Safe Return Doubtful

I was up at 5 this morning, so the day that follows is not a strenuous one. It was by choice, indeed I would have been up other mornings at 5 in the last few weeks if the cricket from Australia had demanded it. By 7:30 England had won, their first test in Australia for 15 years. Something to celebrate? Rather, I see it as a relief and that it was likely to happen, and as Nasser Hussain says, instead of praising the team, being frustrated that they were not better prepared, and did not compete as they should have done in the earlier games.

I’ve been at Ouijjane for a week now. It’s a pleasant place to stay, under the palms, which is actually the name of the campsite. Valerie, the owner, laid on Christmas activities, but as I’ve said before, they met with mixed attendance; some other people here are happy to escape the festive days. 

This course continues to throw obstacles my way, albeit small ones, in terms of the van. My fridge problem recurred, which indicates it is a different problem, perhaps a gas leak. The boss of the repair shop in Agadir returns to Morocco from UK this coming week, and he will look at it for me. Not long after I arrived here, the MaxxFan, which was new this last summer, started coming on of its own accord, as if possessed by a poltergeist, its speed varying, its shutter opening and closing. The online forums gave me some ideas, clash with iPhone can set it off, moisture on the motherboard, but nothing worked. The supplier had finished for the holiday already, though the fan is under warranty. In the end I resorted to pulling the fuse, so it’s out of action until I’m back in the UK when I’ll get it replaced. 

There’s a canyon not far from the village here. I’d seen it a couple of times when hiking on its rim. I took the mountain bike into it yesterday, though it was far more challenging than I expected with so much loose rock around. That’s mainly down to my misjudgement, which failed to take on board that I’ve aged eight years since any serious mountain biking, those years in between afflicted with the old hip. When hiking I always consider being alone in a wild place where any help could be a long time away, if possible at all. When biking I forgot about that, though was reminded when I took a tumble on a loose steep section deep in the canyon. Fortunately, the result was just a few scratches, but I am aware more clearly now that I don’t fall as well as I used to.. and that was never well.. 

There’s rain here today, just arriving, though I have managed to fit in a couple of hours out, a wander with a South African couple who live in London, keen four wheel drivers, and in a Land Rover. We didn’t share many interests except for the places to which we had travelled. 

It’s the time of year to look back at the year, though I spend little time doing that, and far more weighing up plans for the coming year. Regarding the former, I will write a post about books, films, and series of the year. Regarding the latter, I will post something about in the coming week also.