A day in the life...

[Stumpy]

I have had this land cleared on numerous ocassions by hired Thai's and they never take out the weed roots. I dig down and remove the whole weed basically doing the job right and apart from a bit of sweat it didn't cost me a baht.

Amen to That LT. In our Mooban we have this "govt" hired team of weed whackers coming through the area and whack the weeds down but never pull them out. After a few times watching this futile event and knowing in 4 weeks they will all be grown back hangin all over the street, I went down the sections of wall for our property and yanked them out including the roots. I didn't do the entire soi, F that. Now we have no weeds that grow along the outside of the wall leading into our place. Unfortunately a few long sections they still grow back and those same guys come in and do the same thing. Its actually laughable but also guarantees job security.

Supposedly ( I use that term loosely) it was approved that our soi will be repaved in a few months. I spoke with the grand poobah and took him on a walk and pointed that if they do not clear these nasty thorn shrub weeds out by the roots, they will come up and through again. He agreed and understood. We will see. I wish I could find "Round Up" weed killer here. I could clear that out with a few applications. While not fond of using it being close to a river area and a shallow water table, I guess in small applications over a long time would do the trick and not pollute anybody who still uses a well. That said, I don't know why I care. The Thai folk sure don't. In fact they would probably use the old container to make Ya Dong.

[Shutree]

I used to take these to Korat zoo where several in the white-lipped pit viper display came from our garden.

That is a fine looking snake. I'm happy to look at the picture, I don't need any of those in the garden.

[hallelujah]

That is a fine looking snake. I'm happy to look at the picture, I don't need any of those in the garden.

I used to get those white lipped pit vipers in my garden too when I was in Thailand. It was always overgrown, so you'd see them when the owner finally got round to cutting the grass.

He would then tell me not to worry cos they'd never seen a cobra in there....

[Mendip]

To my knowledge, these are the only bad snakes that we've had in the garden and we've had quite a few over the years. I've never seen a cobra in this area and a neighbour says that they saw a krait a few years ago, but only the once.

What I found interesting was how much respect the dogs gave the viper. Yogi especially is usually straight in there but the dogs seemed to sense it was venomous. This snake had some evidence of damage along it's side so I think Yogi may have had a go, but when I reached the scene he was certainly hanging back. I kept him under observation for a while just in case he'd been bitten but he was fine.

[malmomike77]

In our Mooban we have this "govt" hired team of weed whackers

yes us too, in the last 4 years Somchai has managed to use the steel circular brush cutter blade to cut the inflow water pipe to the property 5 times. We now make it a habit of clearing the weeds around the pipe ourselves

[Stumpy]

Good to hear on Yogi. Dogs are quite keen on snakes. My dogs even know to stand clear of those big ass centipedes. Judy will bark and walk around it but will not attack and kill it. Annie kills scorpions lightning fast. Not sure how she does it but she bites the stinger section off then the game is over.

Never had a viper around here. 1 cobra and that was last year when I lifted my compost tarp to add more clippings and there it was and in a blink of an eye it was gone. Amazingly fast snakes. Under the wall and gone. Since then we shit canned the compost pile program. I told my wife, you need compost dirt, just buy the bags and keep them here for planting. Not keen on a Cobra around our place or any venomous snake just for safety sake. I quite like snakes and always let them go if I catch them. Wife and FIL always want to kill them. I put a stop to that.

[Stumpy]

yes us too, in the last 4 years Somchai has managed to use the steel circular brush cutter blade to cut the inflow water pipe to the property 5 times. We now make it a habit of clearing the weeds around the pipe ourselves

HAHAHA. Oh I love listening to that stainless steel blade clipping along the cement wall making sparks and racket. They haven't figured out the string trimmer set up yet. Funny story. About a year ago I took out my old Craftsman gas powered string trimmer I brought over. Its pretty damn powerful and the string used is high impact plastic. I got pissed the govt Somchais hadn't been around to clean the soi, so I did it myself. I did it in 15 minutes tops with that string whacker. My wife laughed. It takes 3 guys nearly an hour to do the soi and like you said Mike, they have cut water pipes a few times and took out chunks of neighbors cement walls with those stupid ass blade deals plus they cant get to the ground level as the blade hits and tears everything up. I tossed all those steel blades around here. String trimmers are far better, far safer and much faster.

[prawnograph]

I wish I could find "Round Up" weed killer here. I could clear that out with a few applications. While not fond of using it being close to a river area and a shallow water table, I guess in small applications over a long time would do the trick and not pollute anybody who still uses a well.

RoundUp: Glyphosate spray was to be banned here 2019, then a change of decision by govt, still available at farm/orchard supply shops, or Lazada if you go online

Several brands available, locally I use this one

[hallelujah]

Good to hear on Yogi. Dogs are quite keen on snakes. My dogs even know to stand clear of those big ass centipedes. Judy will bark and walk around it but will not attack and kill it. Annie kills scorpions lightning fast. Not sure how she does it but she bites the stinger section off then the game is over.

Never had a viper around here. 1 cobra and that was last year when I lifted my compost tarp to add more clippings and there it was and in a blink of an eye it was gone. Amazingly fast snakes. Under the wall and gone. Since then we shit canned the compost pile program. I told my wife, you need compost dirt, just buy the bags and keep them here for planting. Not keen on a Cobra around our place or any venomous snake just for safety sake. I quite like snakes and always let them go if I catch them. Wife and FIL always want to kill them. I put a stop to that.

