After Splitting The Bag On My Makita Vacuum Cleaner,

twice, I decided to replace it, there I was hoovering the surplus ballast up, looking at the nozzle, not noticing all I was so carefully collecting was being showered down on the far side of the layout due to a hole in the dust bag, worse was I did it two days running! so we went back to True Value on the Sumkivit Road where we bought it, Diana is on the steps of True Value, this is the view across the road looking towards the outlet Mall on the other side of the road, on the bag is printed part no. 1223211, so I took the bag in with me, 'no spare parts, buy new vacuum cleaner' I kid you not! for a I guess £10.00 spare dust bag I have to buy a £120.00 complete new cleaner!

the sign outside says it all, one of the customers in the shop suggested Home Works, which was just down the road, so we gave them a try, outside it was like a mini Luckdod,

with a small selection of fancy goods,

I must admit they all looked quite a nice quality, once inside the same bag was produced with the same reply, no spare bags or parts, we were shown a new cleaner, but no spares, lesson to be learned, do not buy anything over here if it needs spares like dust bags or filters,

I have to buy all of this just to buy a spare bag! the good news is that I have heard there is a Makita main dealership in North Pattaya, so a trip there when I find out where it is, if all else fails I will order the part in the UK and ask a friend to bring it out with him,

then off to the market, we had a quick look around, a ice coffee or two, then over to Friendship, Diana started shopping there, whilst I took a walk to the Tuk Com center, downstairs there is a place that sells spare parts for electrical things, but again no luck for the dust bag, on the way back to Friendship I saw some thing that I had never seen over here before, the police had stopped a motorbike taxi! this is completely in my experience, over here, unheard of, these are the police that enforce the no parking rule, but when that is quiet stop cars and bikes going past,

then back to ballasting,

why o why did I not buy preballasted underlay?

the problem is that if I put any glue on the sleepers I have to clean it off or the ballast will stick to the tops of the ties, when you have the shakes like me not easy to do!

Diana as usual helped out with some painting,

the paint improves the look of the layout no end, next when the ballasting has been completed we will start adding some grass and small bushes, before moving on to the electrics, (not looking forward to that),

by now it had gone 6.00 in the evening so along to the food stalls,

'two chicken feet soup to go please!'

whilst I was ordering the soup Diana was picking up some milk from the 7-11,

and a few fresh bugs to round of the meal,

Diana prefers the small ones,lightly fried as a starter, then feet up to watch a few DVD's, first a family film, Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, I have never been a great fan of Jim Carrey, but in this he was superb, by the same token I have never been that keen on Billy Connolly, this film just reinforces that view, but an enjoyable if somewhat dark film, I am not quite sure who this film was aimed at, little humour for kids, but no real serious plot for adults,

I had bought these three classics in the UK, tonight we watched In Which We Serve, starring amongst others Noel Coward, his quick clipped, straight and to the point lines making him a film presence, it was also fun to point out a young Richard Attenborough in this film he was uncredited playing a young powder handler, I pointed out to Diana we had seen him just a few nights before in 10, Rillington place and some time ago in Jurassic Park, we will watch the other two in the next few weeks, for me it was strange seeing the houses and decor of that time, it so much reminded me of my grandparents house in the early/mid 50's,

then a few Midsomer Murders we were up to "Death in Disguise" one of the founders of a new-age commune, The Lodge of the Golden Wind Horse, dies in a fall down the stairs, apparently accidentally, but when the other founder is mysteriously murdered in front of a roomful of people, the first death looks like it may have been deliberate too and off to bed.