Diary of a farang in Isaan

[HighPriority]

1 hour ago, owl sees all said:

 

Thanks Garry.

 

Could say we are right in the middle of the dry season. No rain for over two months now.

 

Finished the second bore today. That one is 44 metres deep. Water 8 metres down. The water table is obviously important, but also, the nature of the ground 15/20/30 metres down. The faster the water is pumped out the faster it has to be replenished in the bore. This is one of the reasons why solar pumps are so successful. Sort of 'Steady Eddie'. The AC units can draw up as much as 4 litres a second. If the ground is stony that is fine, but if the water has to slowly filter through, the unit can be pumping, waiting, pumping, waiting for the water. Can result in pump malfunction or bore cave-ins. Both have happened to me in the past. Last time was in farm 3; the one that had to be sold to pay off the Mrs' debts . OK!! Farm gone. but with the bit of dosh left I'll (hopefully) do 3 water systems.

 

As far as water replenishment in the bore goes; the drillers ran an air pump for 20 minutes and the table drop was negligible. The significance of that, is that in a 6 hour pumping day the water should easily stay high enough. And those air pumps do getting on for double a solar pump. Plan to put the solar pump at 30 metres. According to the pump data, that should achieve 90 litres a minute. But, if  - on the second well - I'm adventurous enough - I'll put the pump down at 20/25 metres. We will see.

 

 

Gonna pick up the posts tomorrow. Also some cement, sacks of sand and blocks. All to secure the posts in the ground.

 

90lts/minute = 1.5lt/sec.

My understanding is that that will always degrade over time.

Pumping at a rate of 1/3 bore capacity, 30lts/min, .5lts/sec is sustainable long term.

Sometimes, developing an underground cavity is beneficial but usually only when the bore is marginal to start with.

Pumping at .5lt/sec is going to give you 1800lts an hour, that’s a lot of water.

How do you irrigate Owl ? Drippers, sprinkler heads, open channels ?

Dont just drop in any old pump you can get your hands on, try to match it to your irrigation system.

[owl sees all]

14 hours ago, HighPriority said:

90lts/minute = 1.5lt/sec.

My understanding is that that will always degrade over time.

Pumping at a rate of 1/3 bore capacity, 30lts/min, .5lts/sec is sustainable long term.

Sometimes, developing an underground cavity is beneficial but usually only when the bore is marginal to start with.

Pumping at .5lt/sec is going to give you 1800lts an hour, that’s a lot of water.

How do you irrigate Owl ? Drippers, sprinkler heads, open channels ?

Dont just drop in any old pump you can get your hands on, try to match it to your irrigation system.

Thanks for the post on the water HP.

 

Soon after I planted the palm trees - 935 - I set up five systems to make sure they all got water.

 

Number three farm, with 325 trees, was split into two. I was deep-well pumping, and most of the water went 200+ metres up a slight gradient to a 6,000 litre holder. From there it went low pressure with drip tape to about 260 palms. Split them in two. Would do half one day and t'other lot the next. Then rest for two days and repeat. Reckoned each tree would get roughly 200 litres a week. The odd 60 or so trees, were fed by the same system, but from another water tank. The water supply was by AC pump; run by a gasoline generator. That farm has now gone forever .

 

The palms in number one farm were dug up after two years. Then there was cassava. Now euca trees are in their place.

 

Number two farm was again split into two. Would pump water from number eight pond into a 5,000 litre tank. When it was full, I would release the water to run through over 300 metres of pipe to do just over 140 trees. The rest were done by pumping water from ponds one and two, some 120 metres into another 6,000 litre tower. From there it went either underground into the system or was diverted into the concrete tanks. These tanks held fertilizer, pig water and cow and buff poo poo. Didn't use drip tape with these 270, just half-inch pipes with holes.

 

The whole thing was very time consuming for me. Never had much time away from the farm. But things changed. The price of nuts dropped to just 2 baht a kilo. Also, I was feeling the work-load. The rain was well below average for those years and pond 8 was getting difficult to pump from. Then a big excavator came down the government road and broke the under-road pipes. Decided to just stop the watering and take a chance with the weather and corresponding nut yield.

 

So to the here and now. The price of nuts has improved to about 6 baht a kilo. It did get to 10+ baht a year ago. And with the wars and conflicts around the would, the price of diesel (especially) will only rise. Now diesel in Thailand, or derv as it was called in the UK, has up to 10% palm oil in it, so it looks good. Leccy cars keep away!

