Mousehound

Google Street View

Basically most food contains sugars. Starch is just a form of sugar. Rice, pasta and breads are all high carb culprits with some being low GI - usually unprocessed or lesser processed. Weight is a major problem for type 2 diabetics. Thus carbs and fat are to be avoided. I love roti's but they are not good if you are diabetic. Diabetics also have to minimise sugars found in fruits such as grapes and watermelon. Apples are not too bad. legumes are not so good so cut down on peas and such. Check the glycaemic index if you can on any tinned or packaged foods. Watch out for so called "health foods" in supermarkets - they often have high sugar or carbs as they are really energy boosters. Best is high protein and green root vegies such as cauliflower, cabbage and broccoli for instance. I found carrots would push my sugar levels up quite rapidly. No alcohol or sugary drinks. No cake or biscuits. Raw milled oats are low GI so are good for breakfast. Low GI brown rice and low GI pasta only and in small quantities. Try not to eat before going to bed as your metabolism slows during the night. And finally - most people are unaware they are type 2 diabetic or heading that way. Get your self tested if you are overweight or over fifty and sedentary. I now test my levels up to six times a day and this has helped me work out what foods seem to really push my levels up. I am now facing blindness, and as a photographer this is a bit of a shock. my best friend died in theatre having his legs amputated as a result of diabetes: so please take it seriously.

A friend, who is a doctor, visited me in CM. he was blown away by how cheap many drugs in CM. He stocked up - told me to check that expiry dates were OK and that some drugs were being kept under a counter that should be kept in a fridge. He is Australian. he also advised me that before going back to OZ to get a complete blood workout from one of the path labs as it was a fraction of Oz cost. So some things may be a lot cheaper in Thailand. I always find it interesting that insurance companies don't want to insure you unless you really are a no risk client. A bit like casino's banning a punter because he wins. The biggest buildings in most cities are either owned by banks or insurance companies. They will dom anything rather than pay out. if you really are very ill you most likely aren't going to make it in any case so I think that provided you put your premiums away for a time you might need them you are better off self insuring. Travel insurance and good car/bike insurance are another thing however. Those I always get.

Delonix regia - soak the seeds for a week and plant them, and you might be lucky to get some growing.

I will often record a call on my phone if I have nothing else and on replay it will sometimes bring the bird right in. The trick is not to do it for long as if the bird is breeding, or just territorial, it does take time off its feeding regime. In heavily birded areas of the world this can be a problem but unlikely I would have thought where you are.

Have a small hand held recorder on the wish list to record and play back calls I have been hearing on the various trips but so far it is still a bit down the list as more trips keep appearing.

We managed to sneak away again to the Mae Wong river after the lady bosses sisters kids all went home to prepare for school. Was supposed to be for 3 nights camping 5 KM up the river from the NP camping ground at a great conservation area.

But we got hit by a huge electrical storm around mid day on the second day, the wind, rain lightning and thunder were ferocious and we jumped in the car and drove into a lean to at one of the buildings to hide.

When it had eased we found we had left one of the tent windows open and our bed was soaked, the only option was to pack up and get out.

A few KM down the road after we had left the park we saw a large warehouse that had been half demolished and trees uprooted and torn apart so we were lucky to have been insulated by the forest.

Even with all that I still managed 4 new species, Besra, Blue-winged Leaf-bird, Hill Myna and Large Cuckooshrike as well as good photos of White-bellied Woodpecker and Racket-tailed Treepai, a bird I haven't seen there before.

I do like that place which is very rarely visited by anyone let alone birders and I think has huge potential so will return but probably not till next year now as other things keep coming up.

The latest at the end of the month is a trip to Tha Song Yang north of Mae Sot where the lady boss has arranged for us to go with a group who take donated things to remote villages up in the hills, should be interesting with lots of photos and even some birds.

I take it you are referring to Mae Wong NP?

I am interested that you are getting into recording calls. I am moving the same way with less emphases on photography as it is sometimes hard to do both. I have started to gear up with an Zoom H6 and a Rode Pro shotgun. A good and relatively cheap solution in my opinion. I use a foam cover and dead cat as a minimum to counteract the wind. I really want a blimp but they are really expensive so am looking at converting a truck filter as it has a good mesh exterior and I hope to rig the whole thing up with lacky bands as suspension. I am currently on the lookout for a parabolic dish but it looks like I am going to need to make a mould and produce my own.

Yes Mae Wong NP, not the normally visited part, Chong Yen area, but the river through the middle where they have proposed a dam.

The reason I wanted to record calls is to play them back to see if I can get some of the unknowns to show themselves for a photo.

