how lucky are we

[giddyup]

I agree. If you have retired here as I have, you pretty much lead a life of luxury compared to the average Thai. I live in a very comfortable home, more than enough regular income, have a brand new pickup, buy what I want in terms of food etc, and have a lazy, stress-free life. When I see some poor individual living in some Thai or Philippine slum, sorting through garbage for a living, I realise how blessed is my life.

I dont buy into this 100% often they have nothing for a reason, given a job with pay how many of them would get up and do it? I think many are bone idle Ive seen this round by our land, they want money for nothing.

Hey, I was bone idle as well, it's just that in Australia a bone idle person could still get a job and be paid well to do very little. I had a job as a security guard for a while, which paid $50,000 a year to basically sit on my arse and snooze. A Thai gets paid 300 baht a day to do the same thing.

Edited July 27, 2015 by giddyup

[giddyup]

for sure the farmers work hard . My wife's father who is 87 years old worked hard all his life and can even now can outwork me anyday. The wife's family look down on anyone who doesnot work hard.

It's called false pride, any bumpkin can sweat in the sun all day for nothing.

Lucky for me, I've always been smart enough to not have to work hard.

That's not smart, that's just being given opportunity, something that a lot of Thais don't get. I had very little formal education but still manage to find well-paid jobs because I come from a country with those kind of opportunities. Also a compulsory pension scheme that took out money to fund my comfortable retirement. So I wouldn't be blowing my horn too loud, you just came from a lucky country, as I did.

[evadgib]

Which month was it when you lads did frosty potato picking? I did it once but It was September, would not recommend it as a hobby but there was no frost.

It must have been the half term holiday that falls around halloween & bonfire night. Edited July 27, 2015 by evadgib

[pigeonjake]

i used to scive of school to go,,lol,

and guesthouse your right about the gypsies, i used to go with rya and tenny smith my word could them women work, they would have a baby but be back at work in a couple of days,

the only thing was, with me being big i was allways on the falk on the riddling machine, hard work, but it never hurt me,

[willyumiii]

I work everyday on the land, last job moving 30 tonnes of stone by hand,, shovel wheelbarrow, laying blocks, putting on roof tiles, cutting grass, weeding, concreting digging holes, putting in trees and irrigation etc, heres some of the stone, it has to be put down by hand no machine.

Im 51. Its regularly 36c+ on the land and little shade from the sun, I probably drink 4-5 litres a day of fluids.

Very nice.

But, I am assuming this is something you chose to do for your own enjoyment.

It was "optional work".

Not something you had to do to put food "on the table" for your family.

I don;t see anything in your photo that you can eat.

No matter how arduous,a labor of love is a joy.

Labor for survival, can be torture.

Again, nice job!

And I am a retired landscaper.

When I do landscaping at home here in Thailand, my Mother in law's only comment is, "You can't eat it!"

[willyumiii]

I have helped the family work on both rice and cassava farms here in Thailand.

I survived, but was bone tired by the end of the day.

I think the majority of us on TV would have difficulty just standing ankle deep in the mud and knee deep in the water with no shade from the hot sun all day, without doing any labor at all!

It is very difficult to just walk in a muddy rice field!

[Ghostnigel]

I work everyday on the land, last job moving 30 tonnes of stone by hand,, shovel wheelbarrow, laying blocks, putting on roof tiles, cutting grass, weeding, concreting digging holes, putting in trees and irrigation etc, heres some of the stone, it has to be put down by hand no machine.

Im 51. Its regularly 36c+ on the land and little shade from the sun, I probably drink 4-5 litres a day of fluids.

And all for 300 a day....bargain

[kannot]

I work everyday on the land, last job moving 30 tonnes of stone by hand,, shovel wheelbarrow, laying blocks, putting on roof tiles, cutting grass, weeding, concreting digging holes, putting in trees and irrigation etc, heres some of the stone, it has to be put down by hand no machine.

Im 51. Its regularly 36c+ on the land and little shade from the sun, I probably drink 4-5 litres a day of fluids.

Very nice.

But, I am assuming this is something you chose to do for your own enjoyment.

It was "optional work".

Not something you had to do to put food "on the table" for your family.

I don;t see anything in your photo that you can eat.

No matter how arduous,a labor of love is a joy.

Labor for survival, can be torture.

Again, nice job!

And I am a retired landscaper.

When I do landscaping at home here in Thailand, my Mother in law's only comment is, "You can't eat it!"

It wasnt optional, I had to do it as I could find no one competent or careful, previous to that I spent 30 years in the construction industry in ALL weathers many days you couldnt feel your fingers

[kannot]

I work everyday on the land, last job moving 30 tonnes of stone by hand,, shovel wheelbarrow, laying blocks, putting on roof tiles, cutting grass, weeding, concreting digging holes, putting in trees and irrigation etc, heres some of the stone, it has to be put down by hand no machine.

