What with the damp weather and school term well underway, with much homework and study to be done, things have been reletively quiet here.

One small highlight was Soms birthday on the 17th. As with all previous birthdays, it was a small party with cake and kanom here at Stratton House and some new clothes from us, with some rubber stamp animals coming a couple of days later from my Mother. Som is now 9 years old.

In between the study all the children have continued to do their bit out in the garden, clearing weeds, planting new crops and strimming. The playground also got a good weeding.

After the works slots there is time to relax with biscuits and a cold drink.

And there has also still been plenty of time for general playtime, riding their bikes, the ever popular art work and practising their musical instruments.

Tai has made big strides with the guitar and only yesterday spent a long time playing along to music on his headphones. Don’t know what he was playing to but his guitar sounded sweet.

There have also been a couple of new projects with the children practising hard, singing the Shelby Lynne song, ” A Wall In Your Heart”.  Somboon has done a lovely photo show to the song, with the lyrics superimposed to help the kids with their practice.

All the children also had great fun with Somboons second project in which they took part in making a video, which Somboon matched to a Tai pop song. This involved dressing-up and acting out scenes that they all enjoyed very much.

The kids loved it so much, we are now planning ideas for producing costumed performances of the “Jataka Tales”,(Buddhist proverbs).

As you may know our child protection policies now prevent us posting recognisable images of the children but as they will all be in costume we hope to be posting the first of these performances very soon.

Its been a traumatic week for everyone here after one of our dogs, Dam Dam, got out and returned suffering the effects of poisoning. We rushed her to the vets where she spent a prolonged period in seizure and it was very touch and go as to whether she would survive. Dr Tang at the Chompoo Vets surgery worked very hard to save her and after 3 days intensive care Dam Dam has returned home. She is still suffering the effects of her misfortune and we now wait and hope that her nervous system will repair itself properly.