Friday, August 29, 2008
29th August Bcal, Thai politics and our lives.
Well - a day of two halves, with many parts.
This morning was relaxed and fun really, though caused by a sad event.
Jo has been involved with the disposal of goods belonging to a brilliant eccentric - Eric was one of the founders of British Caledonian.
He lived close to our house.
Jo reported that there were some model cars and today we arranged to meet with the executor of the estate - and very close friend, to look at everything that has been cleared into the double garage.
In fact Bill didn't want the cars - but our eyes soon settled on other things. We came home with mantel clocks, small barometers, old cameras, fountain pens and things like that. Also a lot of history of the RAF videos. We offered a very good price because you just have to when you are face to face with a seller.
I am sure there was more to be seen and we might go back.
There will be a garage sale in a week or so.
We chatted a lot with Doug who was glad to impart tales of his elderly friend.
I realised that I had probably met Eric when he lived in a different house in the same road.
I recalled that Lindsay, who taught with me for a short while in about 1980, had lived in that house and I know I had visited her there. I was introduced to Eric and his dogs.
Certainly Doug seemed to know of her.
Later I Emailed Lindsay - so from the death of Eric I have picked up again with Lindsay.
Finally we had to hurry off for my last B12 injection. We met Bill's sister Sheila's husband in the waiting room and learned that Sheila had been hospital for back surgery. Did anybody in the family know about this?
After lunch we were about to hurry out, when Jamie came on to chat about the situation in Thailand.
Obviously today things have been quite dramatic there. The airport at Phuket has had to be closed because it was over run with protesters and police.
Politics in Thailand is quite complicated - it is a democracy, but there have been spells when the military have taken over unstable situations.
The educated better off people were very suspicious (bordering on hatred) of the previous Prime Minister. He deserved their wrath actually and is wanted (and his wife) on corruption charges and faces jail.
But of course they are now safely in the UK. Does he still own one of our top football clubs? I think not.
The new Prime Minister is leader of a new party - the old one with a new name and probably Thaksin still holds much of the money and power.
But along with his corruption Thaksin and the new Prime Minister curry favour of the poor and less well educated rural folk with promises and some hope of a better life.
That can't be a bad thing - but the opposition (the ones orchestrating the massive demonstrations) just see it as further corruption and buying votes.
There has been chaos and tear gas at the airport today. In Bangkok the situation is no doubt even more volatile.
It could get nasty - or it could settle down. The military refuse to take over right now. The current prime Minister refuses to resign and the demonstrators won't back down until he does.
After that we felt we had better get to the hospital for my blood test - ably done again by Lisa, who I once taught.
I have listed more onto EBay and Bill has photographed a box full of things that can be described next week.
More parcels have been posted.
Life in monkland goes on as usual.
Lovely how at the end of a day I can write about all sorts of things that I didn't know would have been in the day when it started.
I shall soon watch TV. Ashley has let me know that a favourite folk singer is on BBC4 at half past nine. I recommend to you Seth Lakeman.
Goodnight.
See Jamie's Phuket blog perhaps - with links to the BBC which explains things and also to the Phuket Gazette. I can tell that Jamie is worried again about tourism being hit again. One German tourist at the airport said that Thais don't need tsunamis to shatter stability - the Thai people can do it for themselves!
This morning was relaxed and fun really, though caused by a sad event.
Jo has been involved with the disposal of goods belonging to a brilliant eccentric - Eric was one of the founders of British Caledonian.
He lived close to our house.
Jo reported that there were some model cars and today we arranged to meet with the executor of the estate - and very close friend, to look at everything that has been cleared into the double garage.
In fact Bill didn't want the cars - but our eyes soon settled on other things. We came home with mantel clocks, small barometers, old cameras, fountain pens and things like that. Also a lot of history of the RAF videos. We offered a very good price because you just have to when you are face to face with a seller.
I am sure there was more to be seen and we might go back.
There will be a garage sale in a week or so.
We chatted a lot with Doug who was glad to impart tales of his elderly friend.
I realised that I had probably met Eric when he lived in a different house in the same road.
I recalled that Lindsay, who taught with me for a short while in about 1980, had lived in that house and I know I had visited her there. I was introduced to Eric and his dogs.
Certainly Doug seemed to know of her.
Later I Emailed Lindsay - so from the death of Eric I have picked up again with Lindsay.
Finally we had to hurry off for my last B12 injection. We met Bill's sister Sheila's husband in the waiting room and learned that Sheila had been hospital for back surgery. Did anybody in the family know about this?
After lunch we were about to hurry out, when Jamie came on to chat about the situation in Thailand.
Obviously today things have been quite dramatic there. The airport at Phuket has had to be closed because it was over run with protesters and police.
Politics in Thailand is quite complicated - it is a democracy, but there have been spells when the military have taken over unstable situations.
The educated better off people were very suspicious (bordering on hatred) of the previous Prime Minister. He deserved their wrath actually and is wanted (and his wife) on corruption charges and faces jail.
But of course they are now safely in the UK. Does he still own one of our top football clubs? I think not.
The new Prime Minister is leader of a new party - the old one with a new name and probably Thaksin still holds much of the money and power.
But along with his corruption Thaksin and the new Prime Minister curry favour of the poor and less well educated rural folk with promises and some hope of a better life.
That can't be a bad thing - but the opposition (the ones orchestrating the massive demonstrations) just see it as further corruption and buying votes.
There has been chaos and tear gas at the airport today. In Bangkok the situation is no doubt even more volatile.
It could get nasty - or it could settle down. The military refuse to take over right now. The current prime Minister refuses to resign and the demonstrators won't back down until he does.
After that we felt we had better get to the hospital for my blood test - ably done again by Lisa, who I once taught.
I have listed more onto EBay and Bill has photographed a box full of things that can be described next week.
More parcels have been posted.
Life in monkland goes on as usual.
Lovely how at the end of a day I can write about all sorts of things that I didn't know would have been in the day when it started.
I shall soon watch TV. Ashley has let me know that a favourite folk singer is on BBC4 at half past nine. I recommend to you Seth Lakeman.
Goodnight.
See Jamie's Phuket blog perhaps - with links to the BBC which explains things and also to the Phuket Gazette. I can tell that Jamie is worried again about tourism being hit again. One German tourist at the airport said that Thais don't need tsunamis to shatter stability - the Thai people can do it for themselves!
