Jet Wash Day 2 and other musings

The Thailand sun is fierce today and by 9am I am already burning through my makeshift head gear sun protection.  Khamma has gone to the weekly market, which is held in the temple grounds.  On her return she announces there is a fine crop of mushrooms in the forest near where we saw the monkey last year.  This funny for two reasons: Khamma has never failed to impress me with her enthusiasm to pick wild mushrooms (she can spot a spore from fifty paces) and how the monkey sighting has become a point of reference, rather like we direct someone in England by reference to the pub.

Khamma's absence is soon forgotten in blistering heat and copious lashings of factor 15, which soon runs off in river-lets of sweat dripping into my already sodden shirt, once witness to so many corporate meetings in my former life.  My mind wanders again as the slime and dirt coagulating on the paths and wall over the past four years is stripped off in regimental patterns and washed away into the rice fields, where it belongs.

Khamma returns a little less enthusiastic than when she left.  The crop was not as big as rumoured, or she arrived too late, I think the latter because she says she is going tomorrow at dawn.  I smiled as she washed off the dirt in a bucket once used to mix cement - this is Khamma.

The Bosch jet wash and I are working as a team and the yard looks much better - even the neighbours and locals are commenting.  At close of play there is just the garden area to finish off tomorrow.  It is going to be a long job, but it should last for 10 years if the paint does what it says on the can!

As the sun began to sink over the lemon trees, I decided to go and visit Billy in the next village; any excuse for a well earned beer.

Just before tea Khamma and I sat outside and counted seven bats leave the loft like fighter jets leaving an air craft carrier.  She then informed me how she had found a dead snake in the loft after last year's floods.  Comforting pre-dinner chit chat, or what?  This goes with the two frogs and a mouse I have already found in the living room since Saturday.  Thailand no place for the faint hearted.

Rural Thailand Jet Wash Warrior in full combat gear