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I have been up this way for 4 months now and am very happy with my life, more so than any other village I have lived in here over the last 30 years! I eat mainly Isaan food which I love because M'Lady is a damned good cook, but I have to say that because she is a Geoff Capes lookalike in his prime and I don't fancy being on the wrong end of her right hook!!!! The local markets sell all the fresh veggie we need and, along with Tesco Lotus, all the fresh meat ....... except for Aussie beef and lamb. So I have just placed an order with expatfoods for delivery. Shipment costs for transportation, dry ice packaging and box - 399 baht. Sounds a lot but I have added cheese and 20 pies to my meat order !!! (who ate all the pies? you fat bastard you fat bastard!!!) I'll let you know how things progress ....

Road warrior tip; roll instead of fold to reduce wrinkles and save space.

Dinner for 2 in PBG as the sun goes down. Some seafood soup for her and chicken in garlic for me.

In port Gibraltar for crew change,not mine unfortunately, but rock of Gibraltar looked good early this morning.

Easter Lunch at my sister's place today...

A BM here recommended the penang curry in Det5, so I went to try it today. It didn't dissapoint.

Mozzarella pizza with added toppings.

It's our first night in Ao Nang, and we always go to this Thai place called 'Family' as it's Family run. It's up a wee alley of the main drag, but is aways packed as it's tremendous, and so cheap. I just had this pineapple rice, 70 Baht. And fried fish in chilli and garlic, 180 Baht. So 250Baht, and it was fucking lovely. Get free watermelon etc as well.

Tonight the missus made me a black sausage, baked bean and rice dish. It might not look the best but tastes great.

Sailing past malaga

Walking again

Bakehouse mince and onion pie from Siamburi's with a bit mash and gravy

I worked in Gibraltar dry dock just after it was converted from a Navy to commercial shipyard. First time i arrived in La Linea it was so foggy we couldn't see The Rock, had to ask a Spaniard where it was. Once the fog lifted it seemed a ridiculous question

That day we met up with Larry at the Beer Garden there was a reenactment between two old friends of the infamous " Stinky Finger" that was first performed years earlier upon a certain person's return to pay an unpaid bar tab

Just finished putting in a couple of lights in at the mother-in-law's house. The one in the outside kitchen was permenantly wired in and the one in the entertainment area is connect via a powerboard with a 10 metre lead. The one in the entertainment area she didn't to be on all the time with the other lights so I took the easy option of using a powerboard with a switched outlet instead of running a complete new lighting circuit.

On the other hand, every day I see guys walking around in this heat wearing black t-shirts and blue jeans, dunno how they can stand it.

A friend's pre-teen daughter happens to like pearls. They often take beach vacations to look for them. One Christmas she told him she wanted a pearl necklace as a gift. He told her to go google and show him what types she preferred. Don't do that.

That’s how I pack so can get away with hand luggage only, can get a lot in a rucksack that way.

I guess the clue was the missing scrumpy!

This map is more interesting, informative and well-designed than you'd expect from a port authority. Great piece of work shows the development of the port of Rotterdam from 1400 to 2030. https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1015912576564117&set=a.610868297068549

VID-20240330-WA0003.mp4

Just back from doing 40 minutes at the gym on the treadmill. About to jump in the shower. Off to buy flowers shortly then off to the cemetery with Sally. That is about it for the day.

Kaprow moo something... Fried belly pork krapow... the motorbike restaurant on soi 15 told me what it was, but I've forgotten. Only discovered it on my last day after watching her make it for a local... Mind you, western basil is too strong for it.

Amazing the number of posters that did catch on to what day this is. Just proves once again how many people don't use critical thinking skills.

