Don Comes to Town

Don will arrive imminently. He is now an illegal citizen and will soon depart the this country for good. He's heading to Laos. Probably not a bad choice. The building work carries on and is, frankly becoming a pain in the derriere. They are good chaps, of course, but not being ablr to cook and feeling restricted in my own home is a bore. The house has been full of people for about four weeks now and is a nightmare for someone of my delicate misdonmenuer. STill, it will be great when it's finished. Watching Grace these days is amazing. There is so much going on inside her head. I attempt to influence her slightly. She has been watching The Lord of the Rings these past few days, and enjoying it. I am in a bit of a fantasy glut at the moment which may not be very healthy for her as princesses, monsters and castles seem to be the main subject of conversation. And then there is Big Bad Barry who lives in the local pond in what is, Sunnyview. The worst thing about Sunnyview is exactly that. It's name. It conjures up images of Four Marks where dear Joel used to live; the most devoid, characterless village in Christandom. Though we did our best to destroy it. Sunnyview is great for kids, but heaving with gossip and neighbourly disputes. I've been off work for about two weeks and there is innane sports week going on; three hours of cheering practice and dancing, 2 hours for lunch and a five minute running race at the end. Oi is well into her school, possibly to her detriment. Fortunately she has been recognized as an excellent teacher, not hard when everyone else is bone idle. And because of this she has been earmarked by the Thai establishment as someone they should keep. This may lead to good things for her in the future; like earning 2 pieces of coal a year instead of one, but we shall see. Meanwhile there is a mass exodus of casual teachers going on. On the 12th of August anyone seen to be border running is out.