owl sees all

I hear you Hummin. But have to move with the times. Don't want to be a 'fuddy-duddy' who missed the boat. Can get a girl-friend in the Meta-verse now , and even get married, Don't know about children though. Not sure I'd have the energy needed to look after them now. Buy land (in the real world) and it's a constant worry about rain. Obviously the Meta-verse land is different. But if you buy right, you can charge for access, and rent it out. Unfortunately the currency is crypto. I think I'll wait it out.

I was gonna buy a load of land in the Meta-verse. I already have 30 NFTs. But now - with the Bitcoin at such an inviting price I'm thinking that the correction might be finished and now is the time to step in. Max Keiser thinks that it was the big boys getting involved, that drove the price unrealistically high, and they are now getting cold-feet; hence the current price. Or was it all planned for the investor to lose confidence. I'm tempted at the current price. Might wait for 15k. Really not sure at the moment. But I don't think I'll sell any gold to buy crypto.

Owl Log (Part 2) - 19-06-2022 - Sunday afternoon. Sorry about the last post. It really is June; I jest you not. Mildred just finished her painting. She asked me what I thought. The over-riding theme was that is was very good, but I slipped in a couple of things. One was about different facial expressions. She needs to practice them. Then we spoke about texture. The girl's top in the painting looks like a black cut-out bit of card. The hair also looks a bit stiff. She listened and I think she agreed. I said that other art forms might not have a finished product every time, and 'practice makes perfect'. She took it in, and I've just looked around the corner to see her drawing faces. www.mildredart.com That Dentine I mentioned in the previous post was a throw-back in history for me. I usually had a pack on hand 30/40 years ago. Also spelt it wrong, It's Dentyne, .About 50 chews for one baht each. Not bad. Forgot to mention in the last post, that two budgies escaped. The dark blue and yellow birds have taken their freedom. Let's hope they come back when they get hungry. Not seen them, although I'm looking out for them in the trees locally. Also that special day in the summer for us fishermen in England. The most eagerly awaited day - perhaps in the whole year - June 16th, Yes! The start of the fishing season, Would spend weeks getting the tackle ready and planning where to fish. Pre-baiting. Dreaming of the monster that evaded capture every season. That's all for now.

Owl Log - 19-05-2022 - Sunday afternoon Mildred went to school on Wednesday, forgetting her white trainers. We had to visit Ban Dung to deliver them to her at 12 noon at the school rear gate. Where was she? A teacher came over to us after 10 minutes or so, and Mrs Owl handed the package over to her. Had a meal at the bus station restaurant and headed to Bic C. They have swamped the place with portable water fans. There must be over 20. I was impressed with their power output. Had a fiddle around with the settings on one while I waited for the Mrs to finish her shop. We take a truck each. I buy the same things every time. Flavoured milk, cat food, ice poles, pringles - if they are on a special - M-150 pack, 24 bottle soda pack and this time some toothpaste and mouthwash. The mouthwash has jumped up in price and is now about 150 baht a litre. Bought some dentine chewing gum on a special. Always finish before the Mrs. Might get one for home. I'll check on Lazada. Bet they are not cheap though. I'll guess at 10/12k baht. The farm next to us - Bella's farm - is building up their cow heard. Two youngsters caught my eye. Had to go to the Co-op bank on Thursday. Gradually knocking down the loan amount. Found a couple of novel chairs. Can't recall seeing them before; anywhere. Couldn't see any cushions. Earlier in the week a guy was building a nice farm house just along from us. Think it's gonna be a nice pad. Finished a couple of days later. Under a lovely euca tree too. Back in Ban dung, Mrs Owl had to visit the Post Office. It's changed a lot in recent years. Can walk all the way around it now. So I did, and found something interesting. Just as I was about to grab one, the Mrs came out of the building. "What you do farang?" "Just looking at the mushrooms. Would make a nice mushroom soup Teerak. " "Not take. Will go you to monkey." Busy in the mornings, as soon as the veggie man comes around. That's Nadine still in her jam jams. Little kids in the village don't wear much on their feet. Nadene, Nadill and cousin with great grand-ma. And on the way back from seeing Mildred off to school. Electric transport everywhere in the village, The original vehicle; about 6 years old. Newcomer. Another newcomer. New rice machine just at the rear of us. I'd had the hair clippers since Mildred was 5 years old. So about 7 years. They were getting so blunt that it felt like each individual hair was being pulled. Simply torture! Treated myself to a a new cordless barnet trimmer. 360 baht. Mildred did the biz with them when she came home from school. Didn't even feel them on me head. Footy round up. Irons have an easy first game. Fulham too. Nut man came this morning. it was an interim cut. Finished up with 5k baht. Mrs Owl took two k baht, and I had the other three to help with the family spend. Price of nuts; 9-80 a kilo. Was that mask wearing coming to an end on the 17th, a red herring? Don't seem no different to me. No-one wearing them in the village while in Ban Dung it's about 75%. Mildred is finishing her latest masterpiece. I'll put it display later today. Decided to buy a set of rechargeable AA batteries and a charger for camera use. My Minolta is quite greedy and the four AAs only seem to last about 100 shots or 3 minutes of vid. I went for Sony as I remember John Cleese was always on about them years ago. So that's 8 rechargeable batteries and a charger for just under 400 baht. Should come Monday or Tuesday. Still not enough rain. Only one thing left to say; bye y'all.

