Diary of a farang in Isaan

[chickenslegs]

4 hours ago, owl sees all said:

Ah yes!! The Kursal. Did you ever see Southend United play there? I think they were called Southend on Sea back then

 

I took the A13 route, when I went. Bread and Cheese Hill and all that. Along by the cockle fields.

 

Anyway; come on you cottagers!!

 

And talking about Fulham;;  a quiz question.

 

On Boxing Day 1963, Fulham beat Ipswich 10–1. The match was also notable for what?

 

a/ The Thames had a particularly high tide and water was breaching the 'Riverside stand'.
 

b/ A hat-trick was scored in record time.
 

c/ Jimmy Hill - TV pundit - came on as linesman after the original official twisted his ankle and went off.
 

d/ Match was going to be abandoned due to a floodlight failure 10 minutes from the end. The game was stopped for 6 minutes before the lights returned. Note: The floodlights had only been installed 4 months earlier.

 

e/ Nine goals scored in the second half. 2-0 at half time.

 

Answers on a postcard please.

All of the above?

[owl sees all]

2 hours ago, chickenslegs said:

All of the above?

Close.

 

But if it helps; two days later the return fixture went 4-2 to Ipswich. Didn't help them though. Went down that season. Just two seasons after they were champions.

[owl sees all]

2 hours ago, Andrew Dwyer said:

My memory fails me on the Fulham question …….. but i was only 2 1/2 years old ????

You are forgiven Andy.

 

On 26th December (Boxing day) in 1963;;,; Leeds 1 - Sunderland 1

 

Return fixture two days later on 28th;;; Sunderland 2 - Leeds 0

 

But!!!! Peacocks went up to the top flight that season (63/64) as champions.

 

 

[Sterling]

Nice Pics @GarryP!

Reminded me of @Assurancetourix(RIP) when he took pictures, he always had his bike somewhere in the shot.

[sotonowl]

13 hours ago, owl sees all said:

Ah yes!! The Kursal. Did you ever see Southend United play there? I think they were called Southend on Sea back then

 

I took the A13 route, when I went. Bread and Cheese Hill and all that. Along by the cockle fields.

 

Anyway; come on you cottagers!!

 

And talking about Fulham;;  a quiz question.

 

On Boxing Day 1963, Fulham beat Ipswich 10–1. The match was also notable for what?

 

a/ The Thames had a particularly high tide and water was breaching the 'Riverside stand'.
 

b/ A hat-trick was scored in record time.
 

c/ Jimmy Hill - TV pundit - came on as linesman after the original official twisted his ankle and went off.
 

d/ Match was going to be abandoned due to a floodlight failure 10 minutes from the end. The game was stopped for 6 minutes before the lights returned. Note: The floodlights had only been installed 4 months earlier.

 

e/ Nine goals scored in the second half. 2-0 at half time.

 

Answers on a postcard please.

I'm going for "C" Owl, just the sort of thing JH would do. And no, if I get it right it's a pure guess, I haven't googled it.

[owl sees all]

2 hours ago, sotonowl said:

I'm going for "C" Owl, just the sort of thing JH would do. And no, if I get it right it's a pure guess, I haven't googled it.

Good guess Owl.

 

Jimmy Hill did come on to replace an injured linesman, but not at The Cottage.

 

It was the Arsenal v Liverpool match in 1972. Didn't wear shorts though.

 

Twenty plus attempts at goal last evening against Mansfield. Better.! Don't matter about penalties. Have to concentrate on getting a win at the w/e now. Just looked. Away at Elland Road.

Edited August 29, 2023 by owl sees all

[sotonowl]

19 hours ago, owl sees all said:

Good guess Owl.

 

Jimmy Hill did come on to replace an injured linesman, but not at The Cottage.

 

It was the Arsenal v Liverpool match in 1972. Didn't wear shorts though.

 

Twenty plus attempts at goal last evening against Mansfield. Better.! Don't matter about penalties. Have to concentrate on getting a win at the w/e now. Just looked. Away at Elland Road.

Normally wouldn't be too worried about leeds Owl but we are poor. Yes 20 shots or so but against a team from 2 divisions lower and with quite a few injuries. Not good enough. 

[Andrew Dwyer]

3 hours ago, sotonowl said:

Normally wouldn't be too worried about leeds Owl but we are poor. Yes 20 shots or so but against a team from 2 divisions lower and with quite a few injuries. Not good enough. 

Leeds had most of the possession and shots on target yesterday but still managed to lose on penalties against Salford City ( who ? ) yesterday.