 

Although I'm sad to lose a big farm, (there was about 150k left over after the debts were settled) it has given me the opportunity to revamp the irrigation; although the Mrs wants to buy gold. The plan is to put a 24V deep-well pump at the north end of the farm to do 140 trees. A lot of the old irrigation pipework is still there, but much will need replacing. At the next bore, I'm gonna try something new. Solar just the same, running 1,650 Watts from the panels, but connect up a compressor and run a compressed air system. If that goes well, I'll do the third bore with compressed air. We will see.

 

Later, Mildred wants me to do a system to keep the ponds full.

 

Next month will be busy for sure.

[GarryP]

We are going to have a well drilled next year, just for the house and garden, as the local water supply is not that good and gets pretty smelly and dirty in April and May. No idea if it will work though as it appears that our house is built over bedrock that is not very deep. Sister in law had a well drilled a few years agao and they could only go down about 10 meters before hitting rock, so that bore ended in failure. We'll see how it goes. 

[HighPriority]

2 hours ago, GarryP said:

We are going to have a well drilled next year, just for the house and garden, as the local water supply is not that good and gets pretty smelly and dirty in April and May. No idea if it will work though as it appears that our house is built over bedrock that is not very deep. Sister in law had a well drilled a few years agao and they could only go down about 10 meters before hitting rock, so that bore ended in failure. We'll see how it goes. 

After my recent success with my bore my neighbour decided to have (another) crack… 

He used my diviner and the same driller who he knew well.

Result… failure 😢

They hit the same bedrock that I have but without much water on top, so tried drilling through but gave up after 15m of rock, total depth 70m.

At the moment he’s trying to develop a cavern by pumping hard to drain the bore every day.

Ill probably run a line over to his fence for him. 

[GarryP]

8 minutes ago, HighPriority said:

After my recent success with my bore my neighbour decided to have (another) crack… 

He used my diviner and the same driller who he knew well.

Result… failure 😢

They hit the same bedrock that I have but without much water on top, so tried drilling through but gave up after 15m of rock, total depth 70m.

At the moment he’s trying to develop a cavern by pumping hard to drain the bore every day.

Ill probably run a line over to his fence for him. 

It does seem very much touch and go. Over the years my wife's family have had quite a few bore drilled, but with very different results, even though some of them were not far apart. My concern is the bedrock as we are in quite a hilly area. The only thing going for me seems to be that there is still water in the field behind my house despite the rice being harvested more than a month ago, so that would indicate good water retention or a high water table (I just assume that's good, but I don't know much about this subject). Fingers crossed.  

[owl sees all]

It's Sunday afternoon and it's the last day of 2023.

 

Not a happy year for me so far. Always a chance of good things happening, but time is running out fast. Best wait to 2024 for the good stuff.

 

Mildred did so well at her studies. Nothing can take that proudness away. The Mrs finally came clean on the debts. 760k baht all told. All sorted out now. Got all the chanots back. But big 15 rai farm gone forever.

 

Last week was a week of accidents. Mildred's village friend Butt, got whacked off the Dad's bike at the top of out road.

 

 

Chai - Butt's Dad - on the left.

 

 

And in happier days past at the farm.

 

 

And when day's work is done.

 

 

Good news is that Butt is not so seriously hurt, and should be back home later today; I'm informed. Lucky young lady. No crash hat either.

 

On to the second accident. Fell over carrying a concrete post and I think I've broken me left thumb. Hand swelled up so much on Thursday afternoon that i couldn't touch a finger with the thumb.

 

Been encouraging blood supply by waving the hand about. Not hurting so much at the mo. No para for me. Just let nature take it's course.

 

 

Marked out for the posts.

 

 

Picked up supplies. Four sacks of sand. Two cement; although only used one. 16 blocks and 20 litres of pure water; from a pond.

 

 

And we were ready to rock and roll.

 

 

Got the posts concreted in. Waiting for solar panels to arrive next year. Landscaping needed.

 

I didn't know how the solar panels are attached to the frame, so I did some investigating.

 

 

Seems simple enough. This one; more sophisticated.

 

 

Was on my way to the supply store and got held up by the local school marching along the main road; the 2022. Just caught the tail end of it.

 

 

Got me supplies, and went to the school on the way back. This is the local school to our village. The kids just love standing in the sun for yonks. Real toughies.

 

Refreshment and grub at the ready. Treated myself to four rice cakes. 5 baht each.

