owl sees all

You certainly know your stuff Trans.

Saw a pick-up MG last month. Black; not yellow like the cars.

I quite liked Charles when he was in touch with nature. He was talking to plants and liked fishing in the lake at Buckingham Palace. Then he got his head turned by undesirables. He hasn't been the same since. I was in West Africa when Diana died. Very sad.

It is true that some countries are trying to lessen their exposure to their US$ commitments. But I don't see dumping. If the US$ goes kaput it will have a profound effect on FIAT currencies throughout the world. AS for buying gold. I can't find out who has large stores of gold to sell. And an estimated 40% of the world's gold is held by individuals, so they can't get their hands on that. Can they? Not so sure if one lives in the US. Hope you are right about WW3 not happening. I've got my bunker and stores ready; just in case. But to return to the OP. Buy, buy buy!.

Exactly!! It will start with the demise of the 'petro-dollar'. Oil will be sold in currencies other than the PD. That will inevitably lead to the Dollar US going belly-up. When that happens, all the FIAT currencies will struggle. Bartering will come back. Gold will be the true money. Silver also; but not in Thailand. where it's not seen as a precious metal. In other times there have been currencies other than bits of paper. In the nick, tobacco is used. Back In the day in the US it was hemp. In some African countries it is; onions (for instance). The world is on a precipice. WW111 could break out at any time. And that may well coincide with the US$ crash. My point about chunky chains and one gram gold pieces, is that they would be more fungible/bartererable than a big bar. Banks will be closed. Gold shops also. ATMs of no use. International money transfers impossible Get into gold! Even one kilo blocks if that's all that's available. Don't fancy gold; or have enough? Invest in one of those machines that accurately give the gold content of the block/link/lump. They will be sought after; big time; at the markets and malls.

The difference you pay more for jewellery, compared to baht bricks, in Thailand, is negligible. A one baht lump of gold is of little use to you in a market when you just want a 40 baht pair of shoes. What ya gonna do? Invite the vendor to take a nibble?.

Didn't Henry 8th chuck out the catholics and set the precedent?

I think those Celtic footy supporters are probably of catholic persuasion. They probably feel left out; neglected even. I know that Charles said he wants to be 'defender of faiths', but this is not possible under English law..

According to the BBC, most Brits - and also Oz, Canada, Jamaica etc - are eagerly awaiting the big day. The Metropolitan Police have said that protests, on the day, are allowed. But If anyone complains that their day is being 'disrupted' then they will act swiftly and purposefully to remove any offenders. I understand that people carrying placards, such as 'Not My King' and 'Love Diana' cannot be within sight of the royal carriage.

Great post. But what is 'YMMV'?

I agree to a point. A look around at world affairs gives an indication of the lessening influence of the Dollar.US. Seems to me that rather than have a complete colaspe of the dollar; entities in the west would rather see WW111. As for gold. I have also read that countries are buying gold; but who and from who? For us - no less important than countries - we should be looking at something that is tradable/barterable if belief in all FIATS goes belly up. Which could happen when/if the $ goes. Banks would not even be open and ATMs would soon be emptied; and not refilled. Transfers from one currency to another will not be possible. Then people could be reluctant to take any sort of money for their goods or services, and gold (and perhaps silver) will once again be the saviour. So! I suggest getting one gram pieces or gold chains, where the links can be easily snipped off, to buy a durian or a can of petrol.

Sum Sao Wat The trip to Udon gave me the opportunity to see progress on the build at my favourite Buddha. It is really nice and peaceful. Quiet in a nice sort of way. No dogs growling, No robies looking at you suspiciously. No ladies generously offering there wares. At the front is the smaller golden statues. Although it would be unkind to call them statues as some are genuine works of art. Some historic story-telling going on there. Then there is the 'monster' section. Big bells and gongs. Then through to the back to see progress. Downstairs looks to be almost finished. Some ceiling work for later. Fully expect to see murals soon. . Bit of work to be done there. Upstairs. The structures are painted white; sometimes red. Then out comes the gold leaf and the finished job. On me way out I found a donation place and dropped a few baht. Wat bus. A great way to spend a hour. Look forward to my next visit.

