First day of winter ?

---

Geo: 16.3833, 103.933

It actually feels a bit cold this morning for the first time this year - all relative of course. I bike into Phon Thong for an internet session then do a bit of shopping before heading back to the village.
It is cremation day for the funeral party and Jai leaves just after lunch. Later I hear a loud explosion as a firework goes off to announce that they are leaving the house. The coffin is carried in a large refridgerated coffin on the back of a pick up and is lead by all of the villagers. A long piece of rope is attached to the front of the pick up and everyone holds on to the rope with a few monks leading the way and they walk the coffin out of the village. A few years ago the cremations used to be out in the open on piles of wood in a small area of trees a few miles from the village. Early last year they finally built a proper crematorium on the site. I stood outside the house and watched them all walk by then returned to my book.
Later I biked out to the farm to water the trees etc and got back to the village just in time for mum's phone call. Amazingly the Xmas cards that I mailed our last day in Chiangmai arrived in Gloucestr only four days later !!

---