 

 

Despite a good away win at Ipswich last weekend they are still struggling to find form and hit the net, this weekend’s clash with Wednesday could go either way.

[sotonowl]

58 minutes ago, Andrew Dwyer said:

this weekend’s clash with Wednesday could go either way.

???????????? It can't, it really can't. We are in turmoil. How can things go so wrong so quickly. Our Thai owner is a balloon.

[owl sees all]

1 minute ago, sotonowl said:

???????????? It can't, it really can't. We are in turmoil. How can things go so wrong so quickly. Our Thai owner is a balloon.

There must be more to Wednesday's poor start than the owner being a balloon.

 

What has changed on the pitch since last season?

[owl sees all]

Owl Log - 02-09-2023 - Sunday afternoon

 

Oh dear!! What a catastrophic week? Nothing very high in the serious stakes, but for me personally; a disaster. So I have to apologise, in advance, for such a poor Owl Log.

 

Had about 20 pics on the mobile. I like to use that for snapping when I'm out and about, as it slips easily into me pocket. I also use the Minolta Dimage. Not any better, when the light and subject is perfect, but it has a x40 zoom and is better in low light. But it's bulky.

 

But back to the mobile. Bought a chip for it last week, with the aim of down-loading WhatsApp and LINE for free calls Well! I never got that far. Suddenly it wouldn't work. Wouldn't transfer the pics to the computer.  And it got worse! Couldn't turn it off; or on. Just kept repeating the 'VIVO' opening message. Took it to Ban Dung yesterday. The expert said to come back in an hour. I was full of hope. He knew some English - or German - and used that international word; 'Kaput'. Then explained to Mildred that the '''????''' was not working and it had come to the end of its useful life. No charge. But I passed over 40 baht to say thanks.

 

Today we (me and Mildred) undid the whole thing. Took out the battery and put it all back together. A different message. As well as the VIVO message, there was a little message at the bottom; 'wiping data. Please do not perform any operation.' It don't do nothing; just repeats in a cycle of about 20 seconds. So it's a new mobile. Not got any dosh, so later in the week. Perhaps.

 

Onto the Minolta. Took a few pics, and went to put them onto the computer. No card-reader lead. Looked everywhere. Missing.

 

I did think - as I intimated last week - that something was going on with the three big Thai events. Pheu Thai guy getting the PM job. The King's son visiting from the states. And Mr Thaksin braving the authorities by coming back to Thailand. A visit to the King; and eight years condensed into one. Mind you, he is not well, and has to spend the time in hospital. I'll send some flowers, with a nice message.

 

Bella - our opposite neighbour in the village - and farm neighbour, has gone to Singapore to work. Her hubby (the one who humanely put down our dog with  a hoe, a few years back), said she had an executive job in a furniture manufacturer. Or something like that.

 

No rain for a week. Historically we are still in the 'monsoon season'. So where is the rain?Fortunately the rice paddies are wet, and there is a couple of weeks in/on the ground.

 

Will be putting another couple of Mildred's pics on the wall after posting the log. That will be 21 on show. There is room for another 6. Then it's another wall. A potential problem then arises, as Mrs Owl has some well established, big buddha posters, there already.

 

Said that I climbed to the hospital roof in Udon. Been looking for the pics that I took when I was up there. Post them in the week.

 

Hope to see one of our regulars this week in Udon. As soon as I'm settled I'll give him a call. And I'll visit MACRO for me 2kg cheese block. And get me 90 day.

 

Something quite funny last week. But beautiful too. Mildred has a school art lesson on Mondays. We had bought a batch of 12; A3 Artist's Paper (200 gm), a while back. Then there was a Monday off, and the following week, the teacher didn't show. Last Monday she took everything she needed to school. Paper, paint brushes. Came back in the evening no paper. ''Where's all yer paper Mil?'' I asked. ''Some of the students did not have paper, so I gave it all way.'' Called into the Art Shop yesterday to replenish stocks.

 

Owls get their first point of the Championship season at Elland Road. Fulham ran Man City ragged for the first 30 minutes of their match. Then City got into their stride. The Irons topped EPL after their match at Luton on Friday evening; until the games on Saturday. Orient get smashed at home. Saints get whacked at Sunderland. Foxes lose at home to Hull.

 

Tennis on the go. And F1 underway. Who cares!?

 

Right then. The quiz question from in the week.

 

On Boxing Day 1963, Fulham beat Ipswich 10–1. The match was also notable for what?

