Good news Sven, good news.... keep it coming man.

It helped, started raining here. We need more!

Someone can do the raindance ?

yea, been getting some hard rain, though intermittedly.

I like how it rains hard at night, and then the days are mostly clear w. lovely clouds.

My fave time of the year.

I especially like the rolling thunder. Haven't experienced it as sustained or as profound in other rural places I've lived (US both coasts, Europe, Africa). Thunder rolling on for a full minute or so, awesome!

Hard Rain here too.

Hard Rain

Is it cool and dryer now in C'Rai?

We had a bit of rain where I am (20kms south) last night but it's been generally dry.

Not sure about cooler, but it's on the way.

spookily dry here - for what should be the wettest part of the year.

been doing burn piles, not even using paper to start 'em, just put a lighter down to the brush pile and ....poof it bursts in to flame.

Went to the dam over the Mae Kok, which is east of town. Noticed that all 11 gates were fully closed. Usually the gates are open until about Feb. because of the need to release torrents of water. Not now. Water conservation is already starting. It's going to be a very dry dry season. Lots of wells drying up early, and crops drying off. No way around it.

Where is the rain? Last year it rained off and on right up to Loy Kratong in November. The days are more like hot season weather. Maybe and hopefull the rainy season may yet to have a sting in the tail! I'm worried in case our artisian well dries up, the source is 28 meters, just how much water down is a ???, and it fairly pure, I don't drink it but use for teeth cleaning.

spookily dry here - for what should be the wettest part of the year.

been doing burn piles, not even using paper to start 'em, just put a lighter down to the brush pile and ....poof it bursts in to flame.

Went to the dam over the Mae Kok, which is east of town. Noticed that all 11 gates were fully closed. Usually the gates are open until about Feb. because of the need to release torrents of water. Not now. Water conservation is already starting. It's going to be a very dry dry season. Lots of wells drying up early, and crops drying off. No way around it.

What is a Danish Pastry Member?? The macro ones are delish!

been doing burn piles, not even using paper to start 'em, just put a lighter down to the brush pile and ....poof it bursts in to flame.

Hmm, do not like !!

So what do you have in your piles? Plastics, old tires, wet paper ... anything that makes a good smoke ?

been doing burn piles, not even using paper to start 'em, just put a lighter down to the brush pile and ....poof it bursts in to flame.

Hmm, do not like !!

So what do you have in your piles? Plastics, old tires, wet paper ... anything that makes a good smoke ?

No, neither do I burn PCBs nor dead bodies. Take a moment to think about where you live and your town. Without burn piles, you wouldn't have a home or a town. Where you live would be 3 meter high weeds with visibility of about 1 foot.

I endeavor to turn weed-choked properties in to park-like settings, nicer than even the richest peoples' private property parcels. Why are my creations nicer? One reason is because I allow large trees to grow, which most Thais don't. Nicer also because I was able to secure some properties with magnificent natural rock formations (not trucked-in rock like you can see just south of Mae Chan along the Super Hwy). Some of the rock faces bordering my properties soar up 100 meters and more.

Part of the land enhancement I do is take off vines to expose the rock. That probably wouldn't meet your approval either, but ....to each his own. If it makes you feel better, the vines will grow back to completely hide the rock within a year or two if not maintained. Same for weeds. If me and my crews didn't remove ubiquitous weeds, they'd be back as strong as ever within months.

I know there are other ways to deal with the smaller organic things like leaves and cut weeds, and branches. We do some composting, both with piles and by leaving things on the ground to decompose. However, with larger things, like dead trees/branches, and large bundles of sticker weeds, we do burn piles. Hypothetically, things could be ground up for mulch, but that would require a heavy duty mulcher and a power supply (which is polluting in itself). If you have a heavy duty mulcher to loan, let me know. If it runs on AC I can't use it, unless I bring my generator out to the site. If it runs on gas, then you're welcome to supply the gas (and haul the machine out to my properties), thanks.

been doing burn piles, not even using paper to start 'em, just put a lighter down to the brush pile and ....poof it bursts in to flame.

Hmm, do not like !!

So what do you have in your piles? Plastics, old tires, wet paper ... anything that makes a good smoke ?

No, neither do I burn PCBs nor dead bodies. Take a moment to think about where you live and your town. Without burn piles, you wouldn't have a home or a town. Where you live would be 3 meter high weeds with visibility of about 1 foot.

I endeavor to turn weed-choked properties in to park-like settings, nicer than even the richest peoples' private property parcels. Why are my creations nicer? One reason is because I allow large trees to grow, which most Thais don't. Nicer also because I was able to secure some properties with magnificent natural rock formations (not trucked-in rock like you can see just south of Mae Chan along the Super Hwy). Some of the rock faces bordering my properties soar up 100 meters and more.

