On going to PNG, I left some work for Mohammed to complete on the land and it was on to that well trodden path of excited expectation of the expected but unknown, that I returned to Loubar to see what progress had been made. I’ve been thinking about developing a water reservoir/pool underneath a small fig orchard, for years.

Tbh, in summer it’s really hot up here, even with the benefit of height and

substantial numbers of trees and shade, and for the tourism side of the project, some sort of pool, aside from those I hope to build in the river, would be great….and I love the fig orchard …. It’s shaded, cool, relatively private…and beautiful. So I thought we’d dig a hole and see what we might find.

Water is a big issue here in Loubar. Even now, there’s far less kif and a lot of what there is, is Beldi, thus needing less water. As was last year, I expect there will be domestic water rationing and thus simply to have a “pool” would be unacceptable. Thus the idea is that this is a reservoir that is recycled back in to the land.

How this links to the rest of the grey, rain or well water system, I haven’t

quite worked out. BUT, it is very much part of the concept of Farm Finn, to be trying to develop workable, resource maximising systems, that are replicable, or just increase our understanding…what can we do?

I’m urban and in everything that I aspire to do here, not even an amateur. Equally, even though I work in WASH, technically, problematically, I’m as ignorant as the next guy.

But it’s clear that water is everything and with a view to planning and modeling for climate change adaptation, how we manage it, is the foundation block of the project.

Another steep learning curve. But I love that it will force me to better understand rural water management. To actually have something practical to add, when I work abroad or here.

This is the root of the development side of Farm Finn.

God it’s exciting.

Because of this, along with the dry stone walling and terracing, which just

looks great, I’ve begun to look at the garden as a whole. Where we’re building I can’t do anything with the ground and there are few if any trees. But on the rest, the wilder side, the trees there have had little or no attention for years and as such are over grown and knarled.

I’ve met Catherine and Julian, a French permaculture/agro ecology and much, much more, couple who are a wealth of knowledge. Julian is helping with the authorization for the build and doing a fine job. But they both came over to cut back the trees with Wafi and a friend of theirs. It good to see. And it’s great to be able to advance even when I’m not here.

Which isn’t to say that we can really advance with the gardens until we’ve

 

got a fence up and someone living here, to manage the land.

I’m not sure when I’ll get the Roxa, but for the time being there’s enough still to be done to design and prepare the land. It’s such a different experience to be thinking of working outside for a couple of months….

Unfortunately for me however, Ramadan beckons and no work can really start before Eid .

Which allows time to get back in touch with Olive. It’s strange being up here without Flynn. There are moments I expect her to turn up. Having said that Zeitune is morphing in to her mother ….she’s very much Queen Boss.

I think we’re going to need to get another dog….Finn of course wants several….we’ll see what turns up. But it’s all looking good and it’s so good being back here.