I have hunted and fished all my life and love remote places and it is a real pleasure to me to be able to get into the less visited parts of the forests, when there I often hear calls that I have no idea what they are. I know there are sites where I can access bird calls but my forgettery is getting better than my rememberry these days so just being able to ID a bird when I see it is enough without trying to remember the calls, although I do know many of the more common ones.

Having a recording and both playing it back as an attraction or comparing on a site will help but still the main mission is getting the thing in the camera.

Try This on Google Maps. The buildings don't show up on street view as they are too new. There are pics of the interior showing modern and clean interior that is air-conditioned and a selection of the dishes on offer - looks pretty good.

https://www.google.com.au/maps/place/Promenada+Resort+Mall+Chiang+Mai/@18.755549,99.03699,17z/data=!4m3!3m2!1s0x30da2f92904e1e09:0x6bf2838de804a854!4b1

Have a small hand held recorder on the wish list to record and play back calls I have been hearing on the various trips but so far it is still a bit down the list as more trips keep appearing.

We managed to sneak away again to the Mae Wong river after the lady bosses sisters kids all went home to prepare for school. Was supposed to be for 3 nights camping 5 KM up the river from the NP camping ground at a great conservation area.

But we got hit by a huge electrical storm around mid day on the second day, the wind, rain lightning and thunder were ferocious and we jumped in the car and drove into a lean to at one of the buildings to hide.

When it had eased we found we had left one of the tent windows open and our bed was soaked, the only option was to pack up and get out.

A few KM down the road after we had left the park we saw a large warehouse that had been half demolished and trees uprooted and torn apart so we were lucky to have been insulated by the forest.

Even with all that I still managed 4 new species, Besra, Blue-winged Leaf-bird, Hill Myna and Large Cuckooshrike as well as good photos of White-bellied Woodpecker and Racket-tailed Treepai, a bird I haven't seen there before.

I do like that place which is very rarely visited by anyone let alone birders and I think has huge potential so will return but probably not till next year now as other things keep coming up.

The latest at the end of the month is a trip to Tha Song Yang north of Mae Sot where the lady boss has arranged for us to go with a group who take donated things to remote villages up in the hills, should be interesting with lots of photos and even some birds.

I take it you are referring to Mae Wong NP?

I am interested that you are getting into recording calls. I am moving the same way with less emphases on photography as it is sometimes hard to do both. I have started to gear up with an Zoom H6 and a Rode Pro shotgun. A good and relatively cheap solution in my opinion. I use a foam cover and dead cat as a minimum to counteract the wind. I really want a blimp but they are really expensive so am looking at converting a truck filter as it has a good mesh exterior and I hope to rig the whole thing up with lacky bands as suspension. I am currently on the lookout for a parabolic dish but it looks like I am going to need to make a mould and produce my own.

Chiang Mai University has an orchestra so you should be able to find out what you need if you can contact them - I would contact the Department for the Arts and see if you can find a tutor to speak to.

LPG is brilliant - never had a problem. A couple of vehicles have caught fire and this is much publicised. So - guess what - a few cars on petrol have caught fire as well but you don't get the same negative response. Having said that I have an expensive system installed by a specialist. paid for itself in a couple of years as I do 50k a year.

I am sure this is covered elsewhere but: BA., DipEd., Adv Dip Ind Design., thirteen years teaching - all gained in Australia. But no TESOL. Would this be enough to obtain a Thai Teaching license?

Your DipEd is presumably a post graduate diploma in education? It should amply satisfy not having a TESOL qualification. Do you have classroom experience? If so you should be able to secure employment in International Schools where pay and conditions will generally reflect what a teacher can earn in their home county.

Thanks for the reply - I was a bit concerned.

Yes, my experience is all classroom based. And my Diploma is a Post Grad Dip. So looks as though that should cover things. Busy learning Thai at the moment. I can read far better than speak the language. can't wait to get out of my current contract and get to Thailand.

I am sure this is covered elsewhere but: BA., DipEd., Adv Dip Ind Design., thirteen years teaching - all gained in Australia. But no TESOL. Would this be enough to obtain a Thai Teaching license?

This tiny? I will call him ET, head size 3mm

P1050456_cr.jpg

P1050473.jpg

I believe that these look like pics of a "Crab Spider" They are small and hide in the flower of say a rose. They are the colour of the flower and the markings, if any, replicate the stamens. Their bite can be quite toxic but most are too small to be a problem for humans.

Update on the caterpillar, it’s not pollinating the plant its eating the buds, so less for the little bees.

So should they go?

