Life

A while since my last blog and quite a lot happens these days.

As a family, now Grace is more able, we have been going out together. On Sundays now we go to a pleasant restaurant with a garden and have a good feed. It's a lovely atmosphere with scrummy food; fish, papaya salad, fried shrimp in breadcrumbs. Yummy.

Swimming has been getting more popular too, though last Saturday after a prolonged swim Grace was very quiet and tired and got a bit of a fever, so may have to think about that one.

School has become quite boring and I am planning on making a change next year, if the opportunity arises. Actually, I would like to teach young adults for a change. The idea of primary does not appeal. I have put word out so hopefully something will happen.

My back is kind of better, though every day in the classroom I get pain. Oi's massage and exercise help. As of tomorrow I am going to start doing backstroke at the pool. Breaststroke, my version, is too easy for me now. I did 10m of backstroke on Saturday and was exhausted, so that's the way to go - good movement in the back too, I muse.

Desert Island Discs provide stimulus and from that I have been watching The Dirty Dozen which is fun.

The recent Great Expectations was superb and I am just acquiring Birdsong as we speak.

I have been furiously addicted to World of Tanks and am currently upgrading my Russian IS-3. A terrible game. It's like heroine.

The rain has ended and the sun has returned. I can now once again sit out on the back porch and bask in its warming rays. Such bliss.

My eating habits have dramatically changed too of late. No coffee, no chocolate, no crisps, but a constant pile of apples, oranges and bananas. Yes, I believe I can feel the benefits.

Patrick has made a reentry into my life, which has been fun, and I even spoke to Lee at a Smart English party the other week. It was the usual strained conversation when one has not spoken to an old lost friend of a number of years. It's a start.

Money is very tight right now and I am living off just a few hundred Baht until next Tuesday. A week to go. Ridiculous how you are expected to live off these meagre salaries. Even working a second job six days a week. But I gather it is the law of this poxy rock we linger on. I was secretly chuckling to myself that rubber prices have plunged globally and the Thai government is to withdraw subsidizing petrol to its populus. Shooting myself in the foot but the amount and size of the giant family wagon things out here is nuts. And they have an awful habit of leaving their engines running at all times.

Not too long to the end of term. Thank goodness.