Geo: 16.392, 103.924Wake up at 02:45 to watch Plymouth v Liverpool FA Cup replay but give up and go back to sleep at half time.Shower wasnt working last night so have to give this some priority this morning. What with an unreliable electric connection and frequently too low a water pressure the shower is always an issue. After much messing about I discover tat the only chage required is to extend the prongs on the new plug that I fitted so that they grip the socket. Hopefully we should be able to have hot showers again for at least another week now !Spend a few hours on and off throughout the day pulling weeds. Even spend a little time cutting some mat grass for Jai.There is really good water pressure this evening so take the opportunity ... read more

Geo: 16.392, 103.924Eventually get around to burning the tree that I cut down last week and there is some room in the garden again.The roses in the front garden are beutiful again this year. Wouldnt have thought they were suitable for this climate but they survive the extreme temperatures and the months without water when we are not here.Biked out to the farm just to show our presence to anyone who jight be keeping an eye on our bananas. Wont do any good but ... Jai doesnt think the palm tree fruit has been stolen. Nephew Tia cut the grass and pruned back the trees at the time they cut the rice and she thinks that they have not made any fruit yet. Not convinced but ... The trees we planted in the second year are ... read more

Geo: 16.392, 103.924I needed the fleecy sweatshirt when we biked into Phon Thong yesterday and it is a bit fresh again this morning. Does still get up into the early 30s in the afternoon though.Jai cuts some of mat grass in the back garden so I clear the weeds and the long grass along a path in the back garden at the same time but it hurts my hip like hell and I dont think I will be doing much work at all over the next couple of months.We hear that an old lady on the other side of the village has died so Jai goes and spends a bit of time helping with funeral preparations at her house.Watch Man Utd 1v1 Liverpool on Thai TV tonight.... read more

Geo: 16.392, 103.924Karaoke finished but I was woken up by the noise of heavy rain beating on the house roof. It doesnt last long and at least the garden wont need watering today.Waking up this morning there is a clear change in the air and it is a lot fresher and all the dust has been damped down which is good.I bike into Phon Thong and complete Jai's visa application form on-line. I will hold back on officially submitting it until Monay in case anything else comes to mind over the weekend. It never ceases to amaze me how anyone who is not an English speaker could successfully submit one of these applications. Everything seems to be stacked against anyone completing everything correctly. In the afternoon I bike out to the farm and do a clear ... read more

Geo: 16.392, 103.924Up early today so water the back garden before breakfast. Spend the morning cutting down the remainder of the tree and taking the wood to Jai's sister Begat who uses it for cooking. I update our copy of Jai's 2016 visa application form in readiness to submit it online later. I tend to read these documents about 10 times after I have completed them before finally submitting as once its gone its too late to backtrack and the embassy are completely unflexible. I bike out to the farm for a look around. Discover 6 bunches of bananas and another tree that is in flower. Looks like someone has stolen the fruit from my palm oil trees. This would have been the first year that we would have got something back from them so I ... read more