HighPriority

Love your work Owl 👍🏼 That grass herb looks suspiciously like Lemon grass.

Tom is Jacob’s bitch. Geelong are ours to Roger at will. Great win by the blues 👍🏼

The Weihenstephaner is superb.

You’re never alone Owl.

The fact that what, 3 weeks later there are still 20 people in hospital shows how serious the event was. Essentially unavoidable but tragic and Singapore Airlines have stepped up to the plate so far. Whilst no amount of money will compensate for someone with brain injury or paraplegia the airline have been honest and upfront with everyone (the Aussie guy from Adelaide may disagree)

Kudos Singapore Airlines.

The horror was real… 🤣

Xylophone and others, don’t forget the power of exercise here. I know none of us are spring chickens but try to maintain some physical exercise. Xylo, you’re obviously pretty slowed down in your movements at the moment but see what you can do, hydro aerobics ? There is no such thing as a constipated runner, if hydrated…

I remember the “Brother” thread Owl, maybe my destiny is to open a home to take in abused, neglected farang. Sort of like what some do for Soi dogs, minus the clamps and scissors and blue needle… 😎 🤣🤣 I met a neighbour the other day, she spoke English and was quite emotional pouring her heart out to me… 😢 Shes a former club dancer in Bangkok, met a Pom and lived in the ol dart for 15 yrs, but he wouldn’t farang marry her. They broke up but not before he gave her HIV, she has also had a stroke, only 39 yo but with a family history of stroke. Shes caring for her mother who has also had a stroke, she hobbles around to the shop before returning with food. Isaan shows me constantly what I love and loath in this world, their kindness, and resilience, superstitions, PLASTIC !! Arrgghhhh…

I must admit that whilst quickly checking a few shops for the electric Thai bbq cooker in Ban Dung, my eyes did stray in search of a hat shop, to no avail… 😎

Those limes don’t get any road runoff as there’s a big ditch between the two points, as I said mums pretty diligent with the hose. Avocados and Citrus hate wet feet and avos are notoriously hard to grow anyway. Another point with fruit trees, buy grafted trees.

Shelter and micro climates are very important but how do you think full grown limes become full grown ? I actually think my wife and I purchased and planted these limes in 2019, mum is pretty good on the watering though. Nong Khai region.

Now I’m worried again Owl. The other day Mrs HP was in the dentist and I was waiting with her 20yo daughter. The news was on tv with lots off cctv footage with arrows indicating the bad guys, on constant repeat… 🙄 Just now I was having breakfast with her and the news had a follow up, it seems the wife paid Baht300k to have her hubby bumped off 😳 I told her I wasn’t worried because her mum not have Baht300k 🤣 But if it’s Baht6M I could be in a spot of bother… 😎

Don’t be too put off, it’s generally not that difficult. Its rainy now, as long as the area isn’t boggy ground, dig a hole 300-400mm deep, put some sort of fertilizer in, backfill to the depth of the potted tree you’ve got, put it in the hole, sans pot, and backfill, tamp down add a small handful of fertilizer and give a good drink. Make sure it gets water every day if hot and every couple of days if cool or looks a bit sad. It’s when the rain stops that you’ll need to be watchful over the next couple of years, beyond that it’ll probably survive if neglected but likely not thrive. Give it a go, remember the best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago !

Yes, I’ve been googling this morning. What I have learned is that it’s very hard to find any information beyond the Naga legend, frustratingly so ! I did find this entertaining review of the place: https://www.giunca.com/EdWorld/2019/10/30/wat-kham-chanot-and-the-legend-of-the-giant-serpents/ Which contained this link to possibly the movie you mentioned Owl ? A 2007 Thai horror movie trailer: https://youtu.be/4Aly6kAtZIg?si=vfyAvDznzrQsOMhP Looks like it might be worth an hour or two to watch the full movie. Wiki had no information about the place 🤔 When I was there what really struck me was that it felt like a military operation, I didn’t see any monks on the island (we didn’t comb the place, it was a relatively quick visit) but plenty of “paramilitary types” When we entered the island there was a guy chanting away like a monk but when I located him he wasn’t robed ? EDIT: “Monk” was decently attired 🤣 The above link says it is a temple and a monk blessing, but my wife when I questioned her (I know… I know… 😎) told me it wasn’t a temple and they were just security… 🤷🏼‍♂️ I came to the conclusion it was a military cashcow 😎 I assume the Naga offerings all get put on a truck and sold back to the vendors to touch up and resell…? So many questions 🤔 Maybe farang tink too much, geez I hope I didn’t miss the lucky numbers. Cheers