P1050372.jpg

P1050420a.jpg

I was referring to the adult pollinating the plant. it would be interesting to take a couple of these and rear them in a box to see what they hatch into.

Interesting photo , well not the subject really but the image from crop , this is taken with the ED60 Mzuiko , and although not in great focus shows great IQ IMO .

and crop

Looks like some sort of fly impersonating a bee, similar to a hover fly

It is as you suggest, a Hover Fly.

P1050277.jpg

P1050299.jpg

Outstanding shot of a very interesting animal. I have no idea what it will hatch into. It is so well camouflaged that it would appear to be plant specific. So most likely would have evolved with the plant and may well be symbiotic with the adult playing a part in pollination. But this is conjecture. Be interesting to test the hypotheses. Thanks for the pic!

A Ki Viz jacket has saved me on several occasions. I have a white helmet and keep my lights on - in fact can't turn them off as they are factory fitted that way.

Here are a few pics of Bungsamran. The small fish was pretty standard. I would say most are around the 20k + with some whoppers. My big fish was 47k and I saw one landed that weighed in at 79K.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/805433-bungsamran-fishing-park-worth-a-visit/page-2

had a good day with my son. Not our normal fishing but still worth the Bht.

put the pics up mousehound....... that link didnt work

Sorry - didn't spot the problem.

http://stevekeeling.smugmug.com/Journalism/Thailand/

Here are a few pics of Bungsamran. The small fish was pretty standard. I would say most are around the 20k + with some whoppers. My big fish was 47k and I saw one landed that weighed in at 79K.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/805433-bungsamran-fishing-park-worth-a-visit/page-2

had a good day with my son. Not our normal fishing but still worth the Bht.

The title of this thread includes"quality unique furniture" and people are suggesting Index...

Try looking in Chiangmai Tusnaporn, on the 1006, Charoen Muang Road, for real quality. They won't have a play-sofa/bed, but they do have quality

https://www.google.co.th/maps/place/Chiangmai+Tusnaporn+Co.,LTD./@18.78165,99.035998,3a,75y,7.65h,90t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1slqWnNiGDwQLKQteAAVx_wA!2e0!4m2!3m1!1s0x30da25608ba71427:0xc433ad6792ebed3?hl=en

Very ornate and I don't think it fits with the OP's style. But shows that if you want real quality you will need to pay for it. I make most of my own "collectable" furniture nowadays. But I have taught furniture making for the last thirteen years. It is a rewarding exercise, if you have the time. Maybe I should start a new topic - on starting up a "men's shed" in CM?

This a late instar of a crusader Bug (Beetle). They are common throughout Australia and SE Asia. They are a true "bug" with a tube to suck sap from plants. In Australia they help keep Mimosa down. here is a link to what I am pretty sure is the full adult version of the one you took. I too this pic in Chiang Mai. There is also a nice shot of a White Lipped Viper. My Thai friend spotted it in the branches about six inches from my head and I had not seen it.

http://stevekeeling.smugmug.com/Category/Thailand-mamals/Reptiles-and-arachnidae-beetle/i-vkVw84M

Not a macro shot as I took it with my LG G2 mobile phone camera. The guy wouldn't stay still and running all over the place so I looked rather silly hunched over trying to get my phone as close to him as possible and chasing him around. Still had to do a 100% crop of him as he was skittish. Quite a few of them around running on the concrete but don't know what it is. Think some kind of tree insect with a big nose and eyes painted on his back.

//edit - just saw this is the first time I posted in this topic.

Timber moisture is a problem. You can buy a moisture tester at big hardware shops. Measure the moisture in the room the furniture will be placed - with aircon on if you run an aircon and with dehumidifier etc. You then need to get furniture made from timber that is dried to that level. Typically furniture timber in Australia (mentioned by previous post) is 11-15% but each room is different. This is why furniture made in the tropics falls apart in Australia as it dries out. Or you can raise the humidity in your home. It is not necessarily that the timber is poor or poor manufacture, rather the moisture levels don't match. A craftsperson will know this. If they understand when you talk to them then this is a good hint they know what they are doing, if they don't want to know then I would talk to someone else, But I am talking about a serious bit of furniture and something that will be worth having for years and will have a suitable price attached.

Certainly needletails, and the dark throat confirms that they are Brown-backed.

The raptor is a M Shikra (I say this with confidence despite my recent mistakes, as I saw one this morning!). Nice picture.

You beat me to it! The Shikra had me double guessing as the eye is very "open" and the white supercilium more prominent than the black. The eye itself seems black - I guess very dark red in fact. Swift (needletail) shot is nice - I still don't have one of these.