Owl Log - 01-05-2023 - Monday afternoon Very late getting it all together this log. Was a bit behind with the pic editing as it was, but then a call to take a pal to Udon. Wife had chucked him out; and it was all my fault??!! Yes! It was my bad influence. On the upside, the journey gave me a chance to catch up on the Sum Sao Wat build. Also called in on the river market, and took a butchers at the deserted/demolished eatery opposite. So lots of pics. Much to my surprise there was a fair bit of water in the river; which leads to the Mekong at Phon Phasai. But camera battery had died on me so no pics of the river. They are always moaning in the UK about meat going out of fashion. Beef footprint; and all that. Billy Gates - now the biggest land-owner in the US - is about to launch a range of special meats made from cow blood, and soon everyone will be eating tasty insects and bugs. Also a rumour that MacDonald are about to launch a chocolate scorpion on their menu. Can't wait for that! But in the meantime just have to settle for more traditional Thai dishes. There is salted, spicy, coconut flavoured and natural. Those lucky UK wallers don't know what treats are lined up for them. Moaning lot they are. The restaurant opposite the market has a strange eeriness about it. Absolutely no-one about but half expecting some mythical waitress creature to pop its head round the corned and greet me. 'Hi farang, got your ATM card handy?' I would have followed the jetty down to the river, but didn't want to leave the pick-up alone in the 'car park'. The small structures are gradually being demolished and raped for their goodies. Earlier last week there was a calamity. My trash picker-upper fell apart. A new one due to arrive shortly. In the meantime our soi rubbish accumulates. But compared to the next soi section we are good. Dirty lot they are. But they are in the village 'down-town' area, so is to be expected. A new road for the village. Very nice! Have to go that way sometime. What is clearly evident is that chickens like our clean soi. Some beauties visiting daily now. Had another batch of leaf-bags to dispatch into the farm. Mildred accompanied me. I did the work; she held the camera. They don't look heavy, but some are loaded with rotting fruit. In saying that, the heaviest was only about 15kg. WARNING!!! Any ladies perusing the thread; shouldn't watch the vid below. Wouldn't want them to get too excited. Must get a belt. vid chuck leaves.mp4 Have to teach Mildred how to pan the camera slower. Talking of ladies - the old fashioned ones with wombs and things - the BBC are promoting women's footy big time on their site. Don't like it at all! Now don't get me wrong. I like footy. And some women are OK. But for me the two together don't give me the ''hit'''; well; like a cold glass of reishi wine on a hot day, or Mrs Owl, when she has her 'whacking stick' in hand, and is peeved about something. This BBC female footy is quite a new thing. But just like other sports, I'd like to have the option when I click on the footy page. Want to see how many goals Liverpool Ladies have scored against Barrow Girls? Click here. Just want men's scores and reports; hit the male/men's link. It's so simple. And the BBC are making things so complicated. Has Songkran ended? Well I thought so. But!! Can't always be sure what's going on here. Am I getting very lazy. Cats now getting into roof space. And Ginger fell through the ceiling tile. Fortunately he landed on the bed, so he didn't hurt himself. But it brought home to me that the roof needs fixing. After all, if a cat can get into the roof-space, so could a snake or a rat. Promised myself that I would sort it this week. Good job the rain has held off. I'm in a dilemma. On the one hand I want any rain that's a'comin to hold off til the roof's finished. And on t'other, I want lots for the ponds. Number 6. Number 7. No longer resembles a pond. Mildred has a new skill. Good to see but. "don't think your 'tippy-tappy' will work up there dear." Chai's first go at the charcoal was disappointing. So he had another go. I see that his logs are very big. Results to be seen another day. video_20230427_181706.mp4New house coming along nicely. Went to the river that runs at the back of the village. BeeApp (Pook's hubby) was there working away. vid dry river.mp4 Went fishing with Mildred last week. Caught a couple