If it was easy, everyone would be doing it ….. or so I say to myself, but I’m not complaining, I’m really not. It is of course, still raining …. I can’t believe I’m saying that. Where’s The Ark when you need a lifeboat, but whilst this is far from Purgatory, it will be a joy to have several sunny days in a row.

Oh well, such is life. So, apart from testing my umbrella … if I had one that is, what’s been happening. Infact, with the greatest of fortunes, enough. Enough that is to keep me coming back for more and aware of the good fortune that smiles upon me.

Of course making progress with the build is almost an impossibility, but I have managed

to get up on to the land enough to notice the joys of spring and immerse myself in the cornucopia of colour in brings.

I really understand now, the number of spring festivals that exist. The celebration of new life burgeoning. Of finally seeing off the depths of winter. Of lifting oneself up to the tantalising promises of warm summer suns.

Spring is always my favourite season in Morocco and especially here in Loubar. The fields are awash with colour filled flowers of every description.

There’s the buzz of early insect life and the smell of flowers in the air.  I’ve yet to gain any real idea of what is what in terms of the flowers and weeds, other than there’s one which  is a most spinach like leaf, which Wafi made in to a delicious meal, noting that it would only be available for a couple of weeks before it was gone again for another year.

So much learning to be done.

But the trees are now also brimming with flowers, promising fruit and everything that’s possible to be made from those. Even last years saplings are now bearing flower, which may, even this year, bear some few fruit. And that again excites me.

And so it was with noticeable joy, in that blink of an eye, which was the break in the weather, that Wafi and I, with Maika,who joined us from Ouad Laou, went off to Bab Taza to buy this years crop of trees to plant. Another 150, to go with the same from last year. Of course it was a bit of a dash, to then return to try to get them planted in their holes now filled to overflowing with rainwater.

Ironically, these needed emptying, by hand and bucket, before I could plant in them.

But then came my first opportunity, one for which I had been waiting for years … literally 4 years. To test out my humanure. Well, mine and Finns.

I’m sure that filling plastic drums with shit and saw dust and without a real means for ongoing aeration, is not the way to do it and some of the drums were too ammonia smelling for me to test with, but I’m excited to see how we do.

Of course, when it comes to the real thing, we’ll have our human compost system more fine tuned. But I’ll be very interested to see how this years model works out. Till ten, it’s fingers crossed.

Or should I say, flippers. xx