coxhoedave

If you want to try something different how about Rovinj in Northern Croatia. Stunningly beautiful, quality bars and restaurants with very low prices. No one hassling for tips, no-one staggering around drunk, no grown men in football shirts, immaculately clean and very few Brits. Venice is a 3 hour ferry ride away, Slovenia is just up the coast and Italy a few kilometers beyond that. Flights from Stanstead to the nearest airport (Pula) are around a £100. Sounds like you've grown out of Pattaya. 

I have a deep seated phobia of German sausages. I fear the wurst!

They club haven't taken long to act. Contract terminated and no club statement.

They as well as the fans have Ben lied to.

Good riddance!

$500 per month? That amount wouldn`t even last me two weeks and my family and I are by no means living the high life.

If you`re already concerned about money and not even here yet, than I`d think again about retirement in Thailand.

Over here you need doh and lots of it. It`s becoming more expensive year by year, plus the bank exchange and interest rates are crap.

Unless are able to pull at least 35000 baht a month out of the hat, plus a minimum of 3 million baht savings for back up medical expenses and other unforesee expenses, than you had better be prepared for years of struggle if you make it over here.

i once began to view one of that JCs (thinks he`s Jesus Christ, JC) videos. The guy lost all credibility with me after the first 5 minutes.

I didn't say I was concerned about money. I mentioned $500 as he was interviewing retirees living on this, I said in the OP I wouldn't even contemplate this. Our monthly income would be higher than the 35,000 baht you mentioned. I was merely curious as to peoples views on JC.

i think your right about the prices of thing and the bht being storng,

saying that it is still a beautiful place to come and retire, i would just say make sure you have enough money even if it means working for the extra couple of years to make sure,

im still working, im 52, we have a small pig farm but i still work, making sure i will have enough even if the pigs didnt work,

its about planing at the end of the day, you wouldnt go on holiday without money so why do some think they can retire without money,

jake

Thanks for that Jake I'm 52 too.

I'm drawing a company pension and working here in the UK. I've been married for 21 years to a Thai and we have a 16 year old son who is wanting to go to university in a couple of years time so nothing will be happening for a good while yet.

We own a small herd of Indu Brazil cattle over there which is getting bigger all the time may be worth a bob or two in a few years time. If we do return the missus insists she would never contemplate not working. When the time is right we will give it a 6-9 month trial run.

Retirement in Thailand was always on the back of my mind since I first visited back in the early 80s. However over the years my thoughts of a Thailand retirement faded as prices continued to rise and the pound declined.

While looking on the net the other night I came upon the site retirecheap.asia. The American guy who runs the site who goes by the name of JC has dozens of youtube videos looking into all aspects of retirement in Thailand. He interviews lots of people mainly Americans about surviving on various incomes, some only $500 a month (something I would never contemplate). He's reignited my thoughts about possible retirement over there some day.

I haven't been on here for a while so if this has been discussed before accept my apologies but has anyone here seen his videos or met the guy? .

Whoops double post

Are they long-eared, or run of the mill Brahman?

Regards.

Hi Teletiger thanks for the reply. I suspect they're long eared but here's a photograph of one of them taken last year.

A radio station conducted a survey in Australia some years ago asking people who the lady was in a photo (queen lizy) .From memory i think less than 25% recognised her. The only reason why they still have that silly family is to keep England's miserable economy ticking over'.

Who cares ?

I care! And the answer to your absurd question is in your absurd post...the world cares...and that's what keeps our so called miserable economy 'ticking over'...amongst many other things.

Like others have said Australia voted to keep the Queen as head of state (or similar) not so many years ago...maybe the near 25 % that had the intelligence to recognise the Queen voted and the remaining 75% failed to vote due to their total ignorance of local and world affairs...or possibly did not know how to vote??

If you had called the Royal Thai family 'silly' on this forum your post would have been removed. But call the British Royal family 'silly' and no probem.

Let us see if by inferring that 75% of ozzies(Aborigines excepted of course) 'maybe ignorant or silly' as your post seems to confirm .... if my post is removed?

Different kettle of fish altogether and a somewhat naive comment to come out with.

This is not the place for discussion for the Thai Royal Family other than to say they are loved and revered by the overwhelming majority of Thais. The King is seen as the spiritual leader of the people.