of decent (eaters) pla nin. Took Oscar and Robert along to help. Don't know whether the fish were more scared of being caught by us, or of the dogs charging into the ponds. Don't think we will take them next time. Too boisterous. I notice that the chicken farm hasn't got as many as they had last year. There were always twenty or so big ones to be seen I wonder what has become of them!? Quite a few chicks though. Deliveries!! Costing me a fortune. Items for the MinL. Nappies, food and fans. Must be someone in the family other than me! With a couple of baht that is. This fan is interesting. Can run off the mains or on the small solar panel that comes with it. It also stores enough leccy for 6 hours running once the sun goes in. Only four palms not cut down in the farm next to BeeApp's. The price is not bad at 6 baht a kilo. couldn't have been getting any nuts. Important world news. Sudan still has fighting. Although a cease-fire is planned. ============== North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's powerful sister has warned that a recent US/South Korean 'deal' will lead to a "more serious danger". ============== Johnathan, a Dutch man suspected of fathering more than 550 children worldwide, through sperm donations, has been ordered to stop. He could be fined more than €100,000 (£88,000) if he tries to donate again. Ladies beware. ============== The US president enjoyed some banter at the annual White House Correspondents' Dinner. Getting the watchers in fits of laughter with his jokes. ============== Fox news dump 'troublemaker' Tucker Carson. ============== Historic storms brought record amounts of precipitation to California, but has also brought gold. Meanwhile high food prices in the state are being blamed on the rain. ============== Naked people are the biggest hazard to politicians and their helpers, as door to door canvassing gets going in earnest for the UK local elections in May. ============== Mark Selby gets a max 147 at the World Snooker finals. Thai news Thai cops arrested a Chinese cult leader, who refers herself as the “Mother of the Universe”, and claims to be the leader of the ‘Universal Lion Federation.’ ============== On May 2, several lucky Thai lottery numbers have been circulating, generating excitement among those hoping to strike it rich. The numbers have been calculated by numerology enthusiasts. Also the birth and death dates of revered monk Luang Por Joy have also been considered. Songster, Prang Prangthip; has gained much attention not only for her melodious voice but also for her ability to predict lottery numbers. ============== A Thai woman took her pet frog 'Jelly' to see a vet in Bangkok, after she noticed it was fatter than usual. An x-ray revealed that the frog ate 21 pebbles and was in some serious trouble. ============== Soamnoi ToyFun, a Thai man, discovering a 3 metre long parasite in his bathroom. A local medical expert said it was a tape-worm, and he had probably been eating raw meat. Mr ToyFun put the worm's pics on facebook, much to the delight of his followers. ============== According to AOT, four words/pharses are forbidden to be uttered in a Thai airport; or during a flight. 1/ There is a bomb (raberd) 2/ Terrorist attack (kankorkanrai) 3/ Hijack (jee khruangbin or plon khruangbin) 4/ Anyone fancy a bit of Durian. ============== China offers new engines for dodgy Thai submarines. Meanwhile, the US 7th fleet are to visit all free and democratic countries in the SE Asia region. Thailand high up the list Footy excitement Looks like City for the title after their win at Fulham. ============== Liverpool win thriller against Spurs 4-3. ============== Brighton hit 6 in their match with Wolves. ============== Ipswich and Plymouth promoted. ============== Promoted Blades up for sale. ============== PSG whacked at home by Lorient. Does not seem so hot this month. No rain forecast for the next 7 days. According to 'Accweather', Udon Thain was the hottest province during April. Fires everywhere last week. Have a job to see any greenery now. Called into see progress on the Sum Sao wat build yesterday. It's a huge structure. Could be finished in 2023. Won't hold my breath though. Have lots of pics. Do an Owl Log special after I've sorted them all out. New handbag for Mrs Owl. Semi-loose tooth still in mouth. Will pull it soon. Only one thing left to say; bye y'all.

