It’s been a while since I’ve been able to come up here and as ever being in Loubar and the Rif fills me with a contentment and peace I simply don’t have in Fez. That’s of course not to deny the uniqueness of Fez, nor how much I enjoy being there.
But here, up on these mountains, surrounded by nature, peace and the simple beauty of the Riffian people and their countryside, it’s just different and again reconfirms my desire to get a place running up here both for myself and to share with others.
Spring is very much my favourite time of year here in the Rif, but also in Morocco generally. It’s green and filed to bursting with a cacophony of colours that reflect the plethora of flowers, butterflies and other insects bursting forth in meadows that abound here, but which are so sadly absent in UK, where land is so often managed for commercial farming.
It’s given me the idea of putting together a “Spring Collection” of images as part of my marketing of the project.
Having spoken to Paul Clammer of Lonely Planet Moroc fame, I’ve managed to be able to schedule this series of images to appear daily on the Farm Finn Facebook site. In part I’d put this down to “sharing the love”, but it also gives an opportunity to offer a glimpse to the world out there, the beauty of this hidden and relatively unknown part of Morocco.I’m very much at the learning end of the use of social media as a marketing tool and boy does it take time.
However if you’re reading this it’s worked somehow and you’ve managed to peek in to this wonderful world. I hope you like it. Up in Loubar I’ve now started the process of trying to ready myself for the build that will now start in June..only a matter of weeks away.
As Finn will be away in UK for 10 days, I’ve decided to come up here at the end of May and just camp up here to see if I can get things started….as I remember, getting anything started is of itself a huge job and that includes getting a Roxa, recruiting a team (including 3 masons and 4 labourers), bringing all other necessary materials on to the land and planning and installing initial electricity and water/sanitation points.
It also requires that I have a finalized set of plans ready for said workers to build from. After so much time thinking and talking about this project, I feel that I’ve left this late. The first set of ideas are above, but they need alteration and whilst I don’t seem to need actual architects plans, I do need to have thought out broad designs and watsan/electrical plans. GULP!
But if I am honest, just ensuring that I am up here on a permanent basis, though without the car (I’ll be bringing my bike…this may be the last you hear of me!), really thinking through the project, without distraction, is exciting in and of itself. But to help me I’m trying to fit in visits to other gites in the area….though more of that in another blog.
Whilst I was away in Central African Republic and Cambodia over the winter I left Flynn with Wafi as a better option to remaining in Fez medina, which is no place for a dog even if you wanted one there.
OK, so chez Wafi is pretty basic to say the least, but he’s got a great heart and I knew she’d be safe and have the run of the countryside. Well I got back last month to find her to be the slightly dazed and confused (which I suspect to be her natural state) mother of 6 squeeking puppeys.
Of course the dad is absent, but I’d hope to keep a one for Farm Finn and another two I’m thinking of exchanging for say chickens for the farm, (Wafi will have the others to sell or keep).
Is that possible? I don’t know, though I like the idea so let’s see. And then, as part of a major TLC project for poor Flynn as she moves from Wafi’s to Farm Finn, I think we’ll get her spayed.