Thai chef turns gardener

Chef Maiyuu has expanded into gardening. He now tends half a dozen pot plants on the narrow balcony of our place.

Now, where once we sat there facing Silom with nothing better to do than spy on the neighbours, we can admire the greenery of our plants instead.

Maiyuu waters them faithfully twice a day, and has even fed fertiliser to one or two which look a little sickly.

These ones look good but have no smell. Next, we think we might buy fragrant potted plants. They will give us something more to talk about.

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Maiyuu has been working so hard around home lately, tending to its needs, and those of its large farang occupant, that I felt he was due a little reward.

'Can I buy you a gift?'I asked innocently, thinking he might be happy with a treat from the 7-11, and preparing an accordingly modest sum of B100 or so.

'Yes, please - a washing machine!' he announced.

This is no ordinary washing machine, folks. It is avocado green, rises only as high as a portable fan, and handles underwear only, with no spin cycle (amended: no spin dry cycle]. How eccentrically gay is that?

'I have walked past it many times now, but don't want to pay for it with my own money,' said Maiyuu.

'It will save me having to wash my underwear by hand, as I have been doing.'

The machine cost me B1200.

My boyfriend lives like hermit, at least in his bedroom, which he locks whenever he leaves home. If he is in residence, the door is usually closed.

He keeps bags of dry rubbish in his room, just in case he wants to dig out a receipt from some purchase six months ago. He could sift out the important stuff, and toss out the rest from his small waste paper bin like everyone else, but prefers to be cautious, so keeps it with him instead.

Rather than washing regularly, he keeps his unwashed clothes in there with him as well, until he has run out and must start a lengthy hand wash.

Now, at least for the underwear, no more! He bought a clear plastic water pipe, and cut it to fit, so now he can run the machine in the living room, or even on the balcony if he fancies...his small underwear washer, pictured here in poor lighting, is light enough to move around. A long plastic hose trails after it wherever it goes.
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From Maiyuu's kitchen...a rice pork dish created in a boat made of egg. That's a bit of fish on the side of the plate.

He made a strawberry cake the other day, and offered it as a gift to a doctor friend of mine who lives in this condo complex.
 
I teach the doctor English, and Maiyuu thought he might like something sweet while he is listening to me drone on.
 
He packed his cake in a cardboard box, and sent it over with me.
 
The next day, my doctor friend gave us a bottle of red wine in return as a New Year's gift.
 
Last week I decided I would like to drink it, but Maiyuu stopped me.
 
'That red is for me...in return for the cake I made,' he announced.
 
Maiyuu does not drink red wine. But it looks good on the shelf, I suppose, so it can stay there a while until the temptation to have it overpowers me.