As with last year, Ramadan is a time when we’re pretty much stretched to the limits…but then again it’s also a lovely time to have Finn up here, it makes a very special place, that much more so…soppy ol’ git that I am…

 

Team working through Ramadan.

Last year we also started working with Ramadan looming and reverted back

to the 6 hour day of last year. I’m always amazed at how hard these guys work during Ramadan. Between 06.00  – 07.15 ish, before the sun has risen, it’s fine. But after that it’s roasting and whilst they labour away, by 11.00 it’s al gone very slow.

I’m not complaining, not by any means. We are advancing, but I’ll be glad to work after Eid, normal hours and working conditions.

Finn and Yahyaa.

Finn again came up during Ramadab and again spent most of his time with Yahyaa and co, it’s great to see him having such fun with another type of Moroccan, rural farmers, filling his days climbing trees, running in fields and playing with animals.

Finn in National Park.

And of course we spent a few afternoons off in the national park cooling down in waterfalls…bliss!

It seems so strange to me that there are so few foreign tourists who come up here, especially during the hotter months. The park is filled with green, shade and water. It’s cool and, with the exception of the odd bit of litter, very unspoilt…opportunities a plenty, I see anyway.

On a slightly more complicated note, I got back to find that Ghalli had sold the donkeys!!!

Very weird and badly done. Not a word from him nor an offering of money gained. Not being quite sure what to do I’ve asked advice from Waafi and Mohammed, but have decided to leave this discussion until after Ramadan….It’s simply not the time to have such discussions, everyone is too edgy and I don’t want us to fall out, with Finn and yahyaa being such good mates, so we’ll have to wait till after Eid.

What happened? I’ve no idea. How will it be resolved? Hopefully with

discussions and no one losing face. There’s no way he has the money to pay me back, but there’s the possibility we might be able to do a swop for some goats and one of his donkeys…anyway something that doesn’t require money and as I say, maintains face….

Watch this space.

Off to the vets with the girls.

Other essential things that needed to be done was to get the dogs back to health, which also meant a rip to the vet for deworming and vaccinations. Of course we all bundled ourselves in to habiby and off we went on another adventure…..I think they took it all rather well…we do love our doggies!

The biology class continues at Farm Finn….or is that Early Years Sex Ed?

It’s true to say that so much about what I enjoy about Farm Finn is the joy of watching Finn playing in nature and his general interaction with it. We’ve bats, snakes, a ton of glorious insects, monkeys, wild boar and of course flowers in abundance.

But it’s at times like these that I have to laugh out loud…as Finn gets to see life post coital…perhaps we would do well as humans to have to spend the best part of the next 20 minutes stuck to our “mate”…it might give us much more than we gain from the fag or beer break…a true test of our intimacy.

Life up here’s a load of cobblers…if that works as a metaphor?

Back in Xaouen we also get to remember life before we became a “throw away” culture. Finn’s shoes broke …so we went and got them fixed at a cobblers, simply brilliant, especially as we had to wait for hm to go to the mosque t pray before he could begin this work. The difference in values with our consumerist, disposable culture back in Europe will, I hope, not be lost on him.

Finn at Fuddles’, lots of space to get lost in wild imagination.

Other wonderful things I love doing with Finn here, is going to see old friends such as Fuddle, down by the river on his ever evolving camp site. It’s always so peaceful, beautiful and he’s always so inviting. It’s been years now that I’ve been coming here with and without Finn, but we both love it, and Finn inevitably expresses himself in the open space…I think he’s got a bit of the dramatic in him…maybe he should speak to his family about that!

Finn says it all.

In the end, I suppose though, what I want to say about being up here with Finn at this or any other time, is best said by You Finn…..me toooooooo. x