Anna the dog

[malmomike77]

.. Anna is finally living with us! She loves me regardless of any small faults I may have.

not enough to give you a toe job

[Reg Dingle]

^ They both need their toes petticured.

Interesting how these Thai soi dogs have evolved with short hair and look a lot like dingos to survive the heat.

[Mendip]

Do not dingoes originate from SE Asia, as with the Aboriginals? And probably came across wirh them? Maybe from Indonesia...? At least I think I've read that somewhere.

Nice to see you're warming towards Anna.

[armstrong]

I spoke too soon...

Here's my Valentine this year... Anna is finally living with us! She loves me regardless of any small faults I may have.



But I have to admit she's showing some strange behaviour... this morning she climbed up on a table in the workshop for no apparent reason and while we were fishing tonight she went climbing again... much to the bemusement of Maya and Coco. I still don't think on this as bad behaviour, but strange certainly. Maybe she just likes climbing?



Later I popped back to the house to deliver my Valentine's Day saving bottle of perfume to the wife... and I returned to the pond to this!



Now, even I have to admit this is 'bad behaviour', but to be fair she doesn't know better. As they say, you can take the girl off the street... and all that. She just needs to be told.

But I was down an 80 quid bottle of Jador and Anna had nailed the last of me fishing bait. Life is hard at times.

But I did get noodles for lunch and apparently there's a special 'Valentine's Day' strawberry cornetto waiting for me in the freezer for my pudding. I somehow think I've come out the loser this Valentine's Day.

I hope Joe90 has more luck!

I stopped off at Villa on the way home for roses and cherries. Stayed an extra 10minutes at work so the guards would move the U-turn. Torture.

..still waiting for my valentine's gift...

[DrWilly]

If posh means not having dogs on the same table as I eat and drink from then colour me posh!

Barrylad gave me a red for this post.

fair enough, he doesn’t mind eating from the same table as dogs.

[Reg Dingle]

Maybe he just thinks you're a condescending twat who lives with Mussies who are petrified of being even touched by a dog and don't even own a table on the ground level

[DrWilly]

Nice Job Mendy. Hats off to ya. Great save

A thinking man! My only concern is if my wife found a present like that in my cupboard she might think I was saving it for a girlriend.

[DrWilly]

Maybe he just thinks you're a condescending twat who lives with Mussies who are petrified of being even touched by a dog and don't even own a table on the ground level

Yeah, could be that too.

[Stumpy]

A thinking man! My only concern is if my wife found a present like that in my cupboard she might think I was saving it for a girlriend.

Quick thinking if found, you can always turn it on her and say " Man you just ruined the gift surprise I bought for you ( thinking to the next holiday coming ). Then they feel bad, you avoid disaster, they give up some later for the gift they found.

Win - Win

[BLD]

Yogi likes to lay his ball sack on the table to cool it off. .
.

Who doesn't.

[Mendip]

^ Exactly... although it seems that it's not widely accepted for human behaviour, even in Isaan... but you live and learn.


After a promising start, my Valentine's night wasn't a great success.

The wife was mildy pleased with her 80 quid bottle of perfume and I was given a 'Love Rose' Cornetto (as was the daughter).



I'm not normally cynical but when the ice cream is shaved into petals you get an awful lot less filling than with your usual, densely filled cone.



Some may think the wife did better out of the Valentine's gift exchange but I don't think comparing presents is a good thing... it would have got awfully depressing over the last 15 years. Suffice to say I did better last night than at Christmas!

And that Cornetto was all I got. When the wife said she 'didn't mind if I carried on fishing on Valentine's night', it turned out she was being sarcastic. I didn't even realise she understood sarcasm but she must have been taking notes during my daughter's 'preparation for UK' lessons.

And I didn't catch anything either.

[DrWilly]

shoulda saved the perfume for your girlfriend

[HuangLao]

^ They both need their toes petticured.

Interesting how these Thai soi dogs have evolved with short hair and look a lot like dingos to survive the heat.

......and attach themselves to most anyone that might take the slightest interest.

[helge]

^Yeah

It's like : "What ? That human didn't kick me !