Oh no.... Sorry for the formatting... https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/04/01/germany-invoke-rule-stop-harry-kane-playing-england-euros/ Under the Foreign Nationals (Football) Act, passed by the Bundestag, players can only represent the country in which they are resident With Harry Kane leading the line, Euro 2024 is regarded as England’s best chance of winning an international tournament since their World Cup victory in 1966. But Germany, the host nation for the Euros, has come up with a dastardly plan to thwart the Three Lions by using an obscure law to prevent Kane from playing for the country of his birth. Under the Foreign Nationals (Football) Act, passed by the Bundestag in 1898, players can only represent the country in which they are resident. The law has never been enforced, but it remains on the statute books and with the Euros less than three months away the Deutscher Fussball-Bund, Germany’s equivalent of the Football Association, is in secret talks with the country’s government to put it to use. Nightmare scenario England captain Kane now lives in Bavaria after signing for Bayern Munich last summer, meaning he could face the nightmare scenario of missing out on the tournament or, worse still, being forced to play for Germany. Olaf Pirlo, secretary of the DFB, said: “Yes, it’s true that there is a law here that means anyone living in Germany has to play for Germany or not at all. With Harry Kane leading the line, Euro 2024 is regarded as England’s best chance of winning an international tournament since their World Cup victory in 1966. But Germany, the host nation for the Euros, has come up with a dastardly plan to thwart the Three Lions by using an obscure law to prevent Kane from playing for the country of his birth. Under the Foreign Nationals (Football) Act, passed by the Bundestag in 1898, players can only represent the country in which they are resident. The law has never been enforced, but it remains on the statute books and with the Euros less than three months away the Deutscher Fussball-Bund, Germany’s equivalent of the Football Association, is in secret talks with the country’s government to put it to use. Nightmare scenario England captain Kane now lives in Bavaria after signing for Bayern Munich last summer, meaning he could face the nightmare scenario of missing out on the tournament or, worse still, being forced to play for Germany. Olaf Pirlo, secretary of the DFB, said: “Yes, it’s true that there is a law here that means anyone living in Germany has to play for Germany or not at all. Demand to replay 1966 World Cup final The Telegraph has learnt that back-channel negotiations have already taken place between the DFB and the FA, but talks broke down when Germany said it would only drop the little-known rule if England admitted the disputed extra-time goal in the 1966 World Cup final never crossed the goal line and agreed to a replay. Kane, who is England’s all-time top scorer with 62 goals for his country, has caused panic in the German ranks by scoring 31 goals so far in his first season for Bayern Munich. “Our players just don’t know how to stop him,” admitted Pirlo. “They are coming up against him every week and they now know exactly how good he is. There is a danger he will embarrass the German national side on home soil if he is allowed to play. This would be unacceptable.” Export ban The FA will now face serious questions about why it did not intervene to prevent Kane being sold to Bayern when he left Tottenham Hotspur last summer. The FA top brass appear to have been unaware of the law that was waiting to be sprung like a trap when Kane arrived in Germany. If it had been more on the ball, it could have asked the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to slap an export ban on Kane in the same way it does for nationally important works of art. Lawyers for the FA are now scrambling to find a solution. One insider said: “There were always question marks around how Bayern was able to afford the £100 million transfer fee for Kane. We now suspect it might have been paid out of some central government slush fund and that stopping Kane playing for England in the Euros was the real reason for the transfer all along. It has not been invoked in the past because none of the players who came here were good enough to play for Germany. But Kane coming to Germany has changed all that. He is the best striker in the world and he simply cannot be allowed to play for England. Demand to replay 1966 World Cup final The Telegraph has learnt that back-channel negotiations have already taken place between the DFB and the FA, but talks broke down when Germany said it would only drop the little-known rule if England admitted the disputed extra-time goal in the 1966 World Cup final never crossed the goal line and agreed to a replay. Kane, who is England’s all-time top scorer with 62 goals for his country, has caused panic in the German ranks by scoring 31 goals so far in his first season for Bayern Munich. “Our players just don’t know how to stop him,” admitted Pirlo. “They are coming up against him every week and they now know exactly how good he is. There is a danger he will embarrass the German national side on home soil if he is allowed to play. This would be unacceptable.” Export ban The FA will now face serious questions about why it did not intervene to prevent Kane being sold to Bayern when he left Tottenham Hotspur last summer. The FA top brass appear to have been unaware of the law that was waiting to be sprung like a trap when Kane arrived in Germany. If it had been more on the ball, it could have asked the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to slap an export ban on Kane in the same way it does for nationally important works of art. Lawyers for the FA are now scrambling to find a solution. One insider said: “There were always question marks around how Bayern was able to afford the £100 million transfer fee for Kane. We now suspect it might have been paid out of some central government slush fund and that stopping Kane playing for England in the Euros was the real reason for the transfer all along. Demand to replay 1966 World Cup final The Telegraph has learnt that back-channel negotiations have already taken place between the DFB and the FA, but talks broke down when Germany said it would only drop the little-known rule if England admitted the disputed extra-time goal in the 1966 World Cup final never crossed the goal line and agreed to a replay. Kane, who is England’s all-time top scorer with 62 goals for his country, has caused panic in the German ranks by scoring 31 goals so far in his first season for Bayern Munich. “Our players just don’t know how to stop him,” admitted Pirlo. “They are coming up against him every week and they now know exactly how good he is. There is a danger he will embarrass the German national side on home soil if he is allowed to play. This would be unacceptable.” Export ban Demand to replay 1966 World Cup final The Telegraph has learnt that back-channel negotiations have already taken place between the DFB and the FA, but talks broke down when Germany said it would only drop the little-known rule if England admitted the disputed extra-time goal in the 1966 World Cup final never crossed the goal line and agreed to a replay. Kane, who is England’s all-time top scorer with 62 goals for his country, has caused panic in the German ranks by scoring 31 goals so far in his first season for Bayern Munich. “Our players just don’t know how to stop him,” admitted Pirlo. “They are coming up against him every week and they now know exactly how good he is. There is a danger he will embarrass the German national side on home soil if he is allowed to play. This would be unacceptable.” Export ban The FA will now face serious questions about why it did not intervene to prevent Kane being sold to Bayern when he left Tottenham Hotspur last summer. The FA top brass appear to have been unaware of the law that was waiting to be sprung like a trap when Kane arrived in Germany. If it had been more on the ball, it could have asked the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to slap an export ban on Kane in the same way it does for nationally important works of art. Lawyers for the FA are now scrambling to find a solution. One insider said: “There were always question marks around how Bayern was able to afford the £100 million transfer fee for Kane. We now suspect it might have been paid out of some central government slush fund and that stopping Kane playing for England in the Euros was the real reason for the transfer all along. The FA will now face serious questions about why it did not intervene to prevent Kane being sold to Bayern when he left Tottenham Hotspur last summer. The FA top brass appear to have been unaware of the law that was waiting to be sprung like a trap when Kane arrived in Germany. If it had been more on the ball, it could have asked the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to slap an export ban on Kane in the same way it does for nationally important works of art. Lawyers for the FA are now scrambling to find a solution. One insider said: “There were always question marks around how Bayern was able to afford the £100 million transfer fee for Kane. We now suspect it might have been paid out of some central government slush fund and that stopping Kane playing for England in the Euros was the real reason for the transfer all along. Demand to replay 1966 World Cup final The Telegraph has learnt that back-channel negotiations have already taken place between the DFB and the FA, but talks broke down when Germany said it would only drop the little-known rule if England admitted the disputed extra-time goal in the 1966 World Cup final never crossed the goal line and agreed to a replay. Kane, who is England’s all-time top scorer with 62 goals for his country, has caused panic in the German ranks by scoring 31 goals so far in his first season for Bayern Munich. “Our players just don’t know how to stop him,” admitted Pirlo. “They are coming up against him every week and they now know exactly how good he is. There is a danger he will embarrass the German national side on home soil if he is allowed to play. This would be unacceptable.” Export ban The FA will now face serious questions about why it did not intervene to prevent Kane being sold to Bayern when he left Tottenham Hotspur last summer. The FA top brass appear to have been unaware of the law that was waiting to be sprung like a trap when Kane arrived in Germany. If it had been more on the ball, it could have asked the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to slap an export ban on Kane in the same way it does for nationally important works of art. Lawyers for the FA are now scrambling to find a solution. One insider said: “There were always question marks around how Bayern was able to afford the £100 million transfer fee for Kane. We now suspect it might have been paid out of some central government slush fund and that stopping Kane playing for England in the Euros was the real reason for the transfer all along. 😀😃

