All Through The Night,

there was the constant sound of food being prepared,   

 the pigs being diced into a paste,

 despite a lack of sleep everyone helped,

 smiling faces all round,

 everyone cross legged, I wish I could sit like that for hours on end,

 another part of the back garden used for washing up,

 some more of the family,

 everyone old and

 young helping,

 meanwhile out at the back,

 mountains of rice are being prepared,

 the nine monks arrive,

 and the dedication ceremony begins,

 I must admit when it had finished I caught a few ZZZZZ's,

 as did Steve,

 Steve here with close family, brother and uncle in law,

 the ceremony over the monks go back to the temple,

 we then went for a walk around the village, another of the bug farms,

 one of the great things about village life is that there is food growing everywhere,

 like these bananas,

 another of the bug farms it appears that they are a good way to earn some extra income,

as we continue our walk one of the farmers is bringing home some fresh hay for the evening feed when he brings his cows home,

 there are so many different birds out here, this a crow,

 I will pass on this one,

 here some plants have been flatten, wind or a UFO? the Thai equivalent of a crop circle, cue spooky music,

the farmers all seem to put up a shelter, to pass the time of day when tending their crops to take a break out of the sun,

 looks kind of cosy,

 another unknown to me bird,

 all around there were large stands of bamboo,

 two of the monks then returned,

 after eating the mourners gathered,

 some of Kai's relatives,

 Kai, Euw and Steve,

 and start chanting to Kai's fathers memory,

next they start almost a double act, each talking to the other with many of the worshippers laughing at their comments,

the monks were telling the villagers how to live a good and blameless life, it lasted about 3 hours,

 then offerings were made,

 Kai with a bowel of fruit,

 and Steve,

we also meet up with some friends I had not seen since Steve and Kai's wedding some 8 years ago, here Noi and Diana,

after the monks had finished we had a snack.