake every time the Thai artillery about 2 or 3 kms away sends off a blast. Enough to have frightened most of my Thai Khmer family away yesterday having arrived from Phanom Dong Rak only the day before ... now in Muaeng Surin & Korat where they feel safe. As for me & my b/f and 2 other family members still here, my personal view is it would take much more than this to make me abandon my home, my library, my everything that's important to me in my old age. But of course that view could change very rapidly when & if. Meantime the village head woman has apparently ordered (suggested?) everyone leave. Sorry, I'm hard of hearing ...

The pollies, yes. But the Thai military looking reasonably well-organized, albeit against a less-than-wunnerful opponent. Military coup to follow the announcement of Peace in our Time in a few weeks.

Presumably they know which ones to snip and which not ...

Everything quiet so far here in Prasat Surin this morning (unlike all of yesterday as the big Thai guns moved slightly closer to us and each salvo shook the windows, like an earthquake - made me fear for the future of our house). What does silence mean? Victory? King's holiday? My b/f says they've done their job from 2 or 3 km from us and are now away to hit other targets along the frontier ... or so says the local messaging system. At least we've gotten rid of 12 or so of the family who moved here for shelter from Khok Salaeng in Phanom Dong Rak. The've now moved on to Korat & Muaeng Surin for greater shelter & quiet. (My old MIL - all of 5 years older than me - couldn't cope with the constant thunder of the Thai artillery.) So just 2 family members now for us to feed 'n water. Civilization has returned.

The Nasty & the Weakling getting (at last) what they deserve.

Yes, first I heard this morning here in Prasat was about 0545. Big Thai guns shooting from only 3 or 4 km away. Windows rattle every 3 or 4 minutes. They sound closer than last night. Fortunately we don't seem to be targetted by the Cambodians, but the sound of the Thai guns is more than enough for me. 2 adults of our 12-odd family & near-family members (some quite odd but all well behaved) have been caffeined. The rest to eat soon once the extra large rice cooker we bought yesterday gets to work.

So now we have about 10 or 12 (I've lost count - they don't stay still) of members & near-members of the family, all camping downstairs. About evenly divided between adults and children (including near-adults). They'll sleep on the floor of the living room and in the 2 downstairs bedrooms, and in a small tent being set up outside. (Pray for no rain!). Showers have been had and we don't seem to have run out of towels or water yet (have to pump up from 40m down every week). Currently being served noodles with noodles by my b/f. A more extensive range of cheap plates has been bought ... Takers for my double-shot short blacks are rare. I've retired - thankfully - to the silence of my library, with an apple & an orange. Explosions have gone quiet for the last hour. Time for dinner on the frontier I guess.

1438 - windows starting to rattle again, after a couple of quiet hours (for lunch I guess - Pad Thai?). Here my b/f fed the hordes with something hot out of plastic bags and I got tuna sandwiches.

Read above (1st page).

If so then why are my family and their whole village fleeing?