It was a difficult decision to keep woking during Ramadan, but time demanded that we make the most of what we had…I’m so very conscious of the fact that winter…which is to say October, will see the end of work and if we don’t get a roof and walls up, we’ll have to stop till next year…so we march on.
Foundations are lain for Farm Finn.
The team decided their hours, 06 – 12 AM, which was a beautiful tme to work, the sun not yet risen, clouds often covering the mountain and the air cool and fresh, at least for a couple of hours.
Tbh I was really impressed by the work rate of the team, but it bloody well near killed me, working outside in the sun without water. Having said that we achieved loads and by the time I planned to leave we had managed to get the foundations done.
That’s not to say all was without incident, just as we finished the trenches around the lower house and we’d all gotten out, the side wall collapsed, which would have been a disaster had anyone been underneath…with that in mind, it was more Malesh than mortifying…another couple of days re working to dig it all out again.
As well as work on the land, I managed to start to pick up materials for the house. There seem to be far fewer places to pick up doors, windows and the like, tho I am yet to visit Casa Barata in Tangiers which is where Kharnfous Retreat got theirs…note to self…get in touch with KR for details!!! However I thought I did well getting three sets of windows and 4 sets of double doors in Xaouen for 1,000 dhm. The windows will go in to the lower house.
I’ve said it before and I hope I’ll say it again, but the whole team are simply a joy to work with, nothing like Fez. Of curse everyone is a neighbor to some degree and everyone has known each other all their lives. There’s none of the back stabbing or shirking of Fez, just good honest days of work…it’s a joy..or at least I’m enjoying it…and the guys seem to be too.
We’ve had a few visitors over this month. Of course Finn has been again and I’m so very happy to see how much he enjoys himself here anf that he’s happy to just muck in and make friends.
He’s adopted Yahyaa as his new best mate and it’s frequently proved almost impossible to get him away from Ghalli’s house to come back for bed….well they do have loads of donkeys, goats, dogs and kids…great.
Vincent and Vanessa came for a few nights and of course that could only be a pleasure. There were plans to muck in and do something, but somehow we didn’t manage too much…infact now that I’m writing I’m not too sure exactly what we managed to do…apart from enjoy the most tremendous, if slightly inappropriate, Ramadan F’tures!!
However a few trips around the mountains have further highlighted the beauty of the area. As ever there are invites to visit farms and beauty spots, which I look forward to doing, but without doubt the area is simply stunning…the idea of the walk from Tetouan to Hoceima glows as ever.
That said there seems to be increasing debate, even amongst the workers of the impact of the kif harvest on local water supplies, which are quickly receeding.
The water cost of Mexicana and Pakistana is great and conversations with the Mkadum illustrate that at the municipality level, it may be that there is a camp down on Kif next year, mainly because f the water demanded….al seems ripe for a bit of community development…I look forward to breaking out those PRA tools.
Another “visitor” was the returning Habiby, tho her return came at a price…lost keys, the need to breakin t your own car, tow her out from her location, and finally get her patched up with hot wires and dodgy ignition systems, don’t paint half the picture. It’s good to have her back, if she does feel very old ad tired…but not too tired to bring up this 1,000 litre water tank on to the land…and now we have…water! Welcome back to the team Hab’s.
OK, I’m going to say it here and now, I love Flynn, she’s beautiful, loyal, friendly ad a great guard dog…but her mutts, especially the brown mutt are incredibly annoying. Not only do they raid the food and bark all night at…nothing. Not nly do they poop, pee and generally get in the way…but they are totally destroying the tent.
They (I highly suspect Ms Brown) have chewed through the tent pegs and the guy ropes and now I’ve found that they’ve ripped the tent ad slashed the mosquito netting…I know, I know…we love them realy…but sometimes arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh …
On the donkey front, we still have our very own “Wonkey Donkey”, who it seems will never be the same again. Of course the local solution is to sell her…oops him…but I can’t see that really. He’s part of the team and I’m hoping that eventually he’ll be able to at least carry small children, bags and picnics…that’ll be enough.
Personally I’ve been enjoying just feeding him figs, which he loves…It would seem we’re developing quite a relationship….which takes us back to Donkey Love!!!
Of course this is not for the punters, but I have to add this image of a snake I found on the track from the farm to Ghalli’s. If I’d seen it I am sure I wuld have run a mile…or at least back to the land…but what a wopper…and just around here..ssshhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh…don’t tell anyone.
Suffice to say, I leave Loubar to return to UK, with Mohammed and a set of my plans. I’m incredibly impressed with what we’ve managed to achieve so far and excited at what I might find on my return…but most of all I’m just happy that I am enjoying it all so much and could, after a time of such sdness, be about to create something truly beautiful…
Fingers crossed.