Im 51. Its regularly 36c+ on the land and little shade from the sun, I probably drink 4-5 litres a day of fluids.

And all for 300 a day....bargain

I dont get paid, no one else could do it even if they were paid 3000 a day theyd still foook it up

[VIPinthailand]

we are too tall to work in rice fields...

farangs are not born to work hard.

[giddyup]

I work everyday on the land, last job moving 30 tonnes of stone by hand,, shovel wheelbarrow, laying blocks, putting on roof tiles, cutting grass, weeding, concreting digging holes, putting in trees and irrigation etc, heres some of the stone, it has to be put down by hand no machine.

Im 51. Its regularly 36c+ on the land and little shade from the sun, I probably drink 4-5 litres a day of fluids.

Very nice.

But, I am assuming this is something you chose to do for your own enjoyment.

It was "optional work".

Not something you had to do to put food "on the table" for your family.

I don;t see anything in your photo that you can eat.

No matter how arduous,a labor of love is a joy.

Labor for survival, can be torture.

Again, nice job!

And I am a retired landscaper.

When I do landscaping at home here in Thailand, my Mother in law's only comment is, "You can't eat it!"

It wasnt optional, I had to do it as I could find no one competent or careful, previous to that I spent 30 years in the construction industry in ALL weathers many days you couldnt feel your fingers

I bet you weren't working construction for 300 baht a day, and you would have had safety gear, something very few Thai have. To try and compare what you did in the West to what the Thai farmers (or construction workers) do year in year out with no penalty rates, no unions, no paid holidays, no sick leave or compensation for accidents etc, is ridiculous.

Edited July 31, 2015 by giddyup

[HooHaa]

I work everyday on the land, last job moving 30 tonnes of stone by hand,, shovel wheelbarrow, laying blocks, putting on roof tiles, cutting grass, weeding, concreting digging holes, putting in trees and irrigation etc, heres some of the stone, it has to be put down by hand no machine.

Im 51. Its regularly 36c+ on the land and little shade from the sun, I probably drink 4-5 litres a day of fluids.

wow, yay you!

[watcharacters]

I agree. If you have retired here as I have, you pretty much lead a life of luxury compared to the average Thai. I live in a very comfortable home, more than enough regular income, have a brand new pickup, buy what I want in terms of food etc, and have a lazy, stress-free life. When I see some poor individual living in some Thai or Philippine slum, sorting through garbage for a living, I realise how blessed is my life.

I dont buy into this 100% often they have nothing for a reason, given a job with pay how many of them would get up and do it? I think many are bone idle Ive seen this round by our land, they want money for nothing.

Im the same but want chicks for free.

Amen, Stoney...

[kannot]

I work everyday on the land, last job moving 30 tonnes of stone by hand,, shovel wheelbarrow, laying blocks, putting on roof tiles, cutting grass, weeding, concreting digging holes, putting in trees and irrigation etc, heres some of the stone, it has to be put down by hand no machine.

Im 51. Its regularly 36c+ on the land and little shade from the sun, I probably drink 4-5 litres a day of fluids.

Very nice.

But, I am assuming this is something you chose to do for your own enjoyment.

It was "optional work".

Not something you had to do to put food "on the table" for your family.

I don;t see anything in your photo that you can eat.

No matter how arduous,a labor of love is a joy.

Labor for survival, can be torture.

Again, nice job!

And I am a retired landscaper.

When I do landscaping at home here in Thailand, my Mother in law's only comment is, "You can't eat it!"

It wasnt optional, I had to do it as I could find no one competent or careful, previous to that I spent 30 years in the construction industry in ALL weathers many days you couldnt feel your fingers

I bet you weren't working construction for 300 baht a day, and you would have had safety gear, something very few Thai have. To try and compare what you did in the West to what the Thai farmers (or construction workers) do year in year out with no penalty rates, no unions, no paid holidays, no sick leave or compensation for accidents etc, is ridiculous.

i worked for myself so no unions no sick leave no unemployment benefit no accident compensation , many 12-hour + days when I started there was no minimum wage oh and many by me arent working for 300 a day in construction try 500

Edited July 31, 2015 by kannot

[thehelmsman]

Most rice now is sown by a man with a backpack firing the rice out of a blower and all is cut by machine near me, very very little is now done by hand here.

So, I asked why they don't plant the rice the way you describe. Answer is if only seeds are planted to many pesticides are required to kill the grass. If shoots are planted in the regular way not as many weeds take over. The rice is mainly for themselves. The rice grown for sales would or could use the seed planting method because no one would care about excess pesticides.

Makes you think about what you buy in the stores.

[nidieunimaitre]

45 posts, it's about time for this:

Four Yorkshiremen, incl Rowan Atkinson when he was still funny

[MAJIC]

Having worked on the land when I was younger I don't so much feel lucky, rather I have a great deal of empathy with those working in the rice fields (be they Thai or, very often unregistered ethnic minority Thais / immigrant workers).