Completely agree with you there Bannork. Still have 10 or so in the freezer from the pond draining. I have a chance of getting some barramundi fry. Never ate one knowingly, but I'm told there are good eaters. Our Aussie posters would know.

Talking about pla nin. Standard nin fry. Red nin. I've heard it said that the red nin taste even better than the dark ones.

We were going to put the ordinary nin into the pond, but decided to get some red nin instead. They are a little more expensive. Had a delivery of 3000 red nin some 7 years ago. They were very popular with the customers. Some say they tasted different to standard nin. Can't say I noticed.

Owl Log Thursday morning Spent a bit of time watching the fish two evenings ago. The pond (pond 4) where the mekongs now are is much clearer than pond 5. Carp and mekongs do not go together well in a small pond. The mekongs are cruisers while the carp are grubbers and make the water cloudy. But the carp also like to lay close to the surface so they can be seen and enjoyed. vid mekongs.mp4 And the koi pond' Mildred's pond (6). There are some 50/60 fish in there. Only see 20 or so for the moment. A lot of natural food in there so they are not yet in a rush to grab the pellets. vid koi carp.mp4 Decided to put 500 red pla nin into pond 5. Have to find out where to get them. Think there is a 'namsai' agent near Sawang Dan Din. Not in a rush as the water level is low in that pond at the mo'. That's all for now.

Great pics. Haven't walked on the sand with the surf lapping at my ankles for over 13 years. Good luck to you and your girlfriend sir. I'm sure she has the right guy to sooth and protect her.

Always on the look out for an earner. Thunder storm last evening - not a drop of rain. Thinking about the water pump. Petrol is 48 baht a litre. Diesel not so bad at 35 baht. Not so many m/c tearing about. Everyone will have an electric vehicle soon. Already there are 5/6 in the village. Two three wheelers and a few m/c and scooters. No cars yet.

Owl Log - 12-06-2022 - Sunday morning Good news is circulating about the mask wearing. Gonna end on 17th of this month. Don't know about schools though. The village Buddha build is marching on. Took a close look in the week. Think Mrs Owl was pulling my leg when she said it was gonna be a restaurant. Great sense of humour! Some very nice trees in the compound. Most Buddhas have these beautiful trees. Love looking at them. This is the two year in the ground anniversary of the euca trees. Measured up my best tree on Wednesday. Fantastic! Like them all to be like this monster. But, all things considered, not too shabby. Black Girl was on the move. By the time I loaded the camera she was on her way out. Went outside to say 'hi'. Bella's husband came over and gave her a treat. The euca plantation outside the house is looking good. And another, in the next bowl, is blossoming. Went into Ban Dung yesterday. Forgot the camera so no pics. Didn't really see anything worth snapping. But I didn't have my inquisitive head on. Did call into the 20 baht shop on the way back. Two mirrors, 5 packs of 'wet wipes' and a pair of scissors. Couldn't see any 'micro batteries', large mugs - to replace the one Mrs Owl smashed - or kids painting kits. Had a look through the spectacle section but couldn't get a -1.5 rated one. But happy with the scissors. It says on the pack that they can crack nuts. Don't think I'll bother doing that. The pond in the next farm has completely filled. BeeApp - Pook's husband - is the rice guy this year. So in the week he started the planting and blocked off the pipes running under the road to preserve the water. I set up the pump for the tractor to level out the last lock. The rice team (mostly ladies) were hard at it in the other two locks. Was offered dome tasty morsels to eat with me Cup of Rosy. Work finished, the pump was returned to the water tank to be used around November. But you never know with the weather. No rain for a week, and it will have to come out of hiding. Just couldn't help myself. Mrs Owl just hates me seeing unusual or funny things. This one just 'quirky'. Have to keep them tethered in future. What to do with number five pond now it's been emptied? Mildred wanted to put 100 white kois in there. But we have lost contact with our regular koi supplier. Mrs Owl suggested putting in 500 pla nin. I agree with her; and told her so (to cheer her up). Now where to get them. I don't like the government fish. Have bought from them before. Cheap; but too slow growing and they always disappoint. Their big unit is just off the hospital road in Udon. They do a better fish at the agricultural college, just off the H2 (behind DoHome), but I'm gonna try to get the Nam Sai fish from Bangkok. I'll have to do some research on where the agents are in the area. 6/7 years ago there was one in Si Chang Mai. I'll check. Footy roundup. Had to look for some news. England drew a match with Italy. And noticed that the Faroe Islands won a match. Never seen them win before. Man Utd to move for Lewandowski; BBC Sunday Gossip. Interesting if that comes off. Mildred is settling in at her new school. She reckons it's better that her last. Not getting homework as of yet; but early days yet. And there is talk of swimming at the pool across the main road. Really must get on with the budgie house. Only one thing left to say; bye y'all.

