Episode 1

Greetings to you,

By accident or design you have reached the website of Tony and Tos Brading and our dog 'Doughnut'. This site was last updated on 20th May 2004. If you have Outlook Express on your computer, and if you wish, you can email us here.

Here we are on an overnight train to Bangkok earlier this year, before we acquired Doughnut.

Since Chris's visit earlier this month the rainy season has become firmly established, so we have lovely grey skies and temperatures in the upper 20's, rather than the mid 30's when he was here.

We have discovered a French restaurant in Nongkhai with the name of Savoy. We went there last Friday (14th). I think that it has only just opened. It is very tastefully decorated and has a very pleasant airy feel to it. I wondered about the name Savoy, and my suspicions were confirmed when Christian told me that he was from the Savoie region of France. In the late 1980's and early 1990's I together with my sister's family owned a bungalow in the lovely French city of Aix-les-Bains, just down the road from Christian who was in Chambery. Christian cooked a delicious meal of pork filet mignon in a delicate green pepper sauce, accompanied by sauté potatoes. While we were eating, another French customer 'Nano' came in to eat. After our meal Tos and I moved from our table to the comfortable 'sitting area', and Christian, Nano and I had a long discourse covering a wide range of topics. Although it was the first time that I had used my French this year, I was agreeably surprised how quickly it came back, possibly fuelled by a few glasses of vin rouge (sadly not French). Apologies to Tos who was rather left out of the conversation. I made up my mind that we would go back to eat there once a week.

On Saturday (15th) Tos and I made our traditional trip to Udonthani, where she went and registered at a large college, as she wants to do some further education. This coming Saturday she has to sit an entrance examination to assess her ability, so she has been studying hard this week. Saturday afternoon found me in the company of Colin and Major John, supping some ale in the Complex. Tos gets on well with the Major's wife Phun, so they go off to the cinema or shopping together.

Colin (left) and Richard at the Complex one Saturday when Carlsberg was still available in Thailand.

Once we get to the outskirts of Udonthani, Tos drives home to Nongkhai. Hungry but with no food in the house, I decided that it was a new week and that we should return to the Savoy. Christian was pleasantly surprised to see us so soon, and saved me having to make a menu choice by telling me that he now had Magret de Canard. (When I had asked the night before he had told me that he was awaiting duck of the right quality.) Tos's choice was the pork filet mignon that I had eaten the night before and she had tasted. We also met Christian's wife Noy, who is very close to delivering her 6th baby (Christian's 4th), and three of the children.

Sunday found us in OJ's the restaurant owned by Tos's sister Nong and her husband Derrick. OJ's is where I met Tos, and specialises in very English food, cooked just how my Mum cooks. Also there were Colin and Wee Jimmy. I hadn't realised that Jimmy was back in Thailand from the UK so it was a nice surprise to catch up on his news. We both had roast pork with chips, something that Tos introduced me to. Jimmy's is only a brief visit home before he returns to UK. Richard and Jimmy have similar jobs, but the essential difference is that Richard drives other people around, while other people drive Jimmy around.

Tos with oldest sister Nong and her husband Derrick.

There being no 't' in Monday I worked, and after 4 consecutive nights of dining out, Tos and I cooked a meal together at home. She wanted to try making a potato salad, while I cooked some chicken. We were in complete agreement that the result was superb! So good in fact that together we cooked something very similar on Wednesday evening. Another day without a 't' in it by the way.

Tuesday was Tos's birthday. I had a birthday card for Tos which I secreted in the post-box on the wall outside. I don't know whether it was the lack of a stamp, or her recognition of my writing, but she wasn't fooled for one minute that the postman had placed it there. I did manage to surprise Tos with the purchase of a gold necklace, with which she was very pleased. Tos's birthday was spent at Richard's house near Udonthani, although Richard himself is currently working in England. Richard's wife Jum has contracted with a builder to extend their house, but what was under way didn't fit with Richard's wishes. When I told the builder that some changes were required, you could have heard a pin drop. He intends to carry on as originally planned so I asked Jum to make sure that he did not put up something that we would subsequently need to take down.

In the evening we went to OJ's at 7 o'clock to find out that JPL had at long last been eliminated from American Idol. What took them so long? Armed with that knowledge, Tos and I with Nong and Derrick, Neng, (another sister) and Kim (a Danish friend) and his wife Ou walked three or four hundred yards to a very romantic restaurant on the bank of the Mekong. We sat outside on the terrace where you have a lovely view of the river and the lights of Laos on the far bank. Food wine and conversation flowed and we passed a lovely evening. Derrick enjoyed himself so much that he said those immortal words 'we must do this again', we enjoyed ourselves so much that we agreed.

Not actually Tos's birthday, nor even the restaurant, in fact it's not even us, but an artist's impression of how it might have looked.

This evening (Thursday 20th) will find us at OJ's for our second weekly viewing of American Idol, but as Derrick and Nong have gone off to the UK today, Kim (who is responsible for getting Derrick and I addicted to AI in the first place) Ou, Tos and I plan to go to the Savoy.

As there is a 't' in the day today, I didn't work. Instead I've spent most of the day updating this page in response to numerous (i.e. both) requests, but I don't know whether its too wordy, too many pictures or what. So if anyone feels inclined to offer serious criticism, please do so. (Just don't offer it to me or I'll scratch your eyes out. Ha! Ha! No only kidding).

Have a nice fortnight          Tony & Tos