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The View from Nongkhai |
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Part 28 |
Published 02 February 2006 |
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Yes it's been a while since episode 27 In this edition I write about the trip Dott and I took to UK (less interesting for Nongkhai residents), report on Australia Day at the revamped Outback Bar (less interesting for my friends & family in UK), and argue the case for constitutional monarchies (less interesting for everybody). I was reflecting on the fact that this year the King of Thailand will have been reigning 60 years, and in the UK, the Queen will have been reigning only a little less. In many ways one finds similarities between the two countries, not least that for 3 generations they have been served by faithful monarchs who have dedicated themselves to the welfare of their respective peoples and countries. It occurred to me that the big advantage of a constitutional monarchy is in its continuity. Both King Bhumibol and Queen Elizabeth have seen political parties and their leaders come and go, but they have endured. In 1946, on becoming King at 18, King Bhumibol promised to "reign with righteousness for the benefit and happiness of the Siamese people." In 1947, when celebrating her twenty-first birthday, the then Princess Elizabeth gave a broadcast address dedicating herself to the service of the Commonwealth - a dedication she repeated five years later on her accession to the throne. No one would deny that both have kept their promises. Think about the alternatives to a constitutional monarchy. An elected President, as the French have? A sometimes selected/sometimes elected President as the United States have? An unelected President as Cuba has, or an outright dictator who simply seizes power and clings to it until ousted? (Choose your own example.) None of these types of state produce a figurehead prepared to publicly make a promise of a lifetime of service, and then to keep their promise. So although a constitutional monarchy is not without faults, in my view, it has far fewer faults than its alternatives. Q.E.D. |
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Dott's first experience of snow, the classic picture postcard look, complete with blue skies, on a bright December afternoon in between Xmas and the New Year in Bury St. Edmunds. We were so lucky to see heavy snow, it is in reality relatively rare in England. |
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We had flown from Thailand to UK with
Emirates on Tuesday 6th December. I prefer Emirates as they have
flights to London Gatwick, from where there is a direct rail connection
to St. Albans,
Our rail journey to St. Albans should have taken 1 hour, but there was an "incident" at Blackfriars station just as we were approaching it. The power went off, which meant there was no heating on the train. It began to get cold, then colder still. Eventually we got going, but then the train got rescheduled when we arrived at Kings Cross, so we had a mad scramble to get out. No sooner were we out than the next train arrived, which was going non-stop to St. Albans. So there was another mad scramble to get on. Minutes later we were in St. Albans, getting there faster than my Mother driving from nearby Hatfield. While waiting I took this photo of Dott (left) as it was getting dark around 4 pm. |
some 10/15 minutes by car from my
parents. With Emirates, you have to change planes in Dubai,
reputedly the best place in the world for duty-free shopping. So
naturally Dott was keen to
start spending. Behind Dott in the picture right you
can probably make out some seasonal Xmas trees, complete
with lights and
decorations.
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Dott enjoyed her first trip to
English shops, when we went out to buy a birthday card for my
father. She was impressed by the choice of types of bread
available. For comparison, I showed her that there was no
similar choice of rice available, because in UK the majority of
people eat bread. In Thailand the choices are reversed, because
the majority of people eat rice.
Above my father is opening one of his many birthday cards, while on the right I was caught in most uncharacteristic pose with a glass of red wine in one hand. |
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First weekend |
The
next day Wednesday 7th was my
Father's 87th birthday. It started with a heavy frost. I
know most people reading this have seen frost on a car before,
but Dott (right) had not. After only a few minutes outside in the cold,
and despite a lot of warm clothes, she had
had enough. When she commented that 'it's like being inside a
fridge', I asked whether she remembered me using those words
before we left Thailand to try to describe what England is like in winter.
Her reply was, 'yes I do, and now I believe you!' 
That evening we had a meal to
celebrate Dad's birthday. We were joined by my son
Chris and his girlfriend Gemma. Although Gemma had met my
daughter Jacq and her family, it was the first
time that she had met the 'senior' element of Chris's family.
Gemma is very easy to communicate with, and very natural. We
were very pleased to meet her.
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On Wednesday and Thursday Dott and I
visited a variety of UK shops. During a visit to the Galleria at
Hatfield, we bought some flat sheets and a matching duvet cover,
which number among those few things I have not been able to find
in Thailand. Late Friday afternoon, Dott and I got a lift to St. Albans station from
my mum and got a fast southbound train to East Croydon. There we
changed to a slower train for the short journey to Purley Oaks.