 

a/ The Thames had a particularly high tide and water was breaching the 'Riverside stand'.
b/ A hat-trick was scored in record time. ------ correct
c/ Jimmy Hill - TV pundit - came on as linesman after the original official twisted his ankle and went off.
d/ Match was going to be abandoned due to a floodlight failure 10 minutes from the end. The game was stopped for 6 minutes before the lights returned. Note: The floodlights had only been installed 4 months earlier.

e/ 9 goals score on the second half.

 

Only one true, on that day, at the Cottage. It was (b)

 

The fastest hat-trick in the history of the English football league at that time; 3 minutes by Graham Leggat.   Sadio Mané (Saints) beat it just a couple of years ago in 2015..

 

This was Fulham's largest victory in their Football League history
Ipswich got their revenge, in the return fixture, only two days later; 4-2

 

Another!

 

Bill Nicholson was offered the Spurs position as manager on the morning of an incredible match. 6-1 at the break. 10-4 at full time. What was the unfortunate club to be on the end of such a score-line?

 

a/ Leyton Orient
b/ Grimsby Town
c/ Portsmouth
d/ Everton

e/ Northampton Town

 

The start of Spurs 'Glory, glory' years.

 

Only one thing left to say; bye y'all.

Edited September 3, 2023 by owl sees all

[sotonowl]

5 hours ago, owl sees all said:

Owls get their first point of the Championship season at Elland Road.

And well worth the point as well. We're improving week on week, hopefully that continues. Managed to get Jeff Hendricks (Newcastle) and John Buckley (Blackburn) in on loan. Couple of weeks working with what he has and we'll soon see. Needs to start picking wins up though now.

5 hours ago, owl sees all said:

On Boxing Day 1963, Fulham beat Ipswich 10–1. The match was also notable for what?

 

Bizarre Owl. That is the day I first went to watch The Owls. I'd be 8 years old and my sister took me. Result was Owls 3-0 Bolton Wanderers. I did a bit of digging around that time a few years ago and was surprised to learn that in those days the team you played on Boxing Day was the team you played on New Years Day if I remember correctly.

5 hours ago, owl sees all said:

c/ Portsmouth

Wild guess yet again Owl.

[owl sees all]

26 minutes ago, sotonowl said:

And well worth the point as well. We're improving week on week, hopefully that continues. Managed to get Jeff Hendricks (Newcastle) and John Buckley (Blackburn) in on loan. Couple of weeks working with what he has and we'll soon see. Needs to start picking wins up though now.

Bizarre Owl. That is the day I first went to watch The Owls. I'd be 8 years old and my sister took me. Result was Owls 3-0 Bolton Wanderers. I did a bit of digging around that time a few years ago and was surprised to learn that in those days the team you played on Boxing Day was the team you played on New Years Day if I remember correctly.

Wild guess yet again Owl.

Improving for sure. And Leeds fresh fron that good win in Suffolk. Look forward to seeing them charge up the league. But!! They don't call the Championship the toughest league for nothing.

 

Good guess with Portsmouth Owl.

 

[sotonowl]

1 hour ago, owl sees all said:

Good guess with Portsmouth Owl.

Educated guess Owl. Pompey I know used to fly high. I don't know if the game you speak of was a league or cup game, chances are it was a league game so I thought it could be Everton or Pompey but Everton has been a decent side for a long time so I plumped for Pompey.

Question is though, was I right. I'll await the result in midweek.

[sotonowl]

1 hour ago, owl sees all said:

Good guess with Portsmouth Owl.

I couldn't wait so I googled it, the line thinking was correct though.

[chickenslegs]

Hi Owl.

Any news about the leaning tree?

[sotonowl]

1 hour ago, owl sees all said:

Good guess with Portsmouth Owl.

I also tried putting it into the ChatGPT on here but it's got a bit mixed up and keeps giving different and wrong answers, here's just one.

Edited September 3, 2023 by sotonowl

[HighPriority]

4 hours ago, chickenslegs said:

Hi Owl.

Any news about the leaning tree?

Here, hear !

We need TBL back on the job to ensure this thread doesn’t degenerate back into a soccer thread again ! 
????

We need Big News, leaning trees, pond levels, Avocado seedling status and with some degree of trepidation, DIL/SIL/all bloody inlaws updates too !

 

To get us back on the right path, here’s a video that was sent to me by the guy who drilled a new water bore for me last week.

I haven’t struck gold but close to it !!

 

[thailandsgreat]

1 hour ago, HighPriority said:

here’s a video that was sent to me by the guy who drilled a new water bore for me last week.