A couple of pics showing shiny scaled kois. Can be called 'GinRin' or 'Metallic; Only the white GinRins are really 'Ghosties'. And a couple of 'Platinums'. My favourite fish is a gold on black. I'll try to find a pic.

No Not the same GT. A ghost koi - or ghostie - is a fish with small reflective scales. Their name originates from the fact that in poor light the scales reflect what light there is and they appear ghostly in an the water. They - although very attractive - are seen as an abomination or deformed in the koi fancier's world. Don't make them any less beautiful though.. This particular variety of fish can suffer skin/scale problems; more than the norm in water that is not pristine A platinum is a carp, with either regular or irregular scaling, that are pure white. I'll post some pics of the two.

Good question. It all seems like a waste of time, and effort, now. I returned from England in 2016. While there I had made contacts with fish farms and fish dealers. During the period of the dry season of 2016/17 - I started making some holding tanks for kois. Sewing up dozens of yards of netting. It was all a bit ambitious. I put them into the ponds for the wet season of 2017. The wet season never arrived. I did my best to keep up the water level, with continual pumping from other ponds, but the nets gradually got stuck in the mud. Eventually during 2018, I lost interest in the concept. There was never gonna be 'big bucks' in it anyway. So it was wasted efforts with some wasted money thrown in. But not huge amounts. of dosh 2017, through to 2021 were trully abysmal and I didn't upkeep the tanks. The nets are now under the mud. Still have the frames though. Perhaps my enthusiasm might be rekindled if the wet, and monsoon seasons, return to their traditional (pre-2016) forces. The plan was to rear kois to about 6/7 inches long and send them to England and Holland. I had contacts in both countries. If the conditions had been better, we might even had bred the kois from fertile fish. But it was not to be, and myself and Mildred must now be content to simple enjoy looking after them. I had a few black (very black) kois , and when I was in England, the dealers were quite interested in these along with my platinums. Traditionally, Japan has been the go-to place for kois, but they are expensive. In recent years Israel has become the home of cheaper, quality fish, with varieties not available anywhere else.