Part of the land enhancement I do is take off vines to expose the rock. That probably wouldn't meet your approval either, but ....to each his own. If it makes you feel better, the vines will grow back to completely hide the rock within a year or two if not maintained. Same for weeds. If me and my crews didn't remove ubiquitous weeds, they'd be back as strong as ever within months.

I know there are other ways to deal with the smaller organic things like leaves and cut weeds, and branches. We do some composting, both with piles and by leaving things on the ground to decompose. However, with larger things, like dead trees/branches, and large bundles of sticker weeds, we do burn piles. Hypothetically, things could be ground up for mulch, but that would require a heavy duty mulcher and a power supply (which is polluting in itself). If you have a heavy duty mulcher to loan, let me know. If it runs on AC I can't use it, unless I bring my generator out to the site. If it runs on gas, then you're welcome to supply the gas (and haul the machine out to my properties), thanks.

I am familiar with clearing land from vines, high elephantgrass, sticker weeds. We have 40 rai that me and my wife take care of without a crew, cannot afford it.

We cut it and within a month we cannot see it. When it comes to dead trees, big branches we put that in one big pile in a corner. Or we bring it to our village and gives it, chopped to nice pieces, to some old people. They use it for cooking.

In our garden, 3 rai, we have 2 composts for grass, weed, vines, leaves etc. Big branches goes to the village.

Most farangs complain about people here in SEA that they burn everything they can set onto fire. Funny to find a farang doing the same!

Sorry, I do not have a heavy duty mulcher !

Current weather conditions and forecasts:

Chiang Rai weather

Best rain so far this year tonight here in Huay Sak!

In one hour we got more rain than we previously got this year!

Come on, keep coming!

Best rain so far this year tonight here in Huay Sak!

In one hour we got more rain than we previously got this year!

Come on, keep coming!

I guess we all got that one Sven. Rained heavily all night here, I couldn't sleep as I wasn't used to it. Lets hope I get used to it again.

The Sky does appear heavy still. There's more to come.

Best rain so far this year tonight here in Huay Sak!

In one hour we got more rain than we previously got this year!

Come on, keep coming!

I guess we all got that one Sven. Rained heavily all night here, I couldn't sleep as I wasn't used to it. Lets hope I get used to it again.

The Sky does appear heavy still. There's more to come.

Here, (I hope) is a picture of something that is being built near the Kok river in Chiangrai. What does this guy know that he hasn't told us? If I start seeing animals going in two by two, I'm heading for the high ground!

In keeping with our long tradition of keeping nothing on Topic, I'll ask whats it really going to be ? Office Block ? Boutique Hotel ? Coffee Shop ?

Some sort of church or mission I believe. Hence the Noahs ark theme.

C35B. Amen!

Maybe there waiting for the heavens to open up and Pee down with rain and it might float away !!!!

Well maybe not lol

Giving it a good try this morning, very heavy rain so far with no sign of it easing.

Could you please send some out toward Phaya Mengrai. We haven't had a drop at our house for a couple of weeks. Don't know how much longer the rice crop will hold out and we are back to watering the garden by hand.

Every time we go into town we get soaked but none of it ever makes it as far as our place.

Could you please send some out toward Phaya Mengrai. We haven't had a drop at our house for a couple of weeks. Don't know how much longer the rice crop will hold out and we are back to watering the garden by hand.

Every time we go into town we get soaked but none of it ever makes it as far as our place.

Thats Funny VF, we've just had about ten minutes of Good rain. Certainly not enough, but every little helps. I was just going to get the Hosepipe out. Its a pretty dire situation.

there, there, here's some photos of the nice rain to enjoy. :PB)

Note the well flooded rice fields.

Thanks Scea, that did the trick. We appreciate the rain you sent our way and though it has slow to a drizzle right now, there is potentially more on the way. The fields are far from flooded but the situation has improved.

Scea

You must have sent it back home.

We had plenty of the rain.

Plus more to come.

I'll have to get a job as a rain maker.

Rained heavy here in (Chiang Khong) for about 30mins,sun out again now.

Quite cool here yesterday and today, light rain all night and it's still drizzling.

Very pleasant weather for this time of the year.

About the same hear plenty of rain yesterday.

A lot of ploughing going on around the house and the fields are flooded. I suspect they may plant this week.

After the last couple of days, we have gone from too little water to, too much water. Rice shoots are completely covered by water and our pond is now up to the bottom of our sala. Worst of all we had to call off our morning ride on the Ninjas.

A little break in the rain might be nice.