I haven’t struck gold but close to it !!

 

IMG_1620.mov

Good! How was the spot to drill decided? By Kau Chim?

 

 

Edited September 3, 2023 by thailandsgreat

[owl sees all]

9 hours ago, sotonowl said:

Educated guess Owl. Pompey I know used to fly high. I don't know if the game you speak of was a league or cup game, chances are it was a league game so I thought it could be Everton or Pompey but Everton has been a decent side for a long time so I plumped for Pompey.

Question is though, was I right. I'll await the result in midweek.

 

Not right on this occasion Owl.

 

As Danny Blanchflower said; "If we score more times than them, we should win."

 

 

Ditch ChatGPT Owl. Just ask me!

 

Another quickie. Recent FA cup game this one.

 

Spurs were leading 10-1 at half time. Finished 13-2. Who was on the end of such a thrashing?

 

Clue; She really wanted to go to Birmingham.

Edited September 4, 2023 by owl sees all

[owl sees all]

3 hours ago, thailandsgreat said:

Good! How was the spot to drill decided? By Kau Chim?

 

 

I was told by a lovely young lass, many years ago, that I could water divine. Didn't know what she was on about til I came to Thailand.

 

Like the shaking of the sticks to get the lottery numbers. I could do with a win. About 6 million would be nice.

Edited September 4, 2023 by owl sees all

[owl sees all]

9 hours ago, chickenslegs said:

Hi Owl.

Any news about the leaning tree?

Yes!

Good you ask cause it could fall at any time. Its the catfish that were in the pond right at the start. They buried into the soil and made it unstable. In fact there was a song about catfish destroying a dam called 'High Hopes.'

 

Are there any Classical music lovers on the thread? I've heard a piece of music and want to know what it's called.

 

[owl sees all]

5 hours ago, HighPriority said:

We need Big News, leaning trees, pond levels, Avocado seedling status and with some degree of trepidation, DIL/SIL/all bloody inlaws updates too !

Tree still leaning at number 6 pond.

 

Ponds 1 to 4 are full. Others are 50%.

 

Just about to move three Avo trees from outside the house to the farm. Just enthusiasm needed.

DinL Nan. Very mysterious. Mrs Owl thinks she might have a new born. A girl this time. Just can't be sure what is true, or not, with that one. Both of them really.

 

SinL Pook, is only 40 metres away at the MinL's house. Looking after Grandma. I have to give her a kilo of cat biscuit every few days. She says that our old cat - Jack, who left us when we got the dogs - is knocking up the ladies. But I don't know about that. He is not that kind of cat.

 

A bit of news on the mobile. I put it in a plastic bag, and left it in the fridge overnight. Just tried it. Seems to be the same as before. As the shop-man said; "Kaput".

 

Leccy went of at 05-15 this morning precisely. Came back on at 08-15. Three hours exactly. Fishy!?

 

TBL! I did ask him to come back. Not heard anything.

 

 

Edited September 4, 2023 by owl sees all

[HighPriority]

4 hours ago, thailandsgreat said:

Good! How was the spot to drill decided? By Kau Chim?

 

 

Almost TG.

I have a bore whisperer on hand… and yes he walked around with a couple of bits of wire and then a plumb bob, and eventually settled on “The spot”

In spite of my skepticism he got the result.

 

[GarryP]

8 hours ago, HighPriority said:

Here, hear !

We need TBL back on the job to ensure this thread doesn’t degenerate back into a soccer thread again ! 
????

We need Big News, leaning trees, pond levels, Avocado seedling status and with some degree of trepidation, DIL/SIL/all bloody inlaws updates too !

 

To get us back on the right path, here’s a video that was sent to me by the guy who drilled a new water bore for me last week.

I haven’t struck gold but close to it !!

 

IMG_1620.mov

I thought it was best to leave bore drilling until the dry season. I've always been told Feb, March or April are the best months for this as the water table will have dropped. Requires drilling deeper but will ensure water year round.   

[owl sees all]

51 minutes ago, GarryP said:

I thought it was best to leave bore drilling until the dry season. I've always been told Feb, March or April are the best months for this as the water table will have dropped. Requires drilling deeper but will ensure water year round.   

Make you right there Garry.

 

However, whatever level the water table is, the bore should be down at least 30 metres.

 

Getting the right spot for a bore is not always easy. Experienced eyes look at the land and make a calculated 'guess'. I've got 5 bores. One is unusable, but the others are OK. Checked the water level on each on a couple of years ago. All have water between 5 and 8 metres down.

