I always love it when Finn visits…of course he’s not in to grey water recycling, composting toilets, geo termal heating and the like….not yet. But the fact s that this project also gives him a chance to live and learn outdoors, with a totally different type of people. To see and experience a different life from the urban and consumeristic one he has either in Fez or in the UK.

Finn forages wild food from Farm Finn, this time it’s walnuts, but it might have been pomegranets, figs, berries, apples or goats milk!

It also gives him a chance to extend his safety thresholds. Here he rides on donkeys, milks goats, bakes bread, picks fruit and (as here) nuts. He rides on the top of the landy, climbes trees, rocks, plunges in to lakes and rivers.

And this is all the sort of thing that I envisaged for him when I bought the land, and, if I am honest, is the sort of thing I hope both adults and children will experience when they visit also.

Finn advises on changes to our build.

But currently, practically, Finn is also helping with the build by experientially testing out some of the modifications we are making to the place…such as whether the steps to the loos are at the right height to help up little boys on to their seats!

Development of the shower block for the glamp site.

As for other modifications, well the showers now have been built around the olive trees and are open to the air. Piping has been placed to divert the grey water in to plant beds and water from the basins will do similarly as well as diluting the urine diverted to be used as a fertiliser.

My building bible.

But, if I am honest none of this would be possible without the advice of other builders and notably this highly impressive book, The Barefoot Architect. Whilst it’s far from a read and do affair, it does guide and provide very practical and hopefully achieveable examples. The geo thermal heating systems, compostheating for the rooms, sun heated walls transfer systems are all from here…I thoroughly recommend it.

Putrine roofs arrive…but how long will they take to arrive on the land?

Another big achievement whilst Finn was here was the arrival of the putrine that we’ll be using for the roofing/terracing of Mission Control. It’s well sound insulated and will also allow for light wells to be placed inside, thus allowing sunlight to reach in to otherwise very shaded rooms, whch has worked really well at Dar Finn.

I have to say though, I helped bring the rafters on to the land and that was a major piece of work…let’s hope Ghalli gets the blocks in on the donkeys.

Finn and I leave feeling really happy with the time we’ve spent and the acheievements we’ve made.

In the end, what made me happy was to see Finn so enjoy his time here. He’s also made great friends, especially with Yahyaa…another older boy to worship…..but it means he speaks Deriga because he wants to, visits the houses of people he would never have otherwise met, because it’s fun and he gets to play on and with animals because he can and everyone knows it’s safe.

I really look forward to him visiting here for many years to come and maybe finding his way to white water rafting, sailing, mountain biking and even paragliding, all sports that are or could be available here.