The thing is it’s bloody freezing and I don’t just mean very cold. I mean colder than very cold. I mean I think I’m obsessed, but I’d be a bit less so if I could feel my feet, or rather if what I did feel from my feet wasn’t ….. cold!

So I’ve made a strategic retreat to Fez where it should be warmer… but it’s still fucking freezing. So what does this tell me? Apart from to buy a new set of thermals? Nope, it tells me…. don’t scrape on the wood

burning stoves.

They are essential and I wish I was sat around one now!

Only a few weeks ago, when the sun was shining and you could basque in glorious heat, I went with Mike down to M’kesh to have a look at a few bits down there. And yes there was plenty of inspiration too. The

more I look, the more I think we’re on the right path… and that includes going for all things vegetable. Not that size matters. Small, sweat and succulent, is fine. But very much vegetable. Of course the garden needs planning and I’m getting my companion planting guides out, but the more I think of it, the more I think…. focus upon fruit and veg for the menu.

Digging around foody ideas, the idea of linking to Al Andalous as a food theme,

which brought this to me; http://italophiles.com/andalusian_cookbook.pdf .

I know we may be someway off, but the kurnell of the idea is there and it’s all about food based on fruit and vegetables. So we’ll be needing to get our beds completedSmall steps, but they’re coming.

Of course, it’s not all garden and at last we’re beginning to get the roofs on the main house. It’s painfully slow and horribly heavy work, but given it takes approx 20 days to put up, lay and cement the blocks, we should be finished by end of Feb 2018. And then

we can really get going with putting down floors and hirsching walls. Wow!

Already the difference having the roof on the lower house, is exciting. What views. What a lovely seating area. What an opportunity to get these finished inside. And that’s exactly what I want to focus on when it stops snowing/raining. Let’s get those two rooms finished and moved in to!

Of course none of this story would be complete without yet more reference to wafi who proves himself each and every day. The plan is still to have him work on the farm and to bring his wealth of knowledge with him. There’s still much mastication around perma culture ideas, but with luck not only will we soon have our own chickens, but also a very fruitful garden.

More joy relating to Mr Wafi, was his help in bringing in the olive harvest. Of course he showed me how to “thwack”, but as ever it’s far easier than it looks. In the end though we collected 720 kilos of olives that ultimately lead to approx 140 litres of pure, sweet olive oil, spilt 50/50 between us.

Next year we may get less, as seems to be

the pattern, but I’ll also get woofers, or even paying guests, to do much of the wrist work. Again, thanks wafi and here’s hoping that this tastes as good as it looks. All we need now is to build the feran so we can bake the bread to soak up the oil. Yum, Yum!!

Having said that, I’ve been following news of a virus that’s attacked olive orchards across the European side of the Med and I doubt that there’s much of a response from the government. Without doubt it will effect us in the Rif and god knows what will happen then. (see video below)

One of the many things I love about Morocco is how materials from one source are used to develop something else. This is very true for olive oil where the waste ground

material is collected and used for the baking of bricks or zelig in the giant ovens I’ve been to. And then of course there’s the olive oil soap, which we’ll have to research in to next year… assuming our olive trees survive that long!

I’ve also been back to Uk for Xmas. Of course it was wonderful to see Finn and only reinforces my feeling that this project, here in Moroc, in the mountains, raising organic food, looking for solutions to problems generated by the need for the west to consume, is important.

But just as the phrase “thinking left and living right” got me considering how I could change my own lifestyle for the global better, so I’ve now begun thinking of eating far less meat. It makes environmental and humanistic sense and of course I was a “veggie” for about 15 years, many moons ago. But

now, as we plan to grow our own food, it makes alot of sense.

So far, so good!

And finally, just a small shout out to my wonderful boy, Finn. It was great to see you over Xmas and I truely look forward to you coming over here soon. The road is long and windy, my boy, but it’s the one I’ve chosen. I hope it bears us all fruit. And veg!!!