I used to go running quite a bit in parks in Thailand and Malaysia. There was one park in Penang that had basically been built on the edge of the jungle, so you can guess the rest.

One of the hazards of being in SE Asia, but it certainly helped me to keep my speed up!

[Shutree]

To my knowledge, these are the only bad snakes that we've had in the garden and we've had quite a few over the years. I've never seen a cobra in this area and a neighbour says that they saw a krait a few years ago, but only the once.

So far, touch wood, it's the same here. There are quite a few snakes around, mainly ratties, golden tree snakes and a few bronzebacks and striped kukris. No problem at all. One neighbour found an old monocled cobra a while back, old because it was turning white. He said he has never, ever seen one around here before and he is not a young man. I still proceed with caution when I first see a snake though, there is a lot of wildlife out there and just like some birds are rare visitors I guess the same will be true of snakes.

[Mendip]

^ They reckon that for every snake you see, there's ten that you don't.

[Stumpy]

RoundUp: Glyphosate spray was to be banned here 2019, then a change of decision by govt, still available at farm/orchard supply shops, or Lazada if you go online

Several brands available, locally I use this one

Thanks will order some up

[Topper]

^ Roundup is the best stuff ever to defoliate an area for quite a period of time.

[Stumpy]

^ Roundup is the best stuff ever to defoliate an area for quite a period of time.

It is. Best stuff but not the healthiest.

[BLD]

I worked with a guy years ago who told me a story about roundup. Apparently him and his neighbour had a fued going on for years over not much but they were both hard headed. And neither would let it go. Anyway richo snuck over one dark night and poured about 50 litres of roundup down the guys well( bore) That was it richo turned this guys garden into a luner scape. I chuckled but made a mental note not to piss of richo

[Mendip]

Well, fukk me, there's good and bad days in Isaan. Well, moderate and bad, anyway.

After I returned fro PJG's house this morning, I bent slightly to ruffle Maya behind her ears and my back went and I dropped to the floor like a stone. It's weird, I've been wheel-barrowing sand and stone, lugging cement bags and mixing concrete this week with no complaint, but then just get my back at the wrong angle, carrying nothing, and it went.

I lay on the ground a while waiting for my head to clear as I'd gone a bit dizzy with the pain, and then started inching on my front, like a crippled slug, back towards the house. The wife was out and the gardener appeared to be out of earshot. The daughter was in the house with her headphones on.

No kidding, I had moved maybe 3 metres in an hour when the wife returned. She started organising and lay a bamboo mat alongside me to roll onto, after which I had to suffer the indignity of being dragged back to the house by her and the gardener. The daughter miraculously appeared and thought it all most amusing.



The dogs joined the procession, of course.



There were lots of breaks for some reason... and it started raining.



I had Yogi and Lola licking my feet and Max licking my face, and I lay prostrate and couldn't do a thing about it. My lower back had just gone.



Another bloody break, as the rain came down...



The final hurdle... and the wife was none too pleased by Max's footprint on her white shirt.



And then I lay on the floor for a couple of hours. I've had this twice before... the first time around 15 years ago I went to the Bangkok Hospital and after Xrays and the like, they said it was muscular and that I would gradually recover. The second time around 8 years ago I didn't bother with the hospital and stayed in bed a couple of days and it eased up. Neither of those incidents was caused by carrying anything heavy... I must have got the wrong angle and went down as though poleaxed.

My plan now is to stay in bed and see what happens. I eventually managed to crawl up the stairs, take a much needed piss, and lay down on my bed. I've had two visitors already.



The wife can see that I can't move and in a rare act of kindness brought me up a chamber pot... FFS. Yes, a 20 litre paint can which she reckoned would be good because it has a lid.

It doesn't look like she is planning on making regular visits.

[Topper]

Can't wait to hear what she says when you ask her to empty and clean your bucket.

Get some muscle relaxers, or a bottle of ya dong or both...hope you feel better soon.

[cyrille]

Sorry to see this, Mendy.

Get Well Soon.

[Mendip]

^, ^^ Thank you both.

I'm not sure that muscle relaxers are what I need... it takes 10 minutes to manoeuvre meself to the bathroom. No way wIll I use the paint tin.

[DrWilly]

Bloody heck. Get a second opinion from the hospital or a doctor

[Joe 90]

FFS Mendy!

Mend well soon.

You need to slow down a bit at your age and size.

Be interesting to see how much is done for you when you do so much for everyone else.

Ice packs a ibuprofen might help.

[MarilynMonroe]

Geez, Mendip, I hope you feel better soon. I've had some issues with my back quite a bit and see a chiropractor now and then which helps a lot.
Rest, heating pad if you have one, ibuprofen, and lots of rest. Seems like you are doing quite a lot with heavy stuff, you can hurt yourself if you overdo it especially as we get older.

[Edmond]

Mend up Mendo.


Trice daily tiger balm back massages from the missus, but not before the handjo.... Tiger balm massages from the missus three times a day.

[armstrong]

Unpopular opinion but I just think if you're being dragged into your own home on a mat that you probably need to go to the hospital.

[Looper]

Sounds nasty Mendip.

I am the same with my most serious injuries coming from trivial mis-steps while my chainsaw and tree felling exploits go unpunished.

The hound-pack has got your back judging by the pained looks of concern in their eyes.

God's speed in your lumbar convalescence but these things usually take a while so get a bedroom pass from the Kommandant (very elegant toes) for Lola and the pack on the grounds of emotional healing support.