 

 

The village also has a nursery. Absolutely lovely flowers.

 

 

It was at this nursery a few years back, where I wanted to do a Saturday chess club. No kids on a week end. However!! Mrs Owl through a monstrous wobble and it all fell through.

 

Decided not to do a deep well pump after all. At least for the first bore. I ordered one, with a control unit, and it should have arrived last week. On Thursday I got a phone call from Lazada saying that there was a problem with their supplier and to cancel the order. So! I'd been thinking about a compressed air system. And decided to make a bottom section. Bit difficult one handed, but I got there.

 

the idea being that the air comes down the yellow tube. It is released and immediately has to go through 90+ holes to get out. The stream of bubbles carries water with it to the surface. Interesting stuff; water!

 

 

Put a lot of 1mm holes in the plate. And glued it in place.

 

 

Fitted the complete unit together.

 

 

The water inlet holes are in completely the wrong place, and putting the sir pipe inside the water pipe was a rubbish plan. Was thinking about using an air-stone. Watch this space for more projects.

 

Because of the dodgy hand, I couldn't get the ladder over to Mrs Owl. She wanted to inspect the rice store, to see if the work on the door, to stop the rice-eating rats getting inside was doing good. Got a thumbs up for that. No rats or mouses to be seen.

 

Don't break that pipe dear.

 

 

A nice image in the sky last evening.

 

 

Owls got a surprise win away at Preston. Forest beat United. Wolves and Irons on a roll. Villa get up with Pool for at least one day. The Foxes could be on their way to a record points tally in the championship. 62 from 25 games so far. I think the most points was 106 some years ago. 21 matches left for another possible 63 points.

 

Warm weather has returned to our village. There was certainly a cold spell for a while. Eleven weeks since the last rain. Next rain forecast; April 1st.

 

Have to pick up another 200 pinkies on Thursday, at the number 4 market. Mildred will be at school, so she will have to tell me what pond they have to go in.

 

Wars, and regional conflicts, seem to have taken over. All the good things that we humans could do for each other, and it seems fighting that is the number one priority for the elites and politicians. Election next year. Will that change things?

 

Only one thing left to say; have a prosperous 2024 y'all.

 

Thanks for visiting.

 

 

[London Lowf]

A Happy New Year to you!

 

I always enjoy reading of your exploits and your enduring positivity - in stark contrast to some of the shenanigans around the world.

[chickenslegs]

7 hours ago, owl sees all said:

Edited 7 hours ago by owl sees all
Remover a pic of a naked young filly running across a rice field.

I saved it before your edit.

 

Thanks for all the interesting posts in 2023. Here's hoping that 2024 will bring all good things to you and your family.

[Andrew Dwyer]

HNY to you Owl, here’s hoping 2024 is kinder to you and past events do not prevent you, Mildred and even Mrs Owl from recreating the happy family times you once shared .

[chickenslegs]

11 minutes ago, Andrew Dwyer said:

HNY to you Owl, here’s hoping 2024 is kinder to you and past events do not prevent you, Mildred and even Mrs Owl from recreating the happy family times you once shared .

That's a +1 from me.

 

But I can speak from experience - when all debts have been paid, it is very tempting, and easy, to take out a small loan for something you couldn't afford before. Then one thing leads to another ...

 

Sorry to be pessimistic.

 

 

[owl sees all]

12 hours ago, London Lowf said:

A Happy New Year to you!

 

I always enjoy reading of your exploits and your enduring positivity - in stark contrast to some of the shenanigans around the world.

Thank you.

 

Conflicts all over the world. A new one starting up in South America. Let's hope that 2024 will bring more stability to the people of the world.

[owl sees all]

9 hours ago, chickenslegs said:

That's a +1 from me.

 

But I can speak from experience - when all debts have been paid, it is very tempting, and easy, to take out a small loan for something you couldn't afford before. Then one thing leads to another ...

 

Sorry to be pessimistic.

 

 

Indeed! Debts all paid up with a bit left over for me to indulge in some theoretical water systems. Just like the old days.

 

Let's not be pessimistic CL. Remember this is a 'leap year'. Things can only get better.

[HighPriority]

7 minutes ago, owl sees all said:

Indeed! Debts all paid up with a bit left over for me to indulge in some theoretical water systems. Just like the old days.

 

Let's not be pessimistic CL. Remember this is a 'leap year'. Things can only get better.

😳

An extra day for things to go wrong… !!