No thanks, she might eat me 😳

Are we talking farang size or chang size ?

Mrs HP sent her youngest one to guide me through the cave in 2018 prior to our wedding, she is still traumatised from the scary farang 🙄🤣 I didn’t go in this time but I did lob 10 Baht into the lucky for some water feature. Todays location, yes Mrs HP “explained” the history to me… clear as mud… 👍🏼🤣 Someone came with a truck to show outdoor cinema, many people came and enjoyed, but in the morning, people gone and money, not money, just paper and the water like dis and like dat. 👍🏼 ”Yes Tirak” scratches head, again… I will make some effort to find the movie/understand what happened because my wife describes the place as lucky but it sounds anything but… Yes, we were lucky enough to purchase the winning lotto ticket today, I do feel for everyone who will be buying for the coming weeks.

Congrats on the soccer tipping Owl, never an easy task.

Mrs HP says you’re on the money with the Pla nin being impossible to sex until larger Owl. Good rain after we left the temple that wasn’t a temple today. We were at the “Rainforest Island” in your country. Mrs HP did a lot of kneeling and praying for my poor tortured soul and I did a lot of reaching into my wallet, but all for a good cause… 😎 On Sunday night a big stormfront came down the Mekong, very windy but only 10-15 mins of welcome rain Rainforest Island, “offerings” sale, reminded me of our once a year fireworks night in Darwin 🤣 Mrs HP doing some heavy lifting and aunty having a yawn 🤣 We leave on Wednesday morning, along the way giving my brother Green and his son Leo a trip to Bangkok by plane, a first for them both. We fly into Don Muang, travel over towards Swampy, hopefully meeting Mrs HP’s other sister somewhere before getting to Swampy and sending brother and Leo back to Udon Thani, then we head to Phuket, arriving almost midnight, I am SO looking forward to this… 😎 Its also likely the LAST time Mrs HP gets to travel plan… Keep warm you guys, I’m going to entertain the family by doing another farang raindance that worked a treat last night 👍🏼 🤣🤣

That’s just unacceptable 😎

My transfers to my wise cc have been fine.

Owl, your long post is sensational! It’s surely worthy of more than 6 reposts though…? 🤣🤣 I showed some of your pics to Mrs HP and her sister Pakhapai and they say the fish you pic’d were “boy and girl” fish, Pla Nin. I however assume you didn’t get a pic of the fish you didn’t know ? As to your statue, I zoomed in and to me it looks like Rama 5 the butterfly guy… the sisters agree, which may mean not too much… 😎 Did you actually miss the rain last night ? It didn’t pour but was a steady drizzle from about 7pm until dawn, at least here anyway. Brother says it was a good drop to get the rice to germinate.

Apologies if I’m highjacking your thread Mr Owl, please let me know if I’m out of order.

Mrs HP’s father was diagnosed with terminal cancer in 2019, a matter of days after she had arrived in Australia. A week after arriving she returned to Thailand and nursed him for 3-4 weeks until his death… and then returning to Australia. Suddenly a global pandemic appeared and it’s now 5 years later ! 😳 Today was time to go and say goodbye to dad at the little village temple. Of course trying to be on my best behavior meant that I didn’t take any before/during pics 🙄 Mrs HP having a yak yak with monk after the ceremony. Eating what the monks didn’t Then a look around the grounds My wife says these old tree trunks are sacred because they come from water ?