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An Update from a Home Away from Home
I see from far away that the annual national conversation about the state of the Irish summer (“some summer!”) is up and running. I was home myself for eight weeks and apart from a few days here and there, the sun appeared to be off enjoying life somewhere else. No doubt having a grand old time for himself altogether.
The people of NE Thailand would gladly take such inclement weather. It’s meant to berainy season at the moment but the rains haven’t come as they should. The mosquitoes have though, annoying wretches.They love this humidity and word seems to have spread among the mosquito community that there’s a very tasty Irish fella wandering around Nong Khai. So, I’m applying Deet or Citronella twice a day in a bid that hey might ignore me. (My brother suggested acting like I did as a teenager around girls, they had no trouble ignoring me). It seems to be working though, as I haven’t been bitten in nearly a week now.
Back to the rains, or the sad lack of them. The start of the wet season is rice planting time and for about three weeks, all of the orphanage staff and every kid over 13 spent any free time they had on our farm, picking the baby rice seedlings from one field, carrying them in batches to another, separating them and replanting them in the paddy fields. I did just one afternoon of it and was wrecked. It’s hard on the back but these guys don’t complain, up and down, separate and plant. Lines and lines of rice seedling had to be planted over 72 rai of farmland (28 acres). And this was replicated in every nearby village, neighbour helping neighbour, grandparents, parents and kids, up and down, separate and plant. It’s dirty work too as you have to ensure that the two or three seedlings are rooted well into the mud or they will float away. And goodness only knows what’s creeping around in the paddy fields. To a great cheer, one guy held up a snake in a field a few away from me, at which point I could have sworn I heard my phone ring, pathetically made good my excuses and snuck away for a long shower. But the paddy fields need many more weeks of rain and after a promising start, the skies cleared and almost ten full days of sun arrived. Worry crept on to all local faces, people could be seen locking wistfully up at the sky and all conversations were about the rice. And it’s of such importance. Rice is eaten three times a day by the people of this area. If the crop fails, it will have a profound effect on their health for the next twelve months. And of course, a rice shortage here means higher prices everywhere. A crop failure would cost the orphanage about €80,000 and that’s not counting the use of the rice grain husks as food for the livestock or farm birds. The rains also fill up our fish ponds - and the communal ponds in the villages - which have been cleaned and are waiting to be stocked with tiny fish. We’ll wait for the fishlings to grow and then they’ll be on the menu once or twice a week over the subsequent months.
So it was with some relief when the rising temperatures led to two consecutive nights of thunderstorms this week. It bucketed down for hours and hours and the dirt roads were pockmarked with giant puddles of water as we went out in the morning. The water levels rose in the paddy fields and the panic passed. Another week like that would be very welcome but not guaranteed. Funnily enough, the dry weather was a blessing in another regard. The Mekong river has been very high year and heavy rains would have lead to flooding, displacing many who live alongside it. Locally, the Chinese are being blamed, as over the last decades, they’ve constructed seven enormous dams thousands of miles away and it’s gradually having a knock-on effect all the way along the river. It’s only going to get worse as the Laos government has announced plans to develop eleven dams of their own.
For now, we’ll keep our finger crossed for more rain and a healthy crop. The rice will need to be harvested in November which means weeks of more hard labour, so if anyone fancies calling me on random afternoons, I swear I can hear my phone ring……
Sarnelli House
Everyone in the Irish Haemophilia Society would like to wish Brian and his beautiful bride to be Kate the very best of luck on their upcoming wedding day and a very long, happy and fun life together. We had the pleasure of meeting Kate on their recent trip to Ireland and we are sure she will keep Brian out of trouble and on his toes!
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Dublin Marathon 2015
If you are feeling energetic, why not take part in this year’s Dublin City Half Marathon on the 19th September or the Dublin City Marathon on the 26th October. For those less energetic there is the International Friendship Run (4km) on the 25th October. Registration is now open, to register for any of these events or for more information go to www.sseairtricitydublinmarathon.ie. You will find information on entry fees, route maps and other useful details. If you are thinking of taking part we would really appreciate if you would consider fundraising in aid of the I.H.S. we would welcome your support. The I.H.S. relies on the support of our members, their families and friends, not just to raise funds but to raise awareness of haemophilia and other bleeding disorders. We can provide sponsorship cards and I.H.S. t-shirts or you may wish to set up a fundraising page on MyCharity.ie. If interested or for more information just contact Nina on 01-6579900 or email nina@haemophilia.ie.
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The I.H.S. would like to wish Paul Dunne and Amy Carroll a huge congratulations on their engagement!! To two of our longest standing volunteers and good friends, we wish you both a fun time planning the wedding and a brilliant life together after that!!
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Members Conference 2015
To book your place at our Members Conference Friday 16th - Sunday 18th October 2015 in the Heritage Hotel, Portlaoise click here or call 01 657 9900. Places are filling up faster than expected to don't delay.
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Upcoming Events
Barretstown Camp 30th October - 1st November 2015
PEP Conference 20th - 22nd November 2015
AGM 4th - 6th March 2016
Carrier Conference 7th - 8th May 2015
More information regarding these events will be posted nearer to the date of each individual event.
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Catch up on the latest edition of Positive News
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