I love him and shall move in with him immediately.

I'll bring my friend and mother too"


And you'll be paid back in love and affection....and fleas

[Mendip]

^^ Anna is very selective and has bonded big-time with me. I can do pretty much anything with her... pick her up, roll her over and scratch her belly, you name it. Same with the daughter although Anna's a bit too robust at the moment for the daughter to lift her off the ground. She tolerates the gardener but won't let him touch her and she ain't too sure about the wife at all. No comment, obviously.

I guess you reap what you sow.

^ No fleas here Helge, nor ticks either... not since I discovered Bravecto.


Anyway, it looks like I'll be heading to Norway next week... can't say I'm looking forward to Scandinavia in February but it was a last minute job out of the blue and these are the best for a greedy freelancer... will hopefully also lead to a year's work. With PCR testing and what-have-you I may have to head down to Bangkok on Sunday so this has thrown the family into turmoil. (I only finished the pool fence undercoat today FFS and it still needs two coats of black gloss).

My daughter of course is gutted... we're very close and this is without doubt the hardest part of going away. I'm sure the wife was equally sad but she managed to hide her feelings very well.

After reassuring me daughter my thoughts went to Anna. She's only really here because of me and I worry how she'll cope while I'm away. I went out to talk things though with her but she was fast asleep and looked so relaxed that I couldn't bare to wake her up.



She seems contented and happy so I hope she'll be OK without me.

And if she has any problems I'm sure that Yogi will look after her.

[naptownmike]

It must be difficult leaving the family all the time specially a last minute deal but what can you do have to make a living.

Good luck with everything.

[armstrong]

My dad worked away a lot on the rigs. Never did me any harm..

[Reg Dingle]

but what can you do

Get a proper fukkin job

[dirk diggler]

My dad worked away a lot on the rigs. Never did me any harm..

Same here until he got a job in Thailand and never came back. If not for that I wouldn't be here either.

Get a proper fukkin job

On the contrary, I need breaks from my family just as much as they do from me.


Although I do remember the first time I went away after getting our first puppy, the Husky. I'd spent 5 weeks with him while she worked a day job. He had a wee dog bed but wouldn't use it, and a friend told me to put an unwashed tee shirt in it when I left to comfort him. I did, and would you believe that 2nd night after I left he got into the bed for the first time...

... to shit on my shirt only.

[helge]

Anyway, it looks like I'll be heading to Norway next week.

Welcome to Covidavia.

If you haven't had it you will.

All restrictions are off and the numbers are huge.

But ICU numbers are very low


Have a nice trip.......also to BKK

[DrWilly]

Get a proper fukkin job

As a bus driver or boiler room scammer?

[Loy Toy]

Or a bucket maker?

[katie23]

@mendy - I'm sure your family (including the dogs) are both sad & happy that you'll be returning to work on a vessel (I remembered your terminology!).

I have colleagues, classmates & friends whose parents (mostly the dads) were away during their childhood - either in Saudi/ Middle East or as seafarers. Most of them are doing OK as adults - well adjusted, have good jobs, etc. They knew that their dad did it for the family.

However, one guy's reply has remained with me until today. His dad was a seafarer. His dad and mine died in the same month, and we shared our grief via FB. He said that he wished that his dad retired earlier so that they (the kids) could've spent more time with him when he was alive. That made me reflect that I was fortunate to have my dad neaeby - even if we didn't have much money while growing up. Something to think about, I guess.

Good luck in your preparations & hope you test negative in your RT-PCR test!

[Stumpy]

Carry On Mendy. Safe Travels. On the brightside for us TD'rs, maybe Mendy's dinner pics will be better.

[BLD]

Bummer that your time off with the family's been cut short mendy, how long away this rotation? When I moved to Australia the intention was to keep doing the FIFO jobs, after giving it a few months for us all to settle in, then covid struck so working away was out of the equation, I've been here 2 years now and am semi Retired. Really enjoying being home every night. I can honestly say that to get me back to a jungle or desert the money would have to be fantastic. I would miss the family to much , they still need me.