As has already been commented upon, the wedding did not attract the interest of the majority of Brits. I suspect a lot of Brits are pretty much like myself, not really caring much about the British Royal Family. Keep them in place to keep the tourists happy and have high profile days like today. As far as genuine love and adoration goes......no way.

Am I the only one who is really not interested in the whole thing?

De javu perhaps or was it only yesterday that a fuss was being made about one Diana and a proper Charlie, the one who loved the camelion but accepted the advice to keep quiet about his true love for the sake of siring kids for the nation. Job done return to Camelion and talking to trees about carbuncles.

So, having never loved her, we have a state wedding, a bit like this one due today, where Briton's finest morons camp on pavements or glue themselves to TVs or hold stret parties with neighbours they've spent the last two decades fighting over leylandi with and will again come Saturday. Pockets emptied by buying plates with the happy couple on them. Plates that will later rather than sooner see a ham sandwich and a car boot. Muge too. There are a lot of mugs right now.

Kate believes she is destined for this Royal tunnel of love, whereas Diana was just destined for a tunnel. But then I don't expect the morons who worshipped her ever wanted to see that she was little other than a highly manipulative bitch who used the Press to attack the dysfunctional family she was married into. Let's just consider the in laws for a mo then: many of the good ones have died off. Princess Margaret who apparently had a ponchon for shagging any bit of rough she could find, and that included ex-criminals. Good old Philip who would consider all Thais just part of the slanty eyed Chinks he describes the Chinese as. Edward the frightened, no right to wear a uniform, gay embarrassment. Andrew the divorced work shy bumbler. His better half who at least did it for the money [ ask any paying US TV station.] Ann who at least is thankfully like her mother and so does her bit, shuts up and goes home. Harry and Wills who despite trying to be themselves have been sucked into and at least one is to be spat out of the Royal machine and confined to a life time of waving from cars. It's what his right hand is for. Kate's too from today.

Interested? Well it's certainly not interesting unless you've been lobotomised, like reading Jeffrey Archer, voted Tory and believe the Thatcher years were the good old days, coming from Watford you supported Man U claiming to be a life long fan who moved South as a lad when your dad up sticks from his Strafford window cleaning round, changed for Chelsea under Vialli and now claim to be an ardent Man City fan as they are in the Cup Final next month but are considering a quick reversal since the 2-0 against Shalke and Fergie forcing another Euro victory; have a Thai wife who is 'not like that' and you describe her as 'a good one' and explain you met at a fauna and flora demonstration you happened to visit in Chiang Mai and she was also on the coach, you just got talking etc.; and not having met her anywhere near the Mai lu See bar on Soi LK metro after she'd finsihed her pole stint [ the Pole in question being a cocaine selling 27 year old ex-pat ex-con who flogged real estate fronting a Russian mafia money laundering go-go bar scam, where you paid the bar fine but couldn't remember much else about the night other than your clothes were missing and she'd taken everything to laundry but not your wallet to the cleaners, it was love then; spend your days moping around Malls as she does the shopping, drinking coffee which she tops up with coffee mate that she sniffs up her nose, need to lose at least two stone, have bad breath and are basically amoral and cowardly, desiring only to conform, be liked and fit in. So far you've avoided selling your mother's house to pay for the life style but are making enquiries as her birthday is coming up.

Hence, no BBC TV for at least 48 hours and even then only turn on for the football.

I'd rather eat som tam poo parah and spend the night vomiting than be force fed mindless banal commentary describing flags, horses, crowds, the dress and cheering. It is a meaningless nothingness that satisfies the hungry and need only of the hungry and needy. Do I know who Jordan is? No. Do I care about who is seeing Rhiana? No. Do I need to know 25 cars that stars drive? No. Do I follow the East Enders star who wants to be in Corrie [ what is a Corrie] ? No. I have heard of the North star but couldn't point it out.

In short, if your life is so empty it needs filling with celebrity pap, mindless dross, sugar coated fawning, adoration and psychofantic action - then try twisting the top off a large bottle of valium along with that of scotch, taking a razor to a vein or a step off the balcony ala Pattaya style . Better to end it then.

To borrow a line .................................. I'd rather stick pins in my eyes. Rusty ones with barbs.

