But it has got wetter!
which prompted some urgent action from “Gutterman” who responded so very quickly to our cry for help that he completely ignored any health and safety issues and even brought Mum along to steady the step ladder!
The welcome rain brings out all sorts of animals and insects. Later in this season we are inundated with toads but right now, a little tree frog has taken to clinging to the outside of one of our windows and watching television with us in the evenings!
Inside the house, things are less soggy but our living area – especially in my office – seems to be getting smaller. Around 7 months ago this rubber plant fit nicely into the corner of my ‘man cave’
but is now a little out of control!
The beginning of this rainy time perfectly focusses both mind and body on getting this year’s European trip sorted. A huge amount has happened in all corners of the world (and especially in the UK) since we last set foot in Blighty – right in the middle of the late Queen Elizabeth’s Jubilee celebrations.
It all seems so very long ago!
Our trip planning starts, as usual with the process of obtaining the two visas for Nokky. This is not only an expensive exercise (close to £700 in total) but also involves going to Bangkok on two separate occasions not only to present great bundles of documentation to the relevant authorities but also to have Nokky’s photo and fingerprints taken by both the Spanish and UK embassy people. All very bureaucratic but necessary, I suppose and involves a lot of driving (app 7 hours each round trip) including much sitting in Bangkok traffic –
all for a couple of 15 minute ‘interviews’!
There is, of course, always lots to keep you occupied when you’re behind the wheel for so long
a lot of which is a reminder of how dangerous the roads are (or more accurately, the drivers) here in Thailand.
The good news is, though, that we now have the necessary two visas. So flights and AirBnBs have been booked, thus leaving me to concentrate on the jigsaw puzzle of attempting to see as many family and friends as possible (not an easy task during the holiday period) whilst also leaving some time for a bit more sightseeing for Nokky. We are going to be busy and I think a bit shocked at the rising cost of living in Europe.
Around the time of our departure is the end of our Pool League season. Up until very recently, we were in 2nd place so I was looking forward, perhaps, to starting our trip against the background of having just won the league.
But then on Monday we got comprehensively thrashed so unless the teams now above us have a couple of meltdowns, we will remain an ‘also ran’ until next season Hey Ho!
It is now about 5 weeks since the general election here. The winning party headed up by the youthful, good looking and charismatic Pita Limjaroenrat
has now formed an 8 party coalition which gives him a total of 75% of all votes cast and yet the existing government have still not admitted defeat and are running around desperately trying to think of ways of declaring the result ‘illegal’! It makes our shaky democracy look positively pure in comparison!
The cricket Ashes series is about to start. So, just time for a bit of gardening in between showers before settling down to watch some of the ‘Beautiful Game’. Or was that said of football?
R.
thelasthurrahsite 