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Thread: An Isaan Pond

  1. #1276
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mendip View Post
    It seems there's been a fair bit of rain in Korat over the past weeks and my lovely young daughter sent me a few pics of the pond today.

    It's filled up nicely and I'm very pleased with the colour of the water.




    Fukk knows what the gardener's been doing, but it isn't cutting the grass... that's for sure.


    Mendip there certainly has been quite a lot of rain lately, today is the first dry day (so far) for a long time. Can't be sure exactly how long because as you know one day just rolls into another out here.
    And yes the water does look a lot better but I am still uncertain about getting in it again.

    As for the gardener not cutting the grass, I think you might be being a bit harsh. I cut mine about a week and a half ago in between rain showers and it is already looking longer than your grass looks.
    I reckon if I actually sat still long enough I could see the fukking stuff grow. I am starting to lean towards the Thai solution i.e. weed killer.

    Good to see your daughter still remembers you and sends some pictures.

  2. #1277
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    ^ I had to promise to send her some tins of mushy peas... she has become quite the bargainer.

  3. #1278
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mendip View Post
    send her some tins of mushy peas
    You should have been less specific and sent her the dried marrowfat peas with instructions - just like mum used to make

  4. #1279
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    Quote Originally Posted by malmomike77 View Post
    dried marrowfat peas with instructions - just like mum used to make
    Sweet memories to be sure.

  5. #1280
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    On my return home after a near 4 month work trip I was amazed to find there was still the last pla chon, or snakehead, living in the fish tank. The gardener has been duly adding a few pla nin fry to the tank every now and again to keep him going and he's getting big. I had just assumed he would have been eaten 10 minutes after I departed. I wonder if the gardener had hidden it's existence from the wife... he knows what makes me happy.

    I don't know if I'm just a bit soft or what, but I hate to see any animal kept in confinement alone, whether it be a rabbit, chicken or even a snakehead fish. So I decided to remedy this injustice.

    I went to Makro to pick up a friend for my pla chon.



    Paid 29 Baht...



    Only for the gardener to tell me that it was no pla chon. but a pla duuk... a bloody catfish. To be fair they had labelled up the 'live snakehead' bin wrongly in Makro... but I should have still been very aware of this and don't know what I was thinking. I know a pla chon from a pla duuk and will have to put this down to the long absence from Isaan, jet lag, way too much work over a concentrated period of time, a 3 month migraine since my first Pfizer jab and extreme domestic stress from the wife after returning home. Anyway, my 29 Baht catfish went into the cleaned out pond and the thought of giving him a good life relieved my stress levels a little bit.

    Yesterday I took the daughter out into town to find a friend for our pla chon. This may all seem a bit obsessive but there is method to my madness... I've noticed a change in my daughter since returning home after leaving last August. She has become reluctant to leave the house, almost I guess agoraphobic? She's had just two weeks of analogue schooling since June and the wife takes her nowhere when I'm away. The effect of these Covid lockdowns on kids can't be underestimated and I've made it my mission to ensure she leaves the house house at least once every day over the Christmas holidays... however pointless, trivial or spurious the reason is. Just to get her out of the house and communicating with the outside world gain to build up her confidence.

    Yesterday we went to the Flower Market in Korat to pick up another pet pla chon. She wasn't that impressed about the trip to be honest, but I'm sure she enjoyed it really!



    I couldn't just rescue one pla chon so took three, at 390 Baht. They ain't as cheap as the pla duuk.



    And in they went to join our resident big snakehead, who first came from the same stall at the Flower Market around 5 years ago!



    There was great interest of course. (this used to be the daughter's sandpit before my conversion project and I have some wonderful photos of her playing in the sand with the dogs around 7 years ago!)



    And one of the three sliding to freedom...



    And one of the three around 30 minutes later after being fished out, upside down and dead from the tank.



    Thailand has this way of kicking you in the teeth whenever you try and do a nice thing. Be it saving pla chon, turtles or frogs from the market of saving puppies off the street. Something will always go wrong.

    But I guess the advantage with pla chon is that you still get a nice lunch out of it!

    Last edited by Mendip; 16-12-2021 at 09:25 PM.

  6. #1281
    Thailand Expat armstrong's Avatar
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    My daughter's got quite into staying in and calling her mates, so much so she tells the kids who turn up at the house that she can't play out. Forced her out yesterday and she loved it. Desperate for her to go back to school.

  7. #1282
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    ^ I find it really worrying. The online interaction has been a lifesaver throughout the lockdowns but it's become the norm now for kids and my daughter prefers it to going out. She wold rather stay in and play Minecraft/Roblox/etc etc with her mates than go out to Svensons... now that is a real worry.

  8. #1283
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    Welcome back.

    Apparently we have a cat, well its not that old, a kitten actually. One of a few much to my chagrin as i don't really like cats. Anyway, this one got hit by a car, it is paralysed from the waist down and drags itself around on its front legs. It really has no future and i've told the Mrs it will be going to be put down when i get home. She is deeply Buddhist as is the family and keep saying it can eat and drink is strongly against the idea. I have been very frank in that it has a choice, it can go to the vets and be put to sleep or when i get there i will wring its neck. Now i am sure there are many on here who already think I'm a C_nt but i was always brought up that you never let an animal suffer. I haven't killed an animal in years and i know if i did with this cat it will live with me for a while but atm all i keep thinking is its suffering needs to end and if i have to put myself through it so be it. Next week we'll see. Sorry to add a downer.