Thanks for that Owl. Watched a fair bit of a few of her vids. Very good. There was a young lady from Vietnam posting her stuff a while back. She was always in the mud and getting bit by mozzies. I'll try to post a link.

Thanks for the kind words DJ. An unscheduled trip to Udon caught me out today. Threw me right out of kilter. Post tomorrow morn (Monday). Sorry all.

When I arrived here some 15 years ago, power cuts were a regular occurrence. And they were for years. Could expect one a week for no apparent reason. Now they are somewhat rare. I have not see the lights on in the section you say Bannork. I reckon you refer to the new lights on the newly reconditioned part of the 2022 road between the Don Khillit junction and the VoA. I'll pay closer attention next time I travel that route.

Just do it!. Solar cell stuff can turn a difficult existence into a comfortable one. Grow yer own food and get 10 baht water delivered once a month. Get a cat or two and start enjoying life like the good lord intended us to. Don't need cars or wifi. Be at peace with yourself. As for women; the dinosaur types, not the modern ones with beards; they will come to you for comfort. But learn to do yer own cooking and yer don;t even need them. Well perhaps to do the washing up. If there is WW111, Isaan is as good a place as any to be. But not next to that VoA transmitting place on the 2022, which is sure to get a nuke. But if you think that way, then get provisions underground

Everyone knows that a/c gives you the jips. Better to turn it off and get a couple of decent fans.

At least you are still alive CP. Unlike the trusting farang that thought they were here in Thailand for a happy experience. As for agents; it depends where you are, how much you want to spend and whether you want extras; like 90 daus done for you or happy visa endings. There are some very professional, accredited agent outlets. In my local one all the girls wear uniforms. There are also dodgy ones working from the back of pick-ups. So caution is the name of the game. And don't hand over more than 50% of the fee at the start.

It's true CP. Mark the Aussie and Ren the Danish guy. All well documented on the old Thai Visa. Have a read up.

