Set fire to the farm - well, nearly !

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Geo: 16.392, 103.924

Cold on the ride into Phon Thong this morning for an extra internet session to do a bit of research. May have been cold on the way into town but it is t-shirt and shorts weather by the time I come back to the village.
Jai gives the bike a treat and washes to make it presentable again, a wash it badly needed with all of the dust that has been blowing around Stan & Ollie the last week or so.
Our recycling lady calls in and we unload all of our bottles and plastic that we have accumulated over the last couple of months. Still can't see how she can make much money from buying our rubbish then selling it on but long way it continue. Not only do I not have to dispose of it all myself but the money she gives us goes towards buying the seed and fertiliser for the garden each year.
Mid-afternoon we go to the farm and decide to burn the clump of bamboo that had started to shoot again. A few seconds after lighting up the fire spread to a pile of cut grass and loose bamboo and looked like getting out of control and streaking across the rice fields. Between the two of us we manage to stamp it down with tree branches and just about prevent disaster - at least the rice had already been cut but ... We stay here for the next couple of hours keeping our eyes on the fire.
Whilst we are stood by the fire I spot a beautiful bird that I had not seen here before. Looked like a kingfisher with red breast and electric blue wings.
Biking back to the house nephew Tia calls us from their farm next door and presents us with a bunch of bananas.
Jai gets on my wrong side this evening when she breaks my favourite beer glass. We go back a long way together and have shared some good times. It will be sadly missed but is quickly replaced with a Beer Lao glass from across the border.

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