Geo: 16.392, 103.924Wake at 02:45 to watch FA Cup Leics 3v1 Derby.Wake again to a cold morning but the skies are clear, the sun is coming up and I am sure it will be fine for swimming this week.I bike into Phon Thong after breakfast for an internet session. On the return journey the sun is glorious but it is extremely windy. However improbable, it feels as though the wind could blow the wheels out from under me.Just before 16:00 Fin arrives at our place excited about going swimming. We set off for the 30mins or so ride to Phon Thong Park. As we approach I notice that there are a lot of cars there which is unusual. When we stop we see that it is not only cars but hundreds of scouts from a local ... read more

Geo: 16.392, 103.924We are in the process of getting a tool made for cutting the fruit from our palm oil trees. The blade was forged about a week ago and this morning we biked into PHon Thong to buy a 2m length of metal piping to make the handle. Drop it all off at the village 'blacksmith' on the way back.We have just ab7out exhausted Phon Thong now in a search for a dark blue toilet seat with no luck. We will trysome of the bigger shops when we go to the city in a few weeks time but then will be reduced to buying a light blue one. Perhaps the colour contrast will set a trend ... then again, perhaps it wont !I spend some time cutting up the latest batch of eucalyptus branches into ... read more

Geo: 16.392, 103.924Jai bought some croissants in Phon Thong yesterday so we have a change of breakfast this morning; fried eggs, small sausages, fried tomatoes, followed by croissants and jam. Enjoyed it to the point that we have decided to make this a weekly treat on Sunday mornings.I spend an hour or so at the farm after breakfast cutting some bamboo canes to mend a fence in the back garden. Jai has decided that the orchid baskets that we made a few years back need replacing so I also cut a few branches from some of our eucalyptus trees. Spend most of my time at the farm this morning sat watching the birds. The bike isnt really made for transporting cargo so I hide the bamboo canes in the long grass and just bring back the ... read more

Geo: 16.392, 103.924There is still a covering of heavy cloud this morning and even the odd spot of rain.Jai gets a phone call from friend Wan to say that she now has the money to pay her for the mat pieces we took earlier in the week so Jai's day is off to a good start.Jai's day gets even better a little later. This year she has already received about GBP2-300 in compensation for the low prices of the rice and rumour has it that, on February 14th, she will be getting a further GBP200. Its all very nice but I cant help thinking that it would be better for the government to fix the price of rice and then not have to bother with the organisation of compensation payments each year. There is also the ... read more

Geo: 16.392, 103.924We still havent had any text messages from British Embassy about Jai's visa and I would have expected some progress by now.I bike into Phon Thong for an internet session and one of the first things I see is an e-mail from Embassy saying that they have completed processing Jai's application and that it has been sent to their courier to be returned to her. They never give a decision in their e-mails. Good news or bad, we will have to wait up to another week to find out.Pop out to the farm to check on bananas but they need another few days yet before we can cut the next bunch.Go to see Fin after we have eaten and tell her that we will take her swimming after school tomorrow. ... read more