Bent over all day planting or harvesting is extremely hard work, the hardest work I've ever done, made harder of course by exposure to the elements.

I wonder what a Thai field worker would have thought had they seen the younger version of GH picking potatoes in frosty ground?

2 Shilling a bag,depending on the Potato size!

[Ghostnigel]

I work everyday on the land, last job moving 30 tonnes of stone by hand,, shovel wheelbarrow, laying blocks, putting on roof tiles, cutting grass, weeding, concreting digging holes, putting in trees and irrigation etc, heres some of the stone, it has to be put down by hand no machine.

Im 51. Its regularly 36c+ on the land and little shade from the sun, I probably drink 4-5 litres a day of fluids.

And all for 300 a day....bargain

I dont get paid, no one else could do it even if they were paid 3000 a day theyd still foook it up

it was a 'tongue in cheek' joke, i can see its for yourself.

[kannot]

Most rice now is sown by a man with a backpack firing the rice out of a blower and all is cut by machine near me, very very little is now done by hand here.

So, I asked why they don't plant the rice the way you describe. Answer is if only seeds are planted to many pesticides are required to kill the grass. If shoots are planted in the regular way not as many weeds take over. The rice is mainly for themselves. The rice grown for sales would or could use the seed planting method because no one would care about excess pesticides.

Makes you think about what you buy in the stores.

I only eat my own grown food, and i get my water form an 85 metre deep well fully tested as 100% good

[krisb]

Most rice now is sown by a man with a backpack firing the rice out of a blower and all is cut by machine near me, very very little is now done by hand here.

It's a sad reality but it's gonna all be machine work 1 day. Thing is it keeps villages in work, as tough as the job is.

[krisb]

I think the worst bit of rice or sugar is the bending over all day and the sun.

There's farms all over the world and no farm work is easy.

[kannot]

45 posts, it's about time for this:

Four Yorkshiremen, incl Rowan Atkinson when he was still funny

Those were the days not like now, way too much of everything

[thaibeachlovers]

for sure the farmers work hard . My wife's father who is 87 years old worked hard all his life and can even now can outwork me anyday. The wife's family look down on anyone who doesnot work hard.When the father comes to our house he cleans the yard,cuts the branchs digs out the weeds etc. I only wish his grandchildren my wife's kids would learn from him. The young ones are so lazy and feel privileged it is difficult to watch.

One day when I was at their home my wife wanted some mangoes from a tree. Her uncle who is 66 couldnot wait for someone to come with a pole to get them, he simply climbed the tree and picked them just like a teenager. They work hard but boy are they healthy.

My Thai nephew's parents work very hard, but he is the laziest little **** I have ever met. They won't make him do anything. I really pity the foolish girl that marries him.

[steven100]

Yes I say we are lucky everyday. I have 2 cars, 2 houses, beer, food, holidays, sex .

[craigt3365]

An inappropriate post has been removed from view.

[peeglen]

I work everyday on the land, last job moving 30 tonnes of stone by hand,, shovel wheelbarrow, laying blocks, putting on roof tiles, cutting grass, weeding, concreting digging holes, putting in trees and irrigation etc, heres some of the stone, it has to be put down by hand no machine.

Im 51. Its regularly 36c+ on the land and little shade from the sun, I probably drink 4-5 litres a day of fluids.

Good on you for not being lazy but that picture shows what appears to be clear crushed gravel. Calling it "stone" is misleading as that term usually means large stones used for retaining walls and stairs that often weigh between 50 and 100lbs a piece. With gravel you can control how much you put in the wheelbarrow so it needn't be back breaking work. One ton of stone is approximately 1 cubic yard so you moved two standard dump trucks (~16 yd3) in 36c heat at age 51, no mean feat!

The site is relatively level and appears to have easy access for trucks and machines so it would have been a simple job for a contractor. The work definitely isn't rocket science and yes, you could pay a monkey to do most of it provided that it was a supervised monkey. There is a truck called a "stone slinger" that can do most of the work, you just have to rake it out.

The yard looks clean and organized but I'd have a chat with the designer as it doesn't make much sense (colour, line, form, texture). . Did you use a filter cloth or any other barrier under the gravel? If not, it won't look neat and tidy for long unless you go heavy on the herbicides to control the weeds that come through. The plants are quite small so you'll probably be in your mid 60's before they provide much shade to cool the heat absorbed by the gravel. The older we get the more we should spend on mature plants.

Be sure to install an anti siphon device, or better yet a back flow prevention device if your irrigation system is connected to your drinking water. It can be fit even after the irrigation system is installed and could prevent you and your family from getting very sick.

In response to the OP, I respect people who work hard and are hale until the end of their days, but what I respect more is people who work smarter instead of harder. There are no medals handed out for working class heroes, they usually end up with bad backs and chronic pain. Not the way I want to live out my "golden years"