The Eagle has landed...

It may have taken us a while but we got here in the end!! (I had forgotten just how long the journey is!!). We had two great flights.....the first one left Bangkok at 1am so both Chris and I pretty much flaked out as soon as we sat down (it had nothing to do with the three large glasses of wine we had had before getting on the plane....nothing at all!!). I was aware of phlegm man behind me.....the noises he was making penetrated through to the subconsious (honestly, you would think he would have gone to the bathroom to do that!!) but I still managed to sleep and woke up about 20 minutes before we landed in Dubai. On the second flight we had a heart stopping moment as a woman sat next to me with a 12 week old baby.....but you know what.....the baby was quite as a mouse for the entire 7 hour flight and only grizzled once for about five minutes as we landed!!
Since being home we have:

* been shopping. I now have a lovely new pair of boots (I love boots!!!), two tops (Brown and shocking pink) and a gorgous pair of orange gloves.
* had a hair cut. Well, I've had a hair cut....it's rather short (It did need saving!!) and I have a fringe.....it's going to take some getting used to!!
* have celebrated Chistmas. Chris's Mum and Aunt came over to my Mum's. We swapped presents (We were given some fab things.....I think Chris's fav was a remote controlled beer cooler....now he doesn't even need to get up and go to the fridge!!!) and then we had the works.....turkey, stuffing, sprouts....and THE the most divine desert ever.....chocolate mouse with chilli through it served with lime and basil cream (OMG it was amazing.....I plan to pinch the recipe!!)
* had New Year. My Gran came over with my Aunt and Uncle and we toasted the new year.
* and met up with Brenda for Sunday lunch (She was like my 2nd Mum when I was growing up and is refered to as my 'Udder Mudder'.....she used to own a farm and the name kinda stuck).

It has been so lovely seeing everyone....
We leave today for the next leg of our journey so I'm not sure when I'll be blogging again but for those of you that we're going to meet up with...See you soon :-)

I'm not here....

You've not seen me.....this post is just a figment of your imagination!!

We leave on Thursday night......I'm supposed to be packing.......and wrapping presents......and buying a few last minute things (like cat food)......and working on a commission .....and....and....and.....

I'm not!!!

I'm here....getting all excited about our first trip to the UK in a year and a half!!!

I really must get on with it or the cats will starve and I will end up half naked in Scotland because I've not got round to finishing my packing....and....half naked in Scotland in September is just not a good idea!!! (Actually, me half naked in public at any time is not a good idea....but in the cold!!!! *shivers at the thought*)

Shame on Me!!

I am a bad bad blog mother *slaps back of own hand*......I missed my own blogs 2nd birthday!!!

Only In Thailand was born on the 5th of September.....five days after we arrived in Bangkok. It's been a hell of a couple of years and you can read about The Beginning if you click HERE.

Happy belated birthday little blog!!

Caroline's Wonderful Widget

If you have come here via Caroline's Wonderful Black Box widget then do say Hi and let me know what choices you made to get here (If you can remember)

Right, I'm off to see what other blogs I can find....

Hob Nobbing (No, not the biscuits)

Yesterday I donned a posh frock, jumped into a taxi and made my way to the British Ambassadors Residence to have coffee with the Ambassadors wife Alison Quayle. She is the Patron of the BWG and had very kindly offered to open up her home and host a coffee morning - I think there were about 70 of us there in total. 'The Residence', as it's known, is absolutely stunning....the walk way leading up to the house is lined with trees and then you are greeted by a large white colonial style building....as I said...it's stunning!! We had a lovely time drinking tea, chatting and, in my case, attempting to stay away from the table laden with the most scrumptious cakes. (I failed....the scones and chocolate cake proved waaay to tempting!!)

There is a huge statue of Queen Victoria outside 'The Residence' and when Alison gave us a talk about the history of the place and I was astonished to learn that the statue is loved by the Thai people.....students on their way to University will wai (Thai sign of respect) the statue as it is believed that it will assist them with their academic achievement, women leave garlands, light candles and leave offerings at the feet of the statue as it is believed that doing that will help them conceive (She did have 9 kids of her own after all!!) and, at the insistence of the Thai people, during World War II when the statue was boarded up the Japanese left a peephole so that Her late Majesty should not be upset!! Apparently King Mongkut (King Rama IV) had had a close personal relationship with Queen Victoria - they wrote letters to one another and The King signed them 'Your Brother in Siam' and Queen Victoria responded by signing hers 'Your Sister in Britain'.

I found the talk fascinating - I love learning things like that!!

Countdown

Chris and I are now in full countdown mode......only 15 days to go till we hurtle through the air in a big metal tube heading towards the UK. We've been shopping for Birthday and Christmas presents....that sounds very organised doesn't it.....until I tell you that the Christmas ones are the ones we didn't get to give last year!!! I've ordered some new clothes to be made in the vague hope that it will stop me freezing my butt off!!! (I was cold in June last year so Scotland in September.......I think I will find it lovely for about three seconds and then I will spend the rest of the fortnight complaining). I have been handbag shopping - If you ever come out here and want to buy a handbag...JJ is the woman you want to help you choose it!!! That woman knows her handbags!!!. I've had my hair cut and coloured....Oh, I didn't tell you about my orange hair disaster did I.....well it's no longer orange and it's now a lot shorter. (Short version of the story - four lots of hair dye, screaming orange hair, very bad dry hair, wait a month, dark colour to cover orange (a bit too dark actually but I'm hoping it will fade) and cut to stop looking like I have a bale of hay on my head!!). I'm desperate to show you the gifts we've bought (they are rather fab) but that will have to wait till they have actually been given....would kind of spoil the surprise otherwise!!