Get the picture?

Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn is attending the event which you have such a dim view of.

So are lots of other respectable people but what on earth has that got to do with his post?

Well I don't really care but seeing as though I've been given a bank holiday for the event I'll crack open a bottle or three.

Anything else would be disrepectful.

Am I the only one who is really not interested in the whole thing?

De javu perhaps or was it only yesterday that a fuss was being made about one Diana and a proper Charlie, the one who loved the camelion but accepted the advice to keep quiet about his true love for the sake of siring kids for the nation. Job done return to Camelion and talking to trees about carbuncles.

etc etc etc

Get the picture?

Come on Housepainter get off that fence and tell us what you really think.

Will be fun playing 'spot the despot' sitting in the posh seats at the abbey. Bahrain's ex torturer in chief will be well to the fore apparantly, along with dictators or their representatives from various vile regimes from around the world. No invite for Mr Blair though. Shame, he would have enjoyed the company.

The confirmed guest list is here http://www.officialr...stminster-Abbey

Who are the dictators and representatives of vile regimes to which you refer? I take it none of the 80 representatives of the couples' chosen charities?

King Mswati of Swaziland for one.

Political parties and trade unions have been banned in the African nation for almost 40 years, and even his own subjects are angered at the 13-times married King's invitation while a quarter of them live in grinding poverty.

I admit I'm no expert on Swaziland save for the role their commandos had in the Second Boer War, the AIDS epidemic there and the extreme poverty. I'm sure it must be more than half of the population living in poverty. I thought the Swazi royal family was quite popular in spite of this? Where is your information from?

The Times of India.

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-04-26/uk/29474581_1_wedding-kate-middleton-guest

Am I the only one who is really not interested in the whole thing?

No, it has been reported that 71% of males in the UK have zero interest in the event (myself included).

You can get the true figures here http://www.ipsos-mor...archy-poll.aspx

A different poll with different results. Living in the UK I'd be staggered if 52% of people expressed an interest as this poll indicates.

Will be fun playing 'spot the despot' sitting in the posh seats at the abbey. Bahrain's ex torturer in chief will be well to the fore apparantly, along with dictators or their representatives from various vile regimes from around the world. No invite for Mr Blair though. Shame, he would have enjoyed the company.

The confirmed guest list is here http://www.officialr...stminster-Abbey

Who are the dictators and representatives of vile regimes to which you refer? I take it none of the 80 representatives of the couples' chosen charities?

King Mswati of Swaziland for one.

Political parties and trade unions have been banned in the African nation for almost 40 years, and even his own subjects are angered at the 13-times married King's invitation while a quarter of them live in grinding poverty.

Sorry if this has been asked before, I've done a brief search and there doesn't seem to be anything recent.

The missus has a small herd of 5 indo Brazil cows (3 of them pregnant) and 1 calf (female). They are being looked after by the in-laws in Thailand. There is no way she wants to sell them but does anyone have any idea of the current going rate for strong healthy Indo Brazillian cattle.

Newcastle did not want to sell Carroll,

Carroll did not want to leave,

35 million quid later Pardew tells Carroll to hand in a transfer request.

Newcastle then anounce "we have reluctantly accepted Carrolls transfer request".

Carroll then leaves with a 50 grand a week pay rise with a parting shout "I didn't want to leave. Make sure the fans know I didn't want to leave!".

TRULY AMAZING.

They didn't want to sell and he didn't want to go.

WHAT A LOAD OF PURE, UNADULTERATED, PUKE INDUCING SIHTE BY BOTH PARTIES.

An interesting article from Mirror Football's Simon Bird.

A few questions are still puzzling me about Darren Bent's controversial £18 million transfer to Aston Villa.If Steve Bruce and Sunderland were so outraged by the prospect of Bent leaving, why not stand firm and say: "No deal."Or why not tell Bent: "You are contracted to us for two and half more seasons, and you will stay.... at least until the end of the season which is a better time for us to rethink."Why not say: "What money have Villa offered? Ok, let's talk about a new deal for you. We are an ambitious club, as ambitious as Villa, so we will match what has become your market rate."

When Manchester United encountered the same problem with Wayne Rooney, what happened? They didn't cave in and flog their key player to rivals Manchester City. They battled for a compromise that seemed impossible and kept their man, with a huge pay rise.

