Sunny, sunny day

Salam alekum!

Well yesterday was another busy day; Ferret turned up late in the morning as he had overslept - a combination of Ramadan and a nasty toothache (I wished he hadn't felt like showing me - yukes!), but I got to work in reasonable time; spent most of the day studying the regional geology for this part of Libya; lunch was a bit miserable...which reminds me that I haven't explained lunch.

There is no canteen in the office so work has a system which allows everyone to order from a menu provided by two nearby restaurants. This is then delivered to the basement where everyone gathers to have lunch when the email comes round from reception announcing the food. The choice is pretty good, work pays for the food and people never 'waste' more than half an hour eating so everyone's a winner.



During Ramadan things work a little differently; the system is still the same but only operated by one restaurant. There are often surprises with the food, usually involving the quantity. Which is exactly what happened to me yesterday when I found my tuna salad to be rather small...and no bread to accompany it! Though I was rather luckier than Matthew C who ended up with two dips and still no bread!

To get our food, we usually silently disappear downstairs on receipt of the email, not to make it difficult for our local colleagues. Coffee breaks are rather fun as people tend to sneak around anouncing coffee and people creep downstairs and sit around having coffee and discussing the day's events.

Anyway, enough about food, other than to say that by 3pm I was starving, with nothing to much on due to fasting and my not having accumulated stocks of snacks in my non-existent drawers yet. :-(



Around 3.30, I had arranged to go and see the house with Kathryn G, the Outpost lady and wife of Marc G, the manager. I am glad I asked her as she was full of helpful tips, and I got my final requests list drawn up. Apparently I am actually not that far from their house, though I still can't really work out where it is and the GoogleEarth imagery is too old.
After which we went back to the office and I sent off the list to the right people, who have since made up the contract and sent it out, so the whole thing should be getting completed very soon.

Exhausted and hungry, I went home and had a very quiet evening having dinner and watching a DVD. I also managed to borrow a US plug converter from my New Friend Glen, a Canadian working as a manager in a small company out here. So my camera battery was finally charged by this morning!



Today was a busy day at work, where I have pretty much sorted most logistical things out now. All in about a quarter of the time it takes in Rijswijk!! So I could start concentrating on my new job a bit and went along to the afternoon meeting for the rig, as well as sitting in on discussions about the latest nightmare in the well (lost part of a geophysical tool in the hole :-~ . I also sat with Matthew a little bit to look at his 3D seismic, which I will be doing more of over the next few days.

The computer lads delivered my smartcard today, making me officially 'there'. They have been very helpful over the last few days, also sorting out my laptop which was refusing to install anything (what next!). So I now have Skype!



Finally, after several days of locking horns with our inhuman HR man fresh from Rijswijk, I managed to get my stay here at the camp sorted out. He recently decided that I should move to the company guesthouse as soon as it was free, and didn't even want to accept to let me stay till the weekend so I could move my things in peace!! Luckily the friendly locals in charge of the booking helped me out, and I now have the go-ahead to stay here :-) so that should be nice for Matthew when he comes to visit, too.



You will have noticed photos peppered through this post. They are taken with my big camera (finally!) and are of the LCM camp, my cosy home till I move into my own.

Till next time...