 

In retrospect, with the oil palms, I did it all wrong in the early days. After drilling, I should have gone the solar route. Too late now. It's easy to be critical of others, and mostly of myself. But, If I could turn back the clock, I'd keep the oil palms (would not even have cut down 192 of them in farm 1), but would put the constant delivery of water at the very top of the essentials..

 

Oil palms are just like we humans. We have our night of pleasure, and 9 months later out pops the little one. In oil palms that period is between 18 and 20 months. Right now at the farm we are seeing the results of the weather 18/20 months ago. And it was very dry between Jan and March 2022. What happens to the palms when there is not the water - or nutrients - available? The would-be bunch of future nuts germinate as male. This is nature's way of protecting the tree from itself. A mature bunch of nuts weighs in as much as 40 kilos, and takes a lot of energy to maintain growth. These are female. A male growth weights half kilo, and requires precious little in the way of nutrients.

 

There is a lot to it. And as they say; 'A little knowledge can be a dangerous thing.' Perhaps, if things had gone differently, the present money fiasco with the wife wouldn't be so devastating for the family.

 

Edited September 4, 2023 by owl sees all

[thailandsgreat]

4 hours ago, owl sees all said:

I was told by a lovely young lass, many years ago, that I could water divine. Didn't know what she was on about til I came to Thailand.

 

Like the shaking of the sticks to get the lottery numbers. I could do with a win. About 6 million would be nice.

This was a popular way in some European countries more than hundreds years ago.

 

 

Unnoticeably small movements of the hands will make the twig point where the dowser decides. Jeff Bezos subscribes to this superstition

 

https://www.amazon.com/Upgraded-Flexible-Rotation-Paranormal-Questions-Etc/dp/B0B19Z89Q8

 

Still state of the art in the empire (I am a fan of UK, though - or maybe therefore)

 

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2017/nov/21/uk-water-firms-admit-using-divining-rods-to-find-leaks-and-pipes

 

Edited September 4, 2023 by thailandsgreat

[owl sees all]

12 minutes ago, thailandsgreat said:

This was a popular way in some European countries more than hundreds years ago.

 

 

Unnoticeably small movements of the hands will make the twig point where the dowser decides. Jeff Bezos subscribes to this superstition

 

https://www.amazon.com/Upgraded-Flexible-Rotation-Paranormal-Questions-Etc/dp/B0B19Z89Q8

 

Still state of the art in the empire (I am a fan of UK, though - or maybe therefore)

 

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2017/nov/21/uk-water-firms-admit-using-divining-rods-to-find-leaks-and-pipes

 

I've seen experiments where a line of buckets were covered. Only one had water. Different W Ders had a go. Results varied, from worse than a guess, to almost perfect. But this is not true W Ding.

 

Land has an energy. Some people can feel it, whilst others cannot. The presence of large volumes of water change the feel of the energy.

 

TBH, I don't know why the stick is important. Except that it exaggerates the person's movements.

 

Edited September 4, 2023 by owl sees all

[thailandsgreat]

19 minutes ago, owl sees all said:

I've seen experiments where a line of buckets were covered. Only one had water. Different W Ders had a go. Results varied, from worse than a guess, to almost perfect. But this is not true W Ding.

 

Land has an energy. Some people can feel it, whilst others cannot. The presence of large volumes of water change the feel of the energy.

 

TBH, I don't know why the stick is important. Except that it exaggerates the person's movements.

 

I can sense how the energy of Isaan land makes its inhabitants one with its culture.   ????

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feng_shui

 

https://youtu.be/enKhkTmB0OQ?si=F8qXDKZCvLY_ET42&t=137

Edited September 4, 2023 by thailandsgreat

[HighPriority]

5 hours ago, GarryP said:

I thought it was best to leave bore drilling until the dry season. I've always been told Feb, March or April are the best months for this as the water table will have dropped. Requires drilling deeper but will ensure water year round.   

Mid dry here in Darwin Garry.

When I left on Wednesday morning the driller said he had 2-3lt/sec but might be there all week trying to clean it up, then said he might go deeper…

2 hours later he sent the above video, the key here is not always depth, it’s stopping at the right place, Dolomite being the preference (he extended from about 50 to 56m)

The bore I replaced had 5lt/sec @56-58m when drilled, but dirty water.

They went deeper to 107m but went through the Dolomite and found nothing and ended up making do back at 56-58m… but the bore was always problematic with possibly sabotage as well.

The crazy thing is that this new bore is only 10m from the old bore… ????????‍♂️