😳

 

🤣🤣

[owl sees all]

10 hours ago, Andrew Dwyer said:

HNY to you Owl, here’s hoping 2024 is kinder to you and past events do not prevent you, Mildred and even Mrs Owl from recreating the happy family times you once shared .

Thanks Andy.

 

Went to bed at 10 last evening. Was awakened, a couple of hours later, by some 'bang', 'bang', 'banging'. I thought; 'what is that'? Have the Russians, or the Izzies, arrived to take over the village? They have heard about the untold riches in these parts? Dogs came charging into the bedroom. Fortunately Mildred sat with them for 15 minutes until it went quiet again. Went back to sleep.

 

I'm usually a happy soul. Although circumstances can test us all. I'm not immune to a bit of trauma. But onwards and upwards for the coming year.

 

Hand is still swollen, but the bone seems to be healing nicely.

 

 

So what does 2024 have in store? A drop of rain would be nice. But leccy is soon to be with us at the farm, so when the Mrs gets on the whack, I can go stay there in comfort for a while; until her mood changes. Mildred to continue in her own way. Beautiful art and happiness. I say to her; ''love your early years. Long time an adult.''

 

For me personally; enjoy the life here in Isaan. Keep looking at nature and it's wonders. Feed the fish. Stroke the cats. Walk the dogs and,,,, decided to let the snails go. They look so sad in the cage.

 

Must finish some written work. 'Seven steps to priesthood', has been at a standstill this year. And 'Orbital' is only half done. But most important; to keep 'Diary of a farang in Isaan' going for another 12 months.

 

Take care out there - peace, happiness and prosperity in 2024 to y'all.

 

 

[owl sees all]

47 minutes ago, HighPriority said:

😳

An extra day for things to go wrong… !!

😳

 

🤣🤣

I hear you HP.

 

I've made my NY Resolutions, and they don't include things going wrong. In 2024, I will refuse to let anything annoy, upset or torture me.

 

This year is gonna be special.

[Andrew Dwyer]

1 minute ago, owl sees all said:

Thanks Andy.

 

Went to bed at 10 last evening. Was awakened, a couple of hours later, by some 'bang', 'bang', 'banging'. I thought; 'what is that'? Have the Russians, or the Izzies, arrived to take over the village? They have heard about the untold riches in these parts? Dogs came charging into the bedroom. Fortunately Mildred sat with them for 15 minutes until it went quiet again. Went back to sleep.

 

I'm usually a happy soul. Although circumstances can test us all. I'm not immune to a bit of trauma. But onwards and upwards for the coming year.

 

Hand is still swollen, but the bone seems to be healing nicely.

 

 

So what does 2024 have in store? A drop of rain would be nice. But leccy is soon to be with us at the farm, so when the Mrs gets on the whack, I can go stay there in comfort for a while; until her mood changes. Mildred to continue in her own way. Beautiful art and happiness. I say to her; ''love your early years. Long time an adult.''

 

For me personally; enjoy the life here in Isaan. Keep looking at nature and it's wonders. Feed the fish. Stroke the cats. Walk the dogs and,,,, decided to let the snails go. They look so sad in the cage.

 

Must finish some written work. 'Seven steps to priesthood', has been at a standstill this year. And 'Orbital' is only half done. But most important; to keep 'Diary of a farang in Isaan' going for another 12 months.

 

Take care out there - peace, happiness and prosperity in 2024 to y'all.

 

 

Yup, those pesky fireworks are a nuisance for those of us whose dancing days are over.

Lucky, our friendly stray, sought refuge from the noise.

 

 

You have a very positive outlook on life Owl and hopefully 2024 will be a year of good fortune.

We all look forward to seeing some happy family scenarios.

Mildred seems like a young lady with her head screwed on and is surely the glue that is holding your family together, long may it last.

[owl sees all]

Looking back Owl Log.

 

Udon Thani - probably the best place in the world! Except perhaps Dagenham Dock!

 

 

Butt and Mildred in the stocks. May doing the shooting.

 

 

Climbed up to the top of the hospital. Looking north over Prajek Park.

 

 

Swimming. Mildred and Butt.

 

 

That's it Mildred, kick yer feet.

 

 

Village swim squad. Farr, Byy and Mildred.

 

 

Fish.

 

 

Mrs Owl, Mildred, Nut and Butt.

 

 

Food.

 

MacDonalds should do them.

 

 

Another bit of cake girls? Nut, Mildred, Butt and Jasmine. Who is that nicking the food?