Our itinerary is starting to shape up - we're going to be all over the bloody place!! It looks like we will be in Scotland from the 25th to the 29th, overnight in Swindon on the 29th, overnight in London on the 30th and the 1st, overnight in Manchester on the 2nd before then going back to Scotland to collapse and recover for a week!! It's not easy trying to fit everyone in when your only back once a year!!

Other good things

I have been awarded this rather fab 'Perfect blend of friendship' award by the lovely JJ who, as you all know, is a wonderful, talented lady who is great fun to have around (not to mention going handbag shopping with). As part of the rules I need to pass it on to five other blog friends....this is the bit I always find difficult....I want to give it to give it to everyone on my blog roll but if I can only give it to five then I choose (This was made slightly easier by the fact that I have eliminated those who have already received it) DJ, Jen at Spiral Skies, Debs at The Lehners in France, Sue at Me and Others and last but definately not least Caroline at In Search of Adam - Please go and check them out if you've not already!!

And that leads me nicely to -

The new widget that I have added to the side of my blog entitled 'Black Boxes'. Black Boxes is the latest novel by the lovely Caroline Smailes who wrote the wonderful and haunting novel 'In Search of Adam' and the wonderful 'Disraeli Avenue'. The novel deals with choices and how those choices influence the direction of your life (I've not read it yet as it's literally just being launched but I KNOW it will be fantastic). Anyway, click on the 'decide' button, make your choices, add your own query and your blog address and then you will be taken to the blog of someone who made similar choices to you. I can't wait to see where my answers lead me........

Never a dull moment....

I'll start with the politics - A judge ruled today that Mr Samak and his entire cabinet have to step down because they are in violation of the constitution - The judge stated that 'his position as prime minister has ended'. So that's that then....except it's not....It's never that simple!! The ruling won't come into force for another 30 days and even then Mr Samak has not been banned from standing again for PM and the ruling party, that he is head of, have vowed to re-appoint him. It's never ending!!! Mr Samak has been found guilty of this violation because he received money from a private company to host a cooking show. (He hosted it for seven years before becoming PM and for two months after although he says that he only got expenses for the two months)


In other news - we spent Friday night in a hotel at the top of our Soi.....No, we had not planned a lovely romantic evening.....we just couldn't stay in our apartment!!! Let me explain....Chris really wasn't well on Friday (God only knows what he had eaten....all I can say is that I'm glad I hadn't had any of it!!) so had had to take the day off work. We were having friends over for dinner on Saturday night and I had just finished making soup when the power went off (this was at 4.30pm). Some pillock had cut through a wire which then left the entire Soi without power (Why they had decided to play with electricity cables in the middle of a thunder storm is beyond me but hey....) If Chris had been feeling ok then we would have just laughed about it and gone to the pub or out for dinner but there was no way he would have managed either!! The longer we waited the hotter it got (no air con, no fan) and the hotter it got the worse he felt and the grumpier I got (I'm not the worlds most sympathetic person when I'm overheating).....by 9.30pm we had both had enough!! We got some overnight stuff together and went to a hotel called S15 that is across the road at the top of our soi. Stepping into that air con reception was just divine....and we actually ended up in a junior suit (We've been hearing reports of people cancelling holidays here because of the political situation so we were given a special rate at the hotel).....it was just a shame that we couldn't really enjoy it!!

Thankfully the power was back on when we got home on Saturday or I would have had to phone our friends to say 'Dinner is on but I'm going to have to cook it in your house!!'

Thanks and Intermitent Blogger Problems

I just wanted to say thank you to everyone for their comments and e-mails after I posted here about the state of emergency being declared - It was much appreciated!! Nothing much has changed since yesterday...there have been rumours flying around but so far we are just living our life as normal and will continue to do so until we are told otherwise.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I also wanted to apologise for my lack of comments. I fear you have all been missing my drivel.... erm....insightful comments. I've been having terrible times with blogger and this is the first time I have been able to log in since yesterday morning which has been very very frustrating!!!

but I do have rather good news to share too.....

I've got another three drawing commissions!!! Woooo hooooo!!!!

All Excited (and politial update)

Political Update - A State of Emergency has been declared after violent clashes last night between Government and PAD supporters. I just wanted to let you all know that we are both fine and that I will keep you updated.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I wrote this post yesterday but couldn't get online to publish it

I'm all excited....I bought a cabinet on Saturday with the money I got for my Commission....and it's lovely....and it arrived today (am having to resist the urge to stroke it lovingly). I wanted something plain (The Thai's and Chinese quite often decorate things waaaaay past the point at which they should have stopped!!) so when I spotted this solid teak 80 year old Chinese cabinet (From southern China aparently) I fell in love with it!!! It has two small drawers inside which all my drawing stuff (Pencils, pens, paint brushes etc) will fit nicely into and a shelf in the middle which means I can also store all my paper and canvasses.


As you all know Lugs the splat has a reputation for being terrified of everything.....well, the cabinet was no exception...but he got over it when he spotted the chain.....so, here is a photo of the cabinet with added cat

must not rush out of room to stroke cabinet lovingly
must not rush out of room to stroke cabinet lovingly
must not.....

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In other news.....it was two years ago today that Chris and I arrived in Bangkok....can you believe how quickly the time has passed!!!