Sunderland chose to talk to Villa and take the money, £18million of it (and unfortunately promptly had to pay a multi-million slice of it to Bent's former club Spurs, to clear his outstanding transfer fee plus a sell-on bonus clause).

Bruce says he didn't want to keep an unhappy player. But surely with some arm twisting, and a pay rise, Bent would have seen out the season professionally, and given the club a much better chance of finishing in the top six than they have now he's gone?

And having done the deal, why moan about it? Sunderland were rewarded handsomely. They should stop posturing as the victims.

Stop accusing Villa of tapping up Bent. It happens in every transfer. An intermediary does the early ground work to ensure the deal is a goer with player and buying club, and then the official talks happen. Can Sunderland state they do it differently when buying? I doubt it.

Bent's transfer has taught us a few lessons about the state of our game.

Hypocrisy is everywhere. Cynicism among fans is growing. Loyalty is a concept only fans are entitled to talk about, and players have little appreciation of.

We've learned that clubs display outrage when a player is lost to a rival to keep fans onside, while being happy to take the cash, spend it elsewhere, and in the process upset fellow bosses by nicking their players.

We've learned that soothing words from players about how happy they are, even if true at the time, mean nothing when another giant cheque and a new challenge, is waved in their direction from another region.

That was Bent's big problem. Saying he loved the North East and was settled, making his departure all the more painful for Sunderland fans.

It surprises me that hardened fans, who have seen it all before many times, can still get angry about it all.

But then as one friend put it: the day football fans stop getting angry about it, is the day the game has gone.

This is what football is. A ruthless, dirty, backstabbing, disloyal, money-driven business with no place for sentimentality.

Players and managers will always have an eye on the next step for reasons of money or ambition, or simple restlessness and the need to feel wanted.

Darren Bent did it last week. Steve Bruce has done it repeatedly in his managerial career. That's why his moaning about being "massively let down" by Bent last week was so laughable.

Bruce is a fine manager, and an amiable bloke to deal with. He is taking Sunderland to new heights. He can do so without Bent, with a clever reshuffle of his team and a couple of new signings this month.

Success at Sunderland in the next 12 months could lead him to the England job. Or how about a return to Manchester United when Sir Alex Ferguson retires? Where will his loyalty be then? I wouldn't blame him for taking either, and the added riches and possibilities that go with it. Just don't bleat when players do the same.

As for Bent being motivated by money, maybe he was, but here is another lesson learned.

Last week on Twitter I asked how many readers would turn down a 30 per cent pay rise and stay loyal to their employer. I had it down as a no brainer. Anyone, from multi millionaire footballer to £15,000 a year labourer would jump ship.

But the messages flooded back, with many saying that they'd consider staying put, if they really were happy and contented in other aspects of their lives. One lad explained he'd turned down a £49,000 a year job to stay on £35,000 because he was happy.

Perhaps these people were unrepresentative. If not, perhaps we live in a less money orientated, grabby society than I'd thought. The fans that is - clearly not the footballers.

It was a pleasant revelation after a week which exposed the worst of football.

According to the Mail Bent is off to Villa for 24 million pound ... isnt that too much?

According to other sources it's £18 million rising to a possible £24 million.

Quoting the article he's scored 81 goals since August 2005 compared to Rooney and Drogba's 82.

Imagine how many goals he would have had given Man U or Chelsea service.

It's a huge amount of money but in today's insane world of football, no not too much for a HUGELY under-rated player.

It has got to be morally wrong for anyone who has not lived in the UK and paid tax, even from Europe, to get anything. If You have lived in the UK then yes, you should be entitled to What you should get,

Are you saying you consider it morally right for someone who has lived in the UK and not paid tax or NI to get a pension?

And please bear in mind that when you pay NI is is not simply for your own pension but that of your spouse.

With this in mind why do you consider it wrong for a man to pay full contributions for 30+ years and not get full benefits for him and his spouse?

Without doubt the UK has more than it's fair share of low loves milking the system but this is simply not a case of milking the system.

Might stick a few quid on them to go down tomorrow.....let's see what odds I get....

6/1

From 6/1 to 4/1 in two days without a ball being kicked!

Pardew 5 and a half year deal