February has been something of a multi locationed time. As for so much of the winter, the weather has played a significant part in deciding what, where and how anything can be done. Nonetheless, as I look back now, what felt like a slightly “underachieving” time, has in fact, and in spite of some quite significant potential challenges, actually been quite “successful” in it’s many faceted parts.

Up in Loubar at the beginning of the month, I was able to get the team back up to work after a break caused by rain and snow at the end of January. I’ve now got Hamid back on the build, along with Mwlm Mohammed.

Tbh I’m trying not to re employ Mohammed, my neighbour, which needs sensitivity. There’ll be masonry, but I won’t be choosing for him to work. He’s just not got enough attention to detail, as we move towards finishing. Which is now what I am focussing upon.

It’s high time now to get out some of those INGO project management tools, logframes and the like and really begin to plan our way to the end. It is infact pretty difficult to guarantee what can happen, when. Weather, permissions, planting or harvesting times, piste or donkey access for materials. All of these are factors.

However, having now worked a full year without leaving, there is a calendar of these

issues. There are also the time frames needed to source, design and complete creation of much that will be hand made.

The ordering of materials up on to the land in October required that sort of planning and I think this phase will really benefit from more of the same. It’s easy to be “slack” with all of this. But good planning, as in October, makes a difference, despite the challenges; see the current weather!

No sort of planning could have gotten us any further in Loubar. The team is  now back and apart from adding final touches to stairs and starting hirsching, we’ve managed to get the central section of the main house roof on, bringing on a specialised team for the job.

These guys, the “Gravistas”, who poured the other three roof sections we’ve completed so far, are a team of around 5 – 6 completely focused guys. When I say focussed, that acknowledges the very smelly joints, subsies/kif pipes etc that are mere paraphernalia. But they are “on the job and fully energised”. There’s no slackers on this team.

They arrive in a pickup around 06.00, complete with mobile crane, an iron bin for moving cement to pour on the roof and various tools and chains. All brought up by them from the bottom of the land, which if I remember from the topograph, is over 50 ms of difference in height.

After the normal salutations and a walk around the site they begin. Shovels, wheelbarrows, sand, cement and water,

combined by a rush of energy, force and action to move, mix and hoist up these materials, to then be spread over the roof.

And this continues, non stop, with a determined action, until they halt for ftur, which has been diligently prepared by Mwlm Mhds wife and brought down at exactly the right moment.

The work includes breakfast and a tajin at the conclusion of the job. This team works, eats, leaves. Great guys and a real pleasure to work with. Our whole team treated them with a genuine respect. They finished, ate, took their money and offered their goodbuys.

And then they were gone. Metal bucket, tools, chaines, motorised iron winch, all hoisted down the hill, on to their car, and off they went.

Till the next time. And then, for that final part of the roof, tradition apparently demands that it’s a goat! Ish Allah.

Apart from the build, we’ve also been working on the land. Jan to March is a time to prune and plant trees. We probably lost 25 trees from last year. Mostly in groups.

The top by Fuddle is perennially damp. Towards the pool, another group, perhaps their mulch was too close. Some were just placed out of easier watering in the dry summer months. But mostly they’ve survived and thrived, and it’s good to be planning for a second year.

Both wafi and Mohammed have been involved. Parts of the orchards haven’t been trimmed for years. Other trees are just in need of removing. It all takes time. Schwer bi schwer. We’d started digging holes for new trees, we’ll need around 100 and they should be in by end of March at latest. We’ll see what happens with the rain.

And of course we have several years of humanure ready to be experimented with. I wonder how the guys will react to that.

A great bonus though, is the ongoing growth of veg, notably the cauliflowers who were previously blighted by white cabbage butterfly caterpillars, (see Nov 2017 blog).

We haven’t been companion planting, Mohammed more naturally veering towards mono planting. It makes me

realise the need to have a planting plan. By season and desire, with rotation systems and what will work best with what and what will each add or take away what from the soil.

I’m sure, for example wafi will have this in his head. But I wonder if or how he would react to being more systematic. Reflective. There’s great room here to experiment and really see what happens and compare planting styles. As ever, there’s so much to learn. So much fun to be had.

As I write however, Loubar and the region are awash with very heavy rain. There’s no chance of any work and I am genuinely worried about Wafi, the animals and the dogs. I’m hoping to go up on the only break I’ve seen for what will be a period of around 3 weeks, from Feb through to March, when it won’t be raining. And that’s just one day, the Friday coming.

Finn on holiday. Finn managed to arrive for the only window of sunshine we’ve had since …. my memory doesn’t go back quite that far these days, so “for a while” let’s say, and it’s been pouring ever since. He had a great time with mates in Fez and then off we trotted in Habiby Stitu, who, despite my grumblings, is generally “a good sort.”

This time they up and scarpered, though it was a fine sight to see upon our arrival, as I say. Mind you, and for the record, it was incredibly cold once the sun went down and having been up there in summer, the

latter is definitely recommended if you’re ever thinking of a trip.

Domestic Spring Cleaning, or nesting or making use of idle hands aside, I’m also redesigning or adding yet more finishing touches to Dar Finn, as we plan to open a roof top restaurant, hopefully this year, though at the rate my managers are popping out babies, perhaps we’ll have to wait another nine months … who knows.

As I say, spring is in the air, if drowned out by the thunder of torrential rain on plastic bash and so, even if all this tinkering in Fez is postponed to the demands of yet further human procreation by my female managerial team, any week now, the sun will shine and I’ll at

last be able to enter the final furlong of Farm Finn’s construction…Ish Allah

Previously successfully trials have included anything from sweet red pepper and chilli jam, to pickled onions with a hint (let’s be more specific…kick) of chilli (you might correctly sense

something of a trend…but don’t give up on my perma cultural agronomic diversity just yet), tomato ketchup, fig jam and last (actually I’ve curtailed the list to avoid swamping you with flavours), but not least, 150 litres of organic olive oil (see December 2017 post), I am now experimenting with carrot and beetroot jams, which come in separate jars and have distinct, if wonderfully saccrine, yet subtly earthy, favours.

But I shall stop there. I can sense your mouth watering and, as this particular deviation could go on for hours, and is probably best done over slices of home made bread straight from the earth oven we’ll be building this summer, the rest will have to wait…