It was already dark and cold with a ground frost |
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so we walked fairly briskly to Helen and John's house where we
were to stay for the night. Although the house has central
heating, it also features this radiant gas fire. Dott had never
seen one before and innocently asked what it was, so John explained and
obligingly switched it on to
demonstrate.
Despite the demands of a full-time job, Helen had prepared a
delicious meal. If my memory serves me correctly, we had smoked
salmon as a starter, with a chicken casserole to follow. This
was accompanied by a fine Wolf Blass. Perversely my memory is
not quite so clear about how many bottles of this good
Australian red we consumed that evening, but I do remember that
it was a most enjoyable evening for which I would like to repeat
my thanks to Helen and John. Below left John poses with a fine
set of matching crockery (unheard of in Thailand) while I
was caught in uncharacteristic pose with a glass of red wine in
one hand.|
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The next day (Saturday) Chris and Gemma also came to Sanderstead as we had arranged that Dott and I would go to Brighton with them. It had been some years since Chris had seen Helen & John, so the time flew by as we all talked. By the time we left we were still in Sanderstead at the time we should have been in Brighton. But at least it was bright sunshine, and the temperature was above zero (just). Chris and Gemma wanted to visit Brighton to see their friend Matt, while I wanted to visit my friends Mike & Sue. |
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Arriving in Brighton, we went first to Mike and Sue's house
where as Mike was still at work, we left Dott in the company of
Sue (Dott's choice). Apparently they got on very well together
Sometimes you experience an event or situation which you
survive, and then realise just how close you came to death. It
can cause you to see your life to date in perspective,
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despite
this being their first meeting. Then we dropped off Gemma to
meet a long lost friend, while Chris and I headed out past
Portslade to meet up with Matt (right). Although nominally
Chris's friend, Matt and I get on very well. The last time I had
seen him was when he came to stay with me in my house in
Banwaeng, Udonthani, some years ago, so I was keen to see him
again. Matt's apartment turned out to be dry, so Chris and I
settled for large mugs of tea, before returning to Brighton,
taking Matt with us, but leaving the car behind. This involved a
fair walk to Portslade station, and a wait for the train back to
Brighton.
When we reached Brighton station Chris
was by now keen to be reunited with Gemma, and went off in search of
her, so Matt and I repaired to a smoke filled local hostelry for the partaking of some refreshment.
lead
to a re-evaluation of your goals, and ultimately to a complete
change in the direction of your life. I know of 3 people who
have been through this process. Matt is one of them, and time
flew by as I caught up with what he had been doing since I last
saw him. Soon we were joined by Matt's lovely girlfriend
Justine, complete with grey friend. It was great to meet her,
but all too soon it was time for me to get back to my wife and
Mike and Sue. To accomplish this I got a taxi. I got chatting to
the driver who spoke English with a local accent, and was
surprised to find that he was actually Portuguese, with a wife
and family in Lisbon. He had worked in Brighton for a couple of
years as a taxi driver, which supported his family who he
visited four times a year in Portugal.|
Ambition "The journey of a thousand miles sometimes ends very, very, badly." |
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When I got back to the house of Mike (below
left) & Sue (below right), I was delighted to find their
daughter Tara, husband Neil (centre) and granddaughter Jasmine
too. No photo of Jasmine as she was asleep, but if you look back
to
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Sunday started very cold and frosty, but with clear blue skies and bright sunshine. So, it being Brighton, we headed for the seafront. We parked near Hove, and walked along to Fourth Avenue to inspect the flat that Mike and I had shared 40 years ago. Perhaps not surprisingly in a conservation area the outside looked absolutely the same. I did notice however that the classic red phone box I used to use in 1966 had disappeared, without replacement. We next headed for the pier, another 'first-time' experience for Dott. Below left, looking west from the Palace pier towards the remnants of the West pier, with a calm sea and beautiful blue sky. Despite looking nice, it was still very cold, hence the hat, gloves, scarf and thick coat I am wearing in the centre picture. While right Dott and I pose for the 'classic' photo, with Dott on the right! |
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At the end of
Brighton pier are a series of rides. Dott wanted to go on the
'Wild Mouse'. I would have gone with her, but then who would
have taken the photo on the right?