 

 

Buddha.

 

 

Who let the goats in?

 

 

How can I pull it out if yer don't stay still?

 

 

At the farm.

 

 

The not so leaning tree. Back then before it started leaning.

 

 

Just fantastic. No comment required.

 

 

Grub's up. Where's Tiddles got to?

 

 

At the village.

 

Lady next door having a decluttering moment.

 

 

You know I love you Dutch; but I'm very hungry. Wish that farang would go away.

 

 

Out and about.

 

Bridge repairs.

 

 

Eco friendly.

 

 

More to follow.

 

[London Lowf]

Great photos and some good memories for you.

 

You've made the start of 2024 a joy!

 

[rickudon]

Here's wishing all the posters a prosperous new year. Last year has been eventful, just would like a quiet one in 2024! 

 

Do get some good tips on this thread - Owl mentioned he bought some tinned Cat food from BigC, and the pets enjoyed it. I saw it in BigC so bought some for our cat. Had previously bought some from Makro but the cat wasn't keen on it. The BigC cat food was eaten with Gusto. Also cheaper! Also comes in pouches as well.

 

Busy in the veg garden now it is cool season. Only problem is quite a lot of the Thai seeds have been duds this year - suspect during the very hot weather last year they were not stored properly. I keep my seeds in the fridge - and ones from the UK from 3 years ago all came up, except the beetroot.

[sotonowl]

On 12/31/2023 at 7:20 AM, owl sees all said:

Owls got a surprise win away at Preston.

Yep, and another good win at home to Hull last night. A long way to go though.

 

Ref the rice and rat problem Owl. Shouldn't you clear the stuff from below the store? Don't the rats just use the water tank just like your missus is doing to climb up the structure? Also, have you tried the rat guards around the support posts like they do on ships cables? Having that water tank there you may as well build them a ramp.

 

Happy New Year everyone.

 

 

[SAFETY FIRST]

On 11/18/2019 at 10:34 AM, owl sees all said:

I've been in Isaan for 12 years and I find it fascinating

I bet you wouldn't live anywhere else. 

 

I read so many stories from expats living in Isaan how boring their life is, yours sounds quite the opposite. 👍

[GarryP]

6 hours ago, SAFETY FIRST said:

I bet you wouldn't live anywhere else. 

 

I read so many stories from expats living in Isaan how boring their life is, yours sounds quite the opposite. 👍

I am now up in Isaan (northern Kalasin) after 40 years in Bangkok. It is very different but I love it for the most part. I think the key thing is to have something to keep you occupied, which Owl certainly has. Otherwise, life could spiral into boredom and depression. Post retirement, I have been kept on contract to the end of June, working 3 days a week online, but I am nervous about what I will do when I am fully retired. I like cycling and fishing but I can't depend on that seven days a week and I don't want to be online or watching TV most of the time. Contemplating buying a bit of land but other than that, anyone got any suggestions?  

[owl sees all]

1 hour ago, GarryP said:

I am now up in Isaan (northern Kalasin) after 40 years in Bangkok. It is very different but I love it for the most part. I think the key thing is to have something to keep you occupied, which Owl certainly has. Otherwise, life could spiral into boredom and depression. Post retirement, I have been kept on contract to the end of June, working 3 days a week online, but I am nervous about what I will do when I am fully retired. I like cycling and fishing but I can't depend on that seven days a week and I don't want to be online or watching TV most of the time. Contemplating buying a bit of land but other than that, anyone got any suggestions?  

There are a couple of decent fishing places between you and Udon Garry. I too like fishing, but treat the fish in our ponds more like pets now. And wouldn't want to hurt them. Don't put any special fish into ponds one and two, so any fishing is done in those ponds.

 

I can only offer one piece of advice mate. Get with nature. Isaan is beautiful. So many facets to it. I don't see mountains or the sea, but what I do see is wonderful and free to enjoy. In my own way, I've been gently, and gradually, getting Mildred to see nature's beauty. She has her own trees, and I let her make decisions on different things. She has already told me that the 200 pinkies that I'll pick up tomorrow, while she is at school, have to go into pond 6.

 

So; good luck with your retirement plans.

