I think these guys deserve their own post. Was using F8 for the parade, should have gone back to F4 for this shot; but I still like it.

Just prior to the onslaught of man flu, I met up with genuinej. He is visiting Pattaya on one of his regular “golfing holidays” and he may even have remembered to bring his clubs this time.

Being the fine gentleman that he is, he came bearing gifts. Chocolate eggs, Flakes, Crunchies and, after noting my desire in a previous post, Twiglets!

I took the bag of goodies home, determined to photograph the pile before eating it. But then man flu struck and thoughts of photography soon faded. Instead, as I languished in my pit of pain and self-pity, what emerged was the need for a little snack to cheer myself up. God knows, I deserved it.

This morning I am happy to declare myself fit again, or at least as fit as a pensioner can be who spends most of his time slumped in a chair eating chocolate. Time to photograph the genuinej food hoard; or what’s left of it:

Huge parade down Beach Road and Walking Street for H.M. The King’s birthday today, photos of that tomorrow.

And then this evening, fireworks over the bay which were about an hour later than scheduled, but worth the wait.

Some photos from the second day of the above event. Racing continues until Sunday evening on Jomtien beach if you want to take a look; entry to the grandstand is free.

So there I am, slumped in front of my computer (I’m only a little better, thanks for asking), when there is a shriek from the occupant of the chair next to me. I glance across and there is some sort of Hello Kitty effigy on a computer screen, and a squealing she who must be obeyed.

“What’s wrong?” I manage to croak, in my best “never mind what you are doing, I need sympathy” voice. “184 dollars!!” is the reply. I fear an eBay transaction gone wrong. “What’s $184?” “This Hello Kitty numberplate.” “You just bought a Hello Kitty numberplate for $184? Are you mad?” “No, no, I just sold a photo of a Hello Kitty numberplate for $184!”

All men have been there, all women don’t understand. Your throat is sore, your head aches, your nose runs; compared to this, having a baby would be a minor diversion.

She who must be obeyed has been mildly attentive, but not to the extent I deserve (full time coddling with cool hands, preferably dressed in a nurse’s uniform - her, not me). And anyway, she has been at work, so I have had to nurse myself. I have managed this by slumping in a chair and watching downloaded entertainment.

In search of another mocking piece on property development, I head off to see two sites which are taking a very different approach to sales.

The first is a condo to be built by A.D. who have thrown up cheap and cheerful blocks all over the place. They take a similar approach to sales, with a couple of tables and some chairs under an awning by the side of the road.

While the wind howled outside, I spent far too long this morning fiddling with a website. Once lunch was out of the way and I had made my way to the windsurfing club, the wind was already dying. But never mind I had my camera with me.