  9. #1284
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    ^ Thank you!

    I would have unequivocally agreed with you six months ago... but...

    When I take my dogs for a walk every morning I usually see a Bangkeow who is let out of his house for a run around every morning and his mate, a paralysed dog who drags itself around behind the Bangkeow. The paralysed dog has obviously been hit by a car and lost all use of everything below it's front legs, but it seems to be 'happy' and part of it's little pack. The Bangkeow obviously looks out for it. At first it horrified me seeing this but now I start to wonder... do we have the right to end it's life if it seems happy and someone is willing to take care of it? After all, there is only one life. Another consideration for me was that after Dan had her last episode I was considering the one way visit to the vet, but she somehow pulled through and I'm so glad that my Buddhist wife was very against taking any action giving Dan so far another 6 months of good life. I tend to like things clear-cut, the Western way.

    Obviously a paralysed animal won't recover, but I think you have to gauge whether this cat does have any quality of life before being too drastic. I forget the term but we have to be careful about applying human emotions to animals.

    A big thing that is relevant to me though... a few months ago after letting the dogs out into the garden (they're confined at night) I heard the most God-awful screeching accompanied by a lot of barking... and found Tommy, Yogi and Max playing tug-of-war with a horrifically injured neighbour's cat. I eventually managed to get the dogs off but the cat was in a really shocking state so I took it out of the way and dispatched it. I absolutely hated doing this but there was no way it could survive the injuries... but even so... this has lived with me very painfully for a few months now. I'm not as tough as I'd like to think I am and wonder if I should have let nature take it's course... maybe it could have recovered, had some kind of life? I think about euthanising that cat an awful lot even now... it haunts me, more than is healthy to be honest.
    Last edited by Mendip; 16-12-2021 at 11:19 PM.

  10. #1285
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    ^ in the UK you see stories of animals, cats and dogs with their hinds paralysed where a cradle and set of wheels has been crafted. Now if i thought it could work i'd do it and make a set but how does it crap and pee and clean itself. I really hate the idea of putting an animal down and its a last resort but i can't also face thinking about it suffering. I guess i could leave it to nature but fuk that.

  11. #1286
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    Buying more snakehead fish? You know they are going to end up in the pond, don’t you?

  12. #1287
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    The strangest thing happened. After I introduced three new snakeheads to keep our old resident company, two died and were eaten within a day and ten last night our old resident miscreant passed away. This was the last trouble maker that my daughter introduced to our pond a few years ago and the cause of many pla nin deaths.

    Anyway, the wonderful thing about keeping pla chon for pets is that when they pass you can eat them.

    We decided to barbecue it, a fine fish of around 22 inches length and 2 kg. The gardener is good at this kind of stuff and I hung around to watch and learn.



    After rubbing salt into the skin to stop it burning he made a wad of what I think are called kaffir lime leaves (hopefully without bird shit on)...



    ... and lemon grass...



    And rammed the wad down the pla chon's gullet. The fish wasn't gutted/cleaned since then all the juices would have run out while cooking. No problem with a fresh fish, albeit one that died in mysterious circumstances.

    From the photo it looks like there may be some ginger in there as well... (I'll ask him about that tomorrow as he's gone out for his Ja Dong fix just now.)



    And then it was just a matter of drinking a Leo or two and waiting for the fish to cook. All very easy to be honest.



    A watched pot never boils...



    Our dogs absolutely love a bit of fish and Maya and Yogi tried to judge a respectable distance away from the barbecue to be deemed not too pushy but obviously showing interest in getting a treat.



    Yogi was on his absolute best behaviour...



    Maya not so much...



    She seemed to get a bit psyched out by the pla chon's stare...



    And there we have it... firm, hard white flesh.



    The gardener took the head... and before I get any comments that was all he wanted. I did notice however that a huge portion of the body seemed to stay attached to the head and shoulders.



    An end of an era...

    I consulted the wine cellar and for such a mighty meal went for a South African Shiraz and Cabinet Sauvignon blended with selected orchard fruits. Many would prefer a white with fish but I find that Mont Clair goes with just about anything, and after all, this is Isaan.



    Certainly a fine firm flesh, especially for a freshwater fish.



    And I'm not gammy-handed but can't work out how to take a pic with my phone using my left hand.

    It really was a delicious meal... but I'm still looking forward to steak and kidney pie tomorrow.


  13. #1288
    Thailand Expat DrWilly's Avatar
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    That looks delicious. Why dont you stock more in there?

  14. #1289
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    ^ I value my toe nails!

  15. #1290
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    Salt crust BBQ river fish is great in Thailand but fook all shrubbery, i hate that, ruins the taste.

  16. #1291
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    Tight scarlet shorts are a brave move.