^^^ Notice it starts with one person in the rubber raft. The person flips off at the last moment and then the video cuts to the dummy flying across the water. A good stupid human trick vid none the less. While looking for a better quality vid of the above I came across this one. It's a borderline stupid human trick, but looks fun as hell. I would try it.

Nice sunny Easter morning here...speaking of rebirth... My roses are starting to bloom. And an Anna's Hummingbird built a nest right outside my bedroom window. 🙏

I would just take a rucksack as hand luggage and go to the laundry every two or three days, and buy cheap clothes if needed then leave them in the hotel when leaving. Couldn’t be bothered with checking luggage in.

Have you not heard of laundries? 555 😜

Chicken curry I cooked a while ago with Sainsburys Tarka Dal & mini garlic naans. With a nice white....after 3 pints in the pub. The care home my mum is in is less than 100yds from my local....👹

Sailing the straights of Gibraltar one of the busiest,,nice sunset tonight.

In a crazy house with 2 Thais eating and drinking while having the Karaoke on volume 11. Despite telling them to keep it down, it stays at a ridiculous level so I thought, I am not driving today, therefore get the wine out. Drank half a bottle over the last 2 days so drinking what's left. I do have 2 more bottles, if I freak out, but hopefully another poor husband is coming to pick his wife up soon. Lucky bastard has had 2 days of silence and bliss, now he can have his wife back.

Absolute insanity. Saw one today in Central. Black long sleeved shirt, black jeans, black cowboy boots, black cowboy hat. With a bar girl on his arm. Talking loudly of course.

Back in the early 80's, I stayed for the best part of 3 months in a fancy hotel in Maasluis, on the northern bank of the river, while we were doing some recompletion and abandonment work on old oil wells in the De Lier field. Looking at the Google map of the area, it seems to have changed enough in the last 40 years that I can hardly recognise it, no need to go back 500 years, lol.

Packing.

I'm still deciding what directing my next walk will take me. I'm leaning towards soi Honey

Laab Moo Tod at Det 5 is a treat also. Goes well with the all day HH. Det 5 is a great way to chill in the hot afternoons in Bkk as you line up your prey for the evening.

Starting my packing with 16 days till our trip.

The sound of the waves in strong winds hitting the sea wall at the bottom of the garden, used to keep me awake all night. 😟 But getting up at 5am to go downstairs for coffee and seeing the sun sparkling of a calm sea was amazing. 🤗

Just been robbed of an hour. I want it back. Thieving daylight saving ba*tards

We've all seen those silly maps the Euro-zealots have on their living room walls after Brexit showing the world without Great Britain. Here's a map showing only the world's islands, Oz omitted, I guess, as it's a continent. I like this one for some reason, it's kind of peaceful, lol...