Owl Log - 23-04-2023 - Sunday afternoon Weather in the North-East still very warm. Second pond just about ready to give up the ghost. Fortunately some water in the other ponds. Enough to see it through til the rain arrives? Went to Nong Han in the week. Someone lost a motor-cycle and it turned up in that area. Had to visit the police station, and then it was on to the insurance place in Ban Dung. Took the camera. Big house. Mrs Owl says it belongs to a Chinese guy. Is that a Colorado Terrier? Looks like a mini to me. 'OK Cafe Delivery Service'. What a sorry and ignominious end? And to turn insult to injury; someone's had the gold away. Another oil palm plantation gone to fire. Not much water in the river just outside our village. Not that much better t'other side. About half way to Nong Han there is a strange structure. No idea to what it's all about. In Ban Dung; spotted a nice one. Ans also a bus getting 'crash prepared'. And a nice job in Big C. Looked like wood from distance. Had a couple of deliveries in the week. This one the pick. 1.6kg of Edam. Well packaged. And there it is. Good job I'm the only one who loves the stuff. 42 small ice-packs for cool keeping. They will come in handy when the water coolers arrive this week. The new village house taking shape. Me and Mildred having some sun fun. Chai's charcoal system is getting another go. He was disappointed with the last yield. More fires near us. Not too big, and don't seem out of control. vid fire early.mp4 But!!!!!! Just 30 minutes later. Need to get a tractor out. vid fire later.mp4 World news In the North Sea, Russian military ships, disguised as ordinary Russian ships, are said to be preparing sabotage plans in case of war with Western powers (BBC World News). ================ In New Zealand, organisers of a plan to hunt down local cats at a school, have been abandoned. ================ 69 year-old Robert F Kennedy Jr, - son of assassinated presidential candidate Robert Kennedy and nephew of John F Kennedy (also assassinated) - has filed to run for president in 2024; as a Democrat. ================ Fox News has landed themselves a last-minute settlement in a massive defamation case against 'Dominion machines' . Over 1 billion dollars was claimed by the prosecutor. ================ French protesters torch BlackRock HQ and storm the Paris stock exchange. ================ Strange spiral over Alaska. Is it the Russians? Chinese even! Aliens? ================ In last week's G7 meeting in Karuizawa, Japan,, foreign ministers, warned of “severe consequences" for those aiding Russia in its war with Ukraine. ================ Melbourne born, John Barry Humphries, the man behind Dame Edna Everage and Sir Les Patterson died aged 89. ================ Argentina steps up anti-mosquito measures, including use of radiation, to reduce the disease carriers. ================ Thailand focus The director of a public hospital in Loei Province, in northeast Thailand, was arrested yesterday by Anti-Trafficking in Persons Division (ATPD) officers for buying sex from underage girls. ================ Police raided a huge crypto mine in Samut Prakan Province, just south of Bangkok, yesterday. To dig for their digital currencies, the naughty miners used stolen electricity. ================ A Thai man implanted magnets into his own fingers for 40 years in order to cheat in the popular but illegal 'Hi-Lo' dice game. ================ Following a number of complaints, Phuket officials on Wednesday swooped on stray dogs in the island province’s main city district. A pack of dogs had been causing a nuisance. They were chasing after motorcycles and pooping all over the place. ================ A Thai man died from bee stings yesterday, after he and his friends hunted for honey in the Phu Phan National Park in the Isaan province of Kalasin. Rescuers had to get the deceased man down from the tree where the bees attacked. ================ A Thai taxi-driver in Samut Prakarn Province, near Bangkok, has warned fellow cabbies of a lady who poops in the cars and then flees without paying. ================ Thailand’s Koh Kradan island in Trang province is welcoming more than 2000 tourists per day since the island was voted ‘best beach on earth‘ by the UK website World Beach Guide. ================ A new wave of Covid-19 infections is expected to bring daily cases to 5,000-10,000. ================ A man from Nonthaburi in Central Thailand was bitten on the bum by a snake. He was having a relaxing number two, in his bathroom, when he felt a sudden sharp pain. He leapt up to see a python slithering back down the toilet bowl. ================ Famous female giant panda, Lin Hu, passed away at Chiang Mai Zoo in Northern Thailand this morning at the age of 21 years. ================ Tensions were high at a funeral in Surin province in northeast Thailand on Friday when a brawl broke out between two saffron-robed Buddhist monks ================ Hospital admissions during the Songkran Festival up by 81% due to road accidents The ministry’s permanent secretary, Dr Opas Kankawinpong, expressed his concern, and hoped that next year would see a reduction. ================ Footy All three contenders for automatic promotion in Div 3 won. But only 2 spots available. Ipswich in control. Owls now might have to settle for play-offs. ================ Leyton Orient are promoted after Bradford - the only club that could stop them - lose at Swindon. ================ All six games in the Championship on Wednesday evening last have at least one goal from each team. ================ Arsenal drop points at home to bottom club saints. ================ Championship leaders Burnley lose at home to QPR. ================ Leeds lose again. That's three on the trot. ================ Man City to play RM, and an all Italian clash in the two Ch Lg semis. ================ The farm across the road from number 2 farm has a beautiful new calf on display. A storm hit the village a couple of days ago, and caused more damage to the roof; which was already in need of repair. Must pull my finger out this week. Tooth still not pulled. I'll lasso it this week and give it a tug. The Scottish National Party is still in the news over its dosh. Just a couple more days and I'm in my monthly fast. Leccy bill jumped up to 1,900 baht. Must be all the fans we have on day and night. Everyone moaning about the heat. Only one thing left to say; bye y'all.

In the top 4. Cry-baby Ronaldo gone. 70k at each home game. Pots of money. Rich history. And you're moaning?!

Yup! Had more noise and wind than rain though. Small hail-stones at one point. As with you Bannork; leccy off til early hours.

A couple of years ago (pre C-19) there were regular coach trips to the mystical Kham Cha Nod. The coaches - all full of Chinese ladies - would stop at this particular 'petrol' station, just outside Ban Dung. This particular day, I was there, feeding the koi carp outside the coffee house. A Chinese lady came over to watch me. She was about 40 and had a lovely smile. Not fat and with well-formed calves. To my surprise she spoke decent English. She asked me where I was from and asked if she could do a pic with me. Later I thought that maybe it was my full ginger beard that attracted her to me. She told me her name; Dex Bong Shu. Or was it Shu Dex Bong! Can't be sure. Was she just after a pic, or did she want an athletic mate? Often think of her. Will I ever see her again?

Kiss of death!