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Rather depressingly making plans to return to blighty.😕

Yep, same with me - never again.

One of my closest friends is a season ticket scummer 👀 as is the rest of his family. We had a chat yesterday, normal banter about the game, predicted scores etc. He said how weak Saints were due to injury. I said 2-1 United and he agreed, much to my surprise. Think I will leave it a couple of days or so before I next speak to him...

Sunday lunch. To be fair it looked better than it actually tasted 🙄 Is Andy - TA in Thailand? Never met him before but saw someone who looked remarkably (from photos) like him yesterday.

Congratulations 👍😃

Protection measures have been ramped up higher here in Isan. Just got back from a local, once a week market. At the 4 entrances you have the temperature thingy, hand cleaner, bloke who makes sure it's all done properly and he will give you a mask if you don't have one. Everyone wears a mask, everyone. Also new this week is plastic or polythene screens in front of the food stalls. Even the flower and baccy places😏

I don't usually take photos of my food but this is an exception. Meatballs special at the Brick house in Udon 199 baht. It was sex on a plate ❤️

Testing will be part of international travel for the rest of 2021 IMHO, regardless of any vaccine. Next month I will need a test before I leave Thailand and another in UK after 5 days isolation, if I don't want to isolate for 10 days. I don't because I want to start work ASAP when I get back. Of course there is the cost factor and the nightmare of a false positive to contend with. Such is life in 2021. Get on with it.

Ooh, Oyster Bay Merlot 😍 I would be very happy to find a bottle of that and in Udon later (big shop day today). Would be great even happier if it was less than 1k baht 👀

Ads I will do a report soon(ish) 😉. You are right about the one end of soi farang. Only had one big night out in town so far, TBH there is more life here in the village 😏

It's been a chang and weed for breakfast kind of day here in the jungle. Been home for over a month and it's the first time me and the Viking bloke have chilled properly for at least so all is good ☺️. Feeling no pain 😊

Have I got this wrong? I understood the vaccine doesn't actually stop you from catching the virus or for that matter passing it on. It helps the body fight the symptoms. So if the above is correct I still can't see countries, for the foreseeable, opening their borders to travelers even if they have had the jab unless they provide a negative test before travel, or in the case of most SE Asia, doing 15 days quarantine.

Yeah I know, nigh on £20 for a £4:99 spar shop managers special. Justified it because I didn't do Sunday night on the piss in Udon as planned... Slightly off topic but I went into Tesco Lotus at Nong Kai and they had the Antipasto platter you get in UK for a couple of quid. I mistakenly thought the price was 120 baht and stuck 2 packs in the basket. Then Mrs smiler said they were 450 baht each ... I don't like them that much to pay stupid prices etc etc

Can't buy class mate🙄😁

I enjoyed this last night. Bought in Villa at UD Town. 800 (ish) baht.

Are you on a diet ? 😇 Happy birthday matey 🎂🎈👋

Friday night is Chang night here in the jungle. Sat with Mrs smiler, a couple of other "lady falangs" and my mate Noi. Good times 😃

That's a real shame. I don't recall reading about it, could have been on another level which I don't belong to though. I have never met VP whatshisname. Maybe sometime in the future, who knows. There are some who I actively avoid but he isn't one.

RIP Colin Bell No disrespect but all morning I have been trying not to sing an old playground song: Lee bummed Bell, Bell bummed Lee. Lee and Bell bummed Sumerbee...👀

It's worth saying again, one of if not the best thread I have read on Thai forums over the years. Vp's place is near Loei which is a lovely part of Thailand, very scenic. He knows his stuff for sure, think I am right in saying he has a ranch in the States.

Really wishing I hadn't introduced the village to mulled wine some time ago. It's cold up here (relatively 😏) and there has been a steady stream of visitors over the last hour asking about "lon falang wine". I brought a load of sachets of the mulled spices over with me and scored a cheap (again relatively) box of red. That went a few nights ago and I am f***d if I am going to open a 1200 baht bottle to waste on anyone other than me and the Mrs 😬.