Owl Log - 05-06-2022 - Sunday afternoon Everything done at the farm regarding pond five. Umm did the last bit by cutting the lilly into three and planting it down the pond. Bamboo sticks out. Time for home. Got a nasty sting on my shoulder. Hornets trying to take over the kitchen. Sprayed the colony with WD40. That's all I had on hand. Usually smoke them out. Will do if they come back. Mildred and me tucked into a nice pla nin on Friday. One of our fish from the recent catch. Plenty of activity one morning. vid morning.mp4 Not all the children go to school in the bus. There is a local school just over 1km away. That's Boyz on the right. Just before the grass was cut. Found a nice mushroom. Mrs Owl said it was not a nice one. But took it away all the same. I'm wondering if I'm gonna have mushroom soup any day now. Great progress at the Buddha pond . The big pond just down the road from up is not filling with water. It is on pretty high ground, and quite deep. I'll keep watch. Glad I went that way, 'cause there was a big land work going on that I didn't know about. vid clearland.mp4 Mildred's pineapple tree has burst into life. Fish, avocado and now a pineapple plantation. Will not have to do food shopping soon. Pond six - or Mildred's Pond as it is now known - has not yet settled down from all the muddy water pumping. Still quite cloudy. The fish are gradually becoming accustomed to their new home and friends. vid - millyfeedfish.mp4 Storms can come along within minutes here. vid stormcoming.mp4 Mrs Owl tending her garden. Put the two pumps away until November time. Locked them up in the water tank. Poo has friends coming over for grub. Mrs Owl chases them away. I upset Mrs Owl in the week. I found out something that was a semi-secret. I asked her why she didn't tell me; after all, I was destined to pay. "I not tell you true, not lie. Just slow to tell." A few minutes later, I whistled for my cup of Rosy and there was this 'crash'. Did get one a couple of hours later, but not in my favourite cup. Tasted a little salty too. Have to take the rough with the smooth in Isaan. Found another nice rock. Put with the others for road repairs. Footy round-up. Thailand and England both were beaten. Wales play Ukraine later today for one the of the last World Cup places. All the children/students had the day off school on Friday. Not much in the way of celebrations, unlike England, where countless millions took to the streets to celebrate the 75th. Made me feel homesick. But not for too long. Last time there was a celebration - for the 50th - I went fishing and caught a nice tench. No rain for a few days. I want as much as is going. Palm nuts hit a high of 10.5 baht a kg. Then dropped to 8.5, and now up to 9.6. Should get a decent cut at the end of this week. I was watching the TV. Well. listening to Alex North's masterpiece. Simply wonderful. Went to the loo and as quick as Jack Flash Mrs Owl changed the channel. As quick as that. "Mrs Owl, where is the music?" "Your music no good. Give me headache." How did Mildred ever get here? And speaking of the budding Hentii Picasso. Only one thing left to say; bye y'all.

Owl Log Special - 31-05-2022 - Tuesday morning No! I'm not just sitting there looking at the shovel. I'm trying to get the pump inlet as low into the mud as possible. Catch the fish. Put them into the big bowl. Quickly transfer them to a bucket, and get them into their new home. Mrs Owl wasn't keen on getting down and muddy. But she did her fair share. Into the next pond. Although my main job was making sure the water got to the sump, I caught a few. But the main catchers were the three guys; and Umm. Isn't that a Chelsea strip? Didn't know Umm even liked footy. All the carp out. It was time for the mekongs. There were two very big ones. Probably went 20 kg each. Then into the next pond. The next morning Umm was out collecting shrimps and snails. Interesting how the male pla nin make homes for their coming brood. There were only male fish (nin) in there, so wasted efforts. Fed the carp in number 6 pond last evening. They ate good, and seemed not to be shocked. Put a bit of food into number 4, but never saw a mekong. Total tally: About 100ish nin 22 mekongs 30ish koi carp 5 pla dook vid 111catchcarp.mp4 Until the next time, only one thing lest to say; bye y'all.

What!!! 12 rai. Puts my eight puddles to shame. Completely finished the pond work. Except to move the distressed lily to what water is left in the pond. As it gradually fills it will look great. Have lots of pics to post tomorrow. Sorry Rick. Just noticed the decimal point. Must invest in a new pair of specks when I go to the 20 baht shop in the week.

Make you right there HP, I took a 20 litre bottle with me in the pick-up. Drank plenty. Just got home. Spent a good deal of the time in the mud this afternoon. Not yet captured all the fish. But what we did get out were absolute stonkers. Got about 80 all told Put over 50 kois into Mildred's pond. Also 6 grass carp. All 22 mekongs went into pond 4. Strange that? Mrs Owl counted them as they were gradually caught and put into the next pond. I can only recall buying 20 about 10 years ago. Very strange?!! I think the Misses might be trying to make me feel good. And what better way to finish up with more mekongs than we started with. Have to go back in the morning to pump the last bit of water outm and catch the remaining 30 or so pla nin..

