I've never considered myself a blogger, but...
Dear All
I've never considered myself a blogger, may have had something similar shouted at me across the fence from time to time, but when I sat down the other day and confronted the mountain of unfinished work sitting on my desk I did what I always do at times like this, I decided to tinker with the website (at University I'd hoover the floor when faced with revision, at school I'd offer to mow the lawn, I once knew a construction manager who'd build roads).
Anyway, the projects' loss is your gain, in accordance with a suggestion from e-whizz kids and those that know, I have set up a blog at http://news.helpingelephants.org. Blogging is new to me, but as I understand it it allows me to put my ele thoughts on the web and if you subscribe, which looks very easy, I'm guessing my thoughts will be e-mailed to you but that you can also return to that site and add your comments, correct my spelling etc.
Not that I want you to stop writing to me personally, I still enjoy your letters, just that you can also make public comments. To save foundation money the blog is set up on free webspace so I'll ask you to ignore the free ad's at the top, though they may be more entertaining than my writing and are certainly an insight into the mind of my fellow bloggers!
If you manage to successfully subscribe, please let me know and I'll remove you from this list so you don't get my thoughts twice.
Whilst I was tinkering I have also added to the www.helpingelephants.org website - for the nostalgic or conscientious you can now download recordings of the commands as performed by our very own K. Bounmee, K. Jamrat and K. Jaan (though Jaan was laughing too much to be of any use). Hopefully this will help with your pronunciation and negate any problems caused by my transliteration. What's next? Downloadable Yom back-chat ring tones for your mobile - well, give me time to master the technology, make some headphones large enough and build up enough unfinished project work to begin tinkering again.
I have also added a links page, finally reciprocated all those that have been kind enough to add www.helpingelephants.org to their links page and added some more - if you're not there and think you should be, please let me know....
...the last thing I did was add some web links to the reading list as I have tracked down some on-line copies of some very good research and the English version of the new Elephant Care Manual for Mahouts and Elephant Camp Managers - these documents were written and researched, with outside help, by the Thai Elephant Conservation Centre staff and certainly bare some reading for the budding mahout - as with all my 'homework' of course, none of it is essential reading, but should you feel a thirst for knowledge!
All the eles are doing well, Yom's enjoying her retirement; Sep's not losing any weight; Wandi's steadily catching her up and enjoying the season's young sugar cane; Lawan's Lawan - still having trouble accepting the pigs; Nong Pleum, Tawan and Nong Dah (officially renamed Pang Kam Saen in honour of her new home - how fickle these girls are!) are going crazy with all this rain and mud to play in; Tongkhoon is settling in, entertaining guests and playing Aunt to Nong Lynchee who is stealing the show, capturing hearts and sucking trousers as ever!
I think the other rule with blogs is that they are supposed to be short, so, having broken that one, I'll let you go!
Thanks
John
PS. The bird is a Blue Winged Pitta that Amp rescued this morning as it was having a territorial battle with itself in a mirror somewhere. We have several pairs on property this season (presumably descendants of the one pair last), we let him go in the garden and hopefully he'll stay there and attract a real mate rather than fall in love with a window or something!
Yeah - Jungle John - how can I help from the US of A??
best, Lizzie Leopard
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Ahhh Lizzie Leopard
Ever with the searching questions!
Short of paying me a visit and taking me up on the dinner I owe you (and then being put to work in the Elephant Camp) there are two ways of helping...
...first is direct but complicated from the States, and it is through www.elephantfamily.org, there is a mechanism for claiming tax back and (as they don't have us on their website yet - much going on in the world of Elephant Family)be sure and mention our name in your donation comments.
The process is described in full on www.helpingelephants.org in the How to Donate section.
Secondly and probably more fun, since you are in the right country, get in touch with some wonderful people behind the Elephant Umbrella Fund - linked from the 'Links' section. Your help and donations might not directly reach me but it will reach elephants somewhere and may lead you to pull on your walking boots once again and get back to a jungle somewhere.
Cheers
JJR
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Us wrinklies are still not sure what a blog is, but you're doing a good job as usual. A message from the Director of Ele's is welcome any morning. We've had a go at the Elephant Family system and it looked as though it worked at this end. Please warn all new ele's to be careful of our trees,'coz we're planning a tour of inspection about next Jan and wouldn't like to think of any pachyderms getting into trouble for shrub munching.
Regards to all.
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No, I'm not too sure either, but it looks as though it does exactly what I did before only with the software doing the donkey work - if only we could persuade it to write too!
Both your trees are in fine health, though they do find themselves in a dangerous position as Plai Tawan has turned nursery raider and is in big trouble with the gardeners - though I think your trees are safe as it is the fruit, veg. and coconut/banana trees he's after!
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