  17. #1292
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    ^ It's Christmas!

    You should have seen what I was wearing.

  18. #1293
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    You do shoot a good plate of food. Very artistic.

  19. #1294
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mendip View Post
    Anyway, the wonderful thing about keeping pla chon for pets is that when they pass you can eat them.

    We decided to barbecue it, a fine fish of around 22 inches length and 2 kg. The gardener is good at this kind of stuff and I hung around to watch and learn.



    After rubbing salt into the skin to stop it burning he made a wad of what I think are called kaffir lime leaves (hopefully without bird shit on)...



    ... and lemon grass...



    And rammed the wad down the pla chon's gullet. The fish wasn't gutted/cleaned since then all the juices would have run out while cooking. No problem with a fresh fish, albeit one that died in mysterious circumstances.

    From the photo it looks like there may be some ginger in there as well... (I'll ask him about that tomorrow as he's gone out for his Ja Dong fix just now.)



    And then it was just a matter of drinking a Leo or two and waiting for the fish to cook. All very easy to be honest.



    A watched pot never boils...



    Our dogs absolutely love a bit of fish and Maya and Yogi tried to judge a respectable distance away from the barbecue to be deemed not too pushy but obviously showing interest in getting a treat.



    Yogi was on his absolute best behaviour...



    Maya not so much...



    She seemed to get a bit psyched out by the pla chon's stare...



    And there we have it... firm, hard white flesh.



    The gardener took the head... and before I get any comments that was all he wanted. I did notice however that a huge portion of the body seemed to stay attached to the head and shoulders.



    An end of an era...

    I consulted the wine cellar and for such a mighty meal went for a South African Shiraz and Cabinet Sauvignon blended with selected orchard fruits. Many would prefer a white with fish but I find that Mont Clair goes with just about anything, and after all, this is Isaan.



    Certainly a fine firm flesh, especially for a freshwater fish.



    And I'm not gammy-handed but can't work out how to take a pic with my phone using my left hand.

    It really was a delicious meal... but I'm still looking forward to steak and kidney pie tomorrow.

    That looks seriously delicious!

  20. #1295
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    ^ It was!


    After an unhealthy burger for lunch I decided it was time for the first fishing trip of the season to hopefully snag ourselves a decent fish for dinner.

    As with any fishing trip, the first consideration was whether to go with cider or beer. I decided on beer for two reasons: one, I've recently got into the habit of whisky chasers early evening and cider doesn't seem to mix well with whisky, and two, I like a glass of Mont Clair with my dinner and cider doesn't seem to mix well with cheap red 'wine' either.

    So, Leo it was.



    For the fishing set-up I decided on a simple waggler float arrangement because as Hal will no doubt know, this allows the line to stay under the surface and prevent the float being dragged around by top currents.



    Bait was Farmhouse brown bread crusts religiously saved and frozen. To be honest the white Farmhouse crusts are more malleable and stay on the hook much better, but such is my commitment to my daughter's good health, the inferior brown bread it had to be.



    And then just cast out and wait. This was my first fishing trip since clearing out the pond four months ago so I didn't know what to expect.



    And watch the float...


  21. #1296
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    Happy hunting!

  22. #1297
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    As an aside, so long as I'm not away to Bangkok for passport renewals or work medicals I can think of few more pleasurable afternoon activities in Thailand than to go fishing with my daughter. I'm not sure she's altogether in to it at times, but luckily our Wifi just reaches the pond and one of her classmates mum's has a younger sister who does some great stuff on TikTok.

    Yeah, parenthood, it ain't easy at times.

    A fishing trip in 2021...



    It wasn't long until the first action of the day...

    Fish on!



    A catfish. After cleaning out the pond in August I released a load of small pla duuk from the gardener's/wife's pla ra tank. This one had grown a fair bit in four months.



    I landed him in this ridiculously small landing net I got off the internet for Christmas. It looked quite big in the advert with a Thai 'pretty' posing, but as Armstrong found with his miniature crackers, as soon as a proper adult sized person grips hold of the shaft of a landing net, you realise it's a lot smaller.



    Five minutes later and I was in again. This was fast action.



    Another catfish. They fight hard and are good sport. I didn't bother using the landing net again as at around a pound each I can just lift them out of the water. I only use barbless hooks in the pond so as soon as you get a fish on dry land and let the line go slack, they usually just drop off. Also, barbed hooks are a nightmare if you have dogs. A small problem can soon become a vet trip.


  23. #1298
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mendip View Post
    I've recently got into the habit of
    doubling your weight

    new year can't come soon enough for that resolution

  24. #1299
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    Anyway, I got him off the hook and back he went.



    A couple of minutes later I was in again!



    Another catfish.



    No problem, back he goes.



    And another... it was catfish city.



    Back he went.



    The interest was waning on the back benches. Nothing but catfish... it takes more than that to keep 'em away from Roblox these says.



    So I tried a cast right next to the waterfall... and was in straight away...



    Yet another bloody catfish.


  25. #1300
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    I reckon Mrs Mendip may have been craftily re-stocking for you whilst you were away, possibly in cahoots with the gardener.

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