Owl Log 29-05-2022 - Sunday afternoon Big day today. Completely emptying pond five and taking out the fish. Got the three incher running. Has given good service down the years. Recently had an overhaul,,, but would you believe conked out after two hours on Friday evening. HT lead! Sorted that out on Saturday morning, and it was all go, go go again. This morning I started things up again. Had to move the pump closer to the edge of pond 5 to get the inlet deeper. Also arranged the outflow. Found a dead pla nin in the week. Nice eating size; about 1.2 kilos. Buried it in number 4 farm. Visited Ban Dung in the week. Mrs Owl went off somewhere while I relaxed in the pick-up off. Must have dozed off, cause this big gang of buffaloes nearly surrounded me. By the time I sorted out the camera, they had drifted away. These eucas grow so fast. Some simply cannot support their own weight and bend over. It's a job getting them back straight again. And there are also casualties. The new lock has remained untouched for a week. And I put a stick of bamboo in place so that I could see from a distance if anyone had been messing. The keys to this lock are different. Didn't suss it out at first. But then it dawns on me that it could double as a bottle opener. The fish/plant/frog venture opposite has been neglected. Net's been down for a week. BeApp has been cutting the grass at the farm. And a great job he has done too. Along the front of number 2. Around the ponds. It all has to be paid for, and this morning I bought five litres of '95' petrol. 47 baht a litre!!! And it's gonna get worse. Diesel is not so expensive as it can be fortified with bio-fuel. Saw some activity near the farm. Why you are waiting for the rice to be sown, why not convert the paddy into a swimming pool and have a splash about? Recently saw the signs to Kham cha nod vary a bit. The same leading to our village. The village has last an 'N' and gained a 'P' and an 'H'. I was sitting in my corner watching some chess games on the computer, when I heard this noise. Looked around and saw a budgie - the blue one - lifting up a food container and then dropping it. Loud enough to get my attention. Got the camera ready to shoot. But it must have known, 'cause it didn't do it again. Not while I watched, but anyway; I got a nice little vid. vid budgies.mp4 Not yet sorted out a bigger home for them. Will do though, Perhaps next week. Mildred's latest. mildredart.com for those arty-farty visitors. Has someone gave Barbie a slap? Maybe Ken has been getting about! Footy round up. Thailand had a convincing win against Turkmenistan. Not a good day out for the Red's fans yesterday. Not only did they not win, but many didn't even get it. The big one for me later today; Huddersfield vs Forest. Too late for me to have a listen, as Mildred has school tomorrow. Water has been very slow most of the week. Flowing at about 25/30 seconds to get a litre. Came back to full strength last evening. The best it has been since we have lived here. Worked hard Friday at the farm. Felt terrible in the evening. Really rough; severe heartburn. It was quite warm in the afternoon, and I don't think I was taking in enough water. Didn't have any reishi wine made up to sort it. In the evening I didn't eat, but drank 6 litres of bottled water, and had an early night. Felt much better yesterday, and even better today. Getting ready to go to the farm to sort out the fish. Mildred will have the camera, and hopefully we'll get some good pics. Only one thing left to say; bye y'all.

He's been with that chicken company for at least 20 years.

Great stuff Rick. Have you a couple of pics of the pond?. And what fish are in there? The plan is to start pumping out water from number five pond today. But there are always distractions. Yes! Previous life experiences. My good lady was English, with roots in Jamaica. Had a lot of wonderful times there; and Cuba also. Was at Sabina Park in Kingston, when that infamous game vs England was abandoned due to giant cracks in the pitch. 1998, if my memory is still active. Why not select a nice painting and post it. Love to hear of youngsters interests other than the 'tippy tappy'.

I could pay Mrs Owl to do the prancing. Leave a 50 baht note sticking out of my top pocket. That would capture her interest. But!!! She would probably scare herself.

We did have dogs at the farm; LaLa and LuLu. LaLa was killed by our neighbour, cause it killed one of his chickens, and LuLu suddenly died. The general consensus was that she was bitten bu the big cobra that lives in a close by wood. I've see this snake twice. The second time I was up a ladder, sorting out water. I watched it for 30 seconds or so. It is about 2 metres long and 1bout 1.75 inches across. Not seen it for 3/4 years now.

Like it!!! Some sort of an automatic frightener. I also like Chaz's idea of luminous paint; although I can't see myself prancing round the ponds in the dark smothered in gunk. There are a few things to consider in all this; cost, practicability and effectiveness. In a nutshell; what is the cheapest and easiest way to produce the desired result? I'm gonna give it some serious thought and decide on the action to take. Massive big storm in Ban Dung this afternoon. Started at 3-40. I was waiting for Mrs Owl who was buying veggies at the afternoon market. Storm cloud arrived quickly from the south-west. Couldn't get out of the town for 30 minutes. Flash flooding everywhere.