Saturday 3rd

Bet you can't guess which one is me ? (there will be no prizes for anyone mentioning flowery shirts and boobs !) - actually, there won't be any prizes anyway !

In the background is the new generator for the little camp we have just build, which brings to mind the fact that I haven't told you an awful lot about what I am here to do.....assuming you want to know of course (if you don't want to know then look away now).

I am in Basra (and mostly in the South Rumaila oil field) to help build a camp for a large international petro-chemical company. When it's finished the camp will accommodate around 3000 people along with offices, workshops and associated welfare facilities for the workers. The camp is being built by local contractors and the construction managed by the company I'm working for. My role is 50% Quality Control Manager and 50% Project and Construction Manager - when I am covering for the Project and Construction Managers when they are on leave. We are working a 6 week on, 2 week off rotation so one or other of us is away during that 6 weeks for at least a fortnight.

The construction is phased and yesterday we received conformation that Phase Zero had been successfully handed over. Phase zero houses the client senior management and the security and "life support" company (FM to some people), roughly about 70 people. I have had my QC hat on all day, doing official handovers and trying to track down kit that the thieving bastards have been taking from cabins that haven't been handed over yet ! It's been a generally successful day for all concerned and will continue tomorrow as we finalise the snagging and drink tea in the shade (well, it is a building