[Andrew Dwyer]

1 hour ago, GarryP said:

I am now up in Isaan (northern Kalasin) after 40 years in Bangkok. It is very different but I love it for the most part. I think the key thing is to have something to keep you occupied, which Owl certainly has. Otherwise, life could spiral into boredom and depression. Post retirement, I have been kept on contract to the end of June, working 3 days a week online, but I am nervous about what I will do when I am fully retired. I like cycling and fishing but I can't depend on that seven days a week and I don't want to be online or watching TV most of the time. Contemplating buying a bit of land but other than that, anyone got any suggestions?  

It’s always good to have a hobby to keep the mind active.

I started with a few diy jobs and then tackled a building job in the garden, a “ sala “ with concrete tiled base and cement tiles for the roof on a steel frame. I then progressed to taking care of the garden, with lime and mango trees.

I was a bit out of my comfort zone but nowadays there are YouTube videos to assist you every step of the way and once started it is hard to stop.

 

So, whatever you have even the tiniest interest in ( playing the guitar, painting, swimming, woodworking, etc etc ) just search for some videos and you will soon find it is within your grasp.

[owl sees all]

10 hours ago, sotonowl said:

Yep, and another good win at home to Hull last night. A long way to go though.

 

Ref the rice and rat problem Owl. Shouldn't you clear the stuff from below the store? Don't the rats just use the water tank just like your missus is doing to climb up the structure? Also, have you tried the rat guards around the support posts like they do on ships cables? Having that water tank there you may as well build them a ramp.

 

Happy New Year everyone.

 

 

 

Did consider putting a thin metal sheet around each post. But went with the mesh option. I reckon it's all sorted now.

 

 

[GarryP]

51 minutes ago, owl sees all said:

There are a couple of decent fishing places between you and Udon Garry. I too like fishing, but treat the fish in our ponds more like pets now. And wouldn't want to hurt them. Don't put any special fish into ponds one and two, so any fishing is done in those ponds.

 

I can only offer one piece of advice mate. Get with nature. Isaan is beautiful. So many facets to it. I don't see mountains or the sea, but what I do see is wonderful and free to enjoy. In my own way, I've been gently, and gradually, getting Mildred to see nature's beauty. She has her own trees, and I let her make decisions on different things. She has already told me that the 200 pinkies that I'll pick up tomorrow, while she is at school, have to go into pond 6.

 

So; good luck with your retirement plans.

I am a country lad by birth so my biggest love of this place, I now call home (apart from my wife ), is the countryside. I am very near the mountains (within cycling distance) and can see the tops of some from my front door. A couple of photos from one of my pushbike rides. First is actually in Udon but only 34 km from my house, and the second is in Sakhon Nakhon and 29 kms away. 

 

I also love wildlife, the birds, insects and reptiles (including snakes). Actually whenever I go fishing I spend more time looking at nature than I do my float. Probably why I'm not very good at fishing.

[owl sees all]

1 hour ago, GarryP said:

I am a country lad by birth so my biggest love of this place, I now call home (apart from my wife ), is the countryside. I am very near the mountains (within cycling distance) and can see the tops of some from my front door. A couple of photos from one of my pushbike rides. First is actually in Udon but only 34 km from my house, and the second is in Sakhon Nakhon and 29 kms away. 

 

I also love wildlife, the birds, insects and reptiles (including snakes). Actually whenever I go fishing I spend more time looking at nature than I do my float. Probably why I'm not very good at fishing.

Great pics Garry.

 

You are quite close to a couple of huge mango farms.

[chickenslegs]

4 hours ago, GarryP said:

anyone got any suggestions?

I am not planning to move away from Sattahip for a while yet, but my wife has some land near Surin and we will probably move there at some stage.

I thought about bee keeping for a hobby/small pocket money. I haven't looked into it seriously yet, but it seems to be a worthwhile way to pass the time.

[GarryP]

13 minutes ago, chickenslegs said:

I am not planning to move away from Sattahip for a while yet, but my wife has some land near Surin and we will probably move there at some stage.

I thought about bee keeping for a hobby/small pocket money. I haven't looked into it seriously yet, but it seems to be a worthwhile way to pass the time.

That is an interesting idea. My dad's hobby was beekeeping until he could no longer lift the bee boxes full of honey laden frames. I think I'd go with the stingless bees though. 

[owl sees all]

3 hours ago, chickenslegs said:

I am not planning to move away from Sattahip for a while yet, but my wife has some land near Surin and we will probably move there at some stage.

I thought about bee keeping for a hobby/small pocket money. I haven't looked into it seriously yet, but it seems to be a worthwhile way to pass the time.

Take a look at vanilla CL. Ideal for a rai of land.