Dott asked me to take this photo of the fire at Mike and Sue's house, explaining that this was what she thought a fire should look like, rather than the radiant gas fire shown above. She was also very taken with this large stuffed bird. It is not listed by RSPB under UK birds, so it has probably come from overseas. Anybody know what it is? |
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to be continued next episode...... |
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Australia Day and the reopening of The Outback |
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Contact Ken if you are interested in either of his bikes. |
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It was Nigel who added 'Gay' to Dave's name so that he became known to all as 'Gay Dave'. Gay Dave wishes it to be known that he is NOT GAY, and asks that nobody call him Gay Dave in future. For clarity, and to avoid any doubt, he should therefore in future be known as 'Not Gay Dave'. |
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I caught Peter
(left) of 'Take It Easy' bar enjoying a chat with Porn (far
left) while Porn's husband Jim was in contemplative mood. You
may recall that Jim was an active member of Nongkhai Weight
Watchers, (
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If
you've never been to Thailand, you might not believe that it can be cold
enough to feel comfortable in a sheepskin jacket, but the proof is in
this photo
of me with Ken, Glen's business partner in the reopened
Outback Bar. Right Dott and I pose on one of Ken's two motorbikes which
are up for
sale. We liked this Honda 750 cc V twin, so went the next day for a test
ride, but sadly I found the chopper riding position was not for me.
As many native
English speakers know, 'chopper' has a number of completely
different meanings. My Collins English dictionary actually lists
eight. In the last episode there was a joke based on two of
those meanings. A third meaning listed is a
butcher's cleaver, a miniature version of which Paul is holding
to Glen's head in the photo right. Last year we were all hoping
that Paul and Glen would 'bury the hatchet'. We had to wait
until Australia Day this year for it to happen, and even then no
one expected Paul to do it quite so literally!
Like Paul and
Glen, clearly enjoying themselves early in the evening were
Nigel and Jeff. 
It
was a different story later however when they couldn't agree how
many bottles were on the table in front of them. Jeff thought it
was one, while Nigel went for two. They were both wrong, because
there are clearly three!
Here
is Not Gay Dave towards the end of the evening, walking with a
distinct list. I don't know whether it was alcohol induced, or
the result of his
previous broken leg. Like Ken, Not Gay Dave has a motorbike for
sale, a fairly sporty Kawasaki, if I remember correctly. I hope
he didn't use it to go home later! I think that it was Not Gay
Dave who told me that he is off to Australia fairly soon (hence
the motorbike sale), and I think that it was Guilio who told me
that Greg is also off to Australia soon. Was it because it was
Australia day that Greg was thinking of the national symbol or
was he thinking of his first love?
I
hope that Greg's fellow Australian, Leigh, pictured here with
lovely wife Sujitra has no immediate plans to go to Australia,
as I always enjoy his company, and really don't see him often
enough.
It
seemed like ages since I had seen Giulio, who was clearly
feeling the cold. Sporting not only his trademark cap, (does
anything grow beneath it I wonder?), but in this photo also
sporting a nice line in double chins! Giulio was telling me he
is just as busy with his home cooking service, and still has no
time for fishing or socialising with friends (which you may
recall was the reason he stopped running the Outback). He also
has a new dog. Makes you wonder what happened to the old one,
what was his name, Ratboy? Where exactly does he get the meat
for his pies? 
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Dr José has issued an urgent warning to all residents of Nongkhai if they want to stay healthy. Apparently the good doctor gave up smoking last week, and is like a bear with a sore head, for which he blames THE WHOLE WORLD AND EVERYONE IN IT ! So if you want to stay healthy just imagine that you are walking on eggshells when you are near him. |
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Apparently the UK is one of the few remaining places that you can still buy Absinthe, so Dr José had commissioned me to bring back a small bottle purely for medicinal purposes. After sampling only a small quantity of the precious liquid ( 2200 baht per litre ), Dr José suffered a violent expulsion of the multi-hued contents of his abdomen. (Known in Australia as a technicolour yawn!). Maintaining that said expulsion had nothing to do with the copious quantities of beer and spirits previously consumed during the course of the all-day party to mark Nat's departure , he grinned wryly and said 'Hey man, everyone needs a little colour in their life' but then added more ruefully 'even if most of that colour is provided by the contents of your stomach!' |
Urgent
Health Warning from Dr José
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Bon Voyage Nat |
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OK that's enough for this episode. Apologies to my friends and family in the UK not yet mentioned, but in the next episode I will continue the tale of our trip to UK. Plus anything else that I think might amuse or interest you. If you want to write to us, but you don't know any of our other email addresses, you can email us at mail@nongkhai.co.uk Best Wishes to all our readers Tony and Dott P.S. Doughnut says 'Woofs to all readers' and kisses to Kim. While Tony and Dott were away, I went to stay in Goot Chup. While I was there I met a female dog with an irresistible smell. I went to her house everyday and while she stood still I would use my front legs to (Editors Note: Sorry I've had to cut Doughnut's tale there on grounds of decency.)
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