Grandma Returns

Grace is more than two weeks old now and has grown considerably already. She is very content and spends her time sleeping, drinking milk and taking a bath. She doesn't cry much and loves bath time.

Grandma came back today at 6 in the morning from the night bus from ChumPon and promptly fell asleep in front of the baby. I said to Oi, "Does the baby need Grandma or does Grandma need the baby?". Yes, Thais love babies. I got Oi to get the old lady next door to meet the baby. She had a fit and was shrieking and wailing at how wonderful it was. We eventually got her to leave. I felt bad because her 17 year old niece was killed in a car accident in the USA a couple of years ago. It was horrible. She was a student at my school. I thought seeing baby Grace would be nice for the old dear. I was right and she loved it. I even had a motorcycle taxi driver, who hangs around in the swamp at the back of the house, call me from outside when I was standing in the kitchen. "Baby" he shouted over the banana tree. "Yes." I replied. This is Thailand. Strangers talking to you from outside while your making a coffee in your home. Gotta love it.

Made hot dogs with the kids at my private class tonight. The Xenophobes were complaining that the bread was hard and hurt their teeth. Oh dear. I told Gee that jaws are disappearing as all food nowadays is cut up and prepared unlike the caveman days when we had to chew.

Private class is good and I always throw in the facts I learn from my radio shows to give the kids some education.

Watch District 9. It is awesome in every way. Many new ones coming that look cool too.

Nasty floods in Istanbul.

Aljazeera has a great doc (People and Power) available in online about the Pres. of the Congo running up million dollar holiday bills while his people stave on land contaminated by the gas flues and acid rain. And still the IMF bail him out. You know his wife, the one with the big hair.

Got 2 new games from the black market. Wolfenstein and Call of Juarez. Peter will recall we completed Call of Juarez 1 when last he passed this way. I ain't played them yet as I am still hooked on Battlefield Heroes.

Baby Grace is getting her daily dose of Amadou and Mariam. We have abandoned the classical music and switched purely to African rhythms. That album "Welcome to Mali" is just so fucking awesome. I am trying to get all their stuff, but some of it comes down as flac files and I haven't found a free converter yet. Anyone now more equally brilliant music like Amadou and Mariam?

I ain't been sleeping well lately. Not because of the baby. I don't know why. Am tired but don't feel comfortable.

Swimming is good and a perfect tonic every time I feel a bit naff. The empty pool is always welcome.

Kids at school are great. Happy and bright and most of the class are passing tests with flying colours. It is amazing how infectious being able to read is. They lap it up. I wouldn't do anything else. I see other people working in other industries and thank my lucky stars I do something so fun. Also, instilling goodness in kids is paramount.

Oi is loving being a mum. Always kind and soft and she knows to take care of me too. She's a perfect mum. Grace is so lucky to have her. As am I. On Sunday it is our 1st wedding anniversary. We still haven't had a chanced to do to much together but I think the farm will be coming into play quite soon. I will stock up on coffee before we go.

Two weeks break quite soon. I get another two weeks at Chrimbo cos I teach at a Catholic school and then in March it will be the huge holiday again. I was planning on going to the volcanic lakes in Sumatra but I should probably stay with the baby this time.