Around our garden 01.06.11

the garden is coming along here are some photos

I found a snake in the grass

what kind of snake is this?

PART 2

I think the house in the bush have now reach ranch status after two intrusions of two Brahma bull calves wandered in and started and started munching on the newly laid lawn , primeurs I guess .

It`s been a brief period of warmth otherwise it has been the coldest winter in the 18 years I have lived up here, even at 25c windy and high humidity it`s cool.

A couple of rains have gotten the garden to wake up bushes and tree that looked dead are now sprouting. Since this is the first year here it will be interesting to see what it will really look like. When I bought the place it looked like a meadow with 1 meter high vegetation everywhere. It is beginning to take shape and look like a garden.

After the two snakes that come close to my foot I have become more conscious of

Not that I am paranoid but aware of snakes now.

I must be living in the Village of the Dead it looks like it`s a death about once a week

But there are a lot of older people living here so I fit in. A funeral last about three days with all the stuff goes with it and everybody seems to show up. A procession

Passing my gate takes between 10-15 minutes it`s almost like New Orleans different music though, rockets, gongs, music and chanting over loudspeakers for the whole village to hear.

Village service is very good get almost everything to the door, internet connection is a bit sketchy sometimes a few days down but who need it all the time.

The village have had free mosquito fumigation and a kilo of iodized salt delivered and even a pair of reading glasses have been provided for free.

So life in the countryside is good.

Have installed insulation mats on the ceiling so after the deafening sound of heavy rain on a tin roof it`s now very quite, plus less hot.

So far not too many mosquitoes haven`t seen any rats and the best no frogs serenading after rain there are some chirping fiddling chickadees chickados  or whatever they are called but that is only daytime.

 So I am happy here in my 2  3x3m bedrooms and 3x6m living room and yes there is a kitchen is actually bigger then the living area 6x8m.

That is all from pakopete at the ranch.

 

PART 3 

SUMMER.

            It`s  now mid May and the rain have really begun.

Winter stopped in mid March which was the coldest I can remember up here.

April was the driest not a drop, but now it started.

Fixing the house up putting in a few new doors to save my head from banging

into the low frames and new bigger sliding windows.

Electricity cut offs are frequent when it rains don`t why.

A few mosquitoes around specially daytime but they are so small you don`t really

see them they are nuisance.

Luckily I have internet so I can read newspapers and magazines on line so I not totally cut off.

Here I only have the bare necessities otherwise I have to go to Nong Khai to get supplies, but that is only six kilometers .

The village have some good schemes though I have gotten 1 Kg. of Iodine Salt , 50 Kg. of fertilizer

And a pair of reading glasses for free. They even come around to buy your dry garbage

Garbage every day and quite a few mobile hawkers but you have to be quick otherwise you miss them.

I and my friends though I was going to get cabin fever living in the bush but it`s

working out pretty good, but a bit odd when your highlights are going to N.K. for shopping which is a wonder, from 10-20 every day I have bank, post plus a department store facilities.

Heat is very bad about 35c and very high humidity and I thought it was me sweating after I good bike session. I had a friend of mine setting up the photos for me  http://isaan-live.com/  is his web page .