Conny, Nick, Jari, Glenn, Jimmy, may I join belatedly is saying how sorry I am for your losses.
Conny - what a lovely tribute to your Mum!
Linda - I hope your father pulls through with that feisty spirit of his.
We've just had the news of the passing of my partner's lovely young niece. Tukta was run over by a truck yesterday and taken to hospital in the provincial capital. Her internal injuries were such that that treatment could not save her.
Somphong and I are very fortunate in that his extended family accepted our partnership and Tukta was most demonstrative in her acceptance and welcome every time we visited the village. She always seemed merry and enjoying life. She was in her 30s, the only child of Somphong's older sister who was widowed far too young. She leaves a husband and a very young daughter who started school this year. We were looking forward to celebrating the Songkran festival all together next month.
One of Somphong's older brothers gave him a Buddhist message yesterday which is keeping him and others calm. He's now busy trying to contact his younger brother - he and an older brother also live here in Bangkok - so we can all travel to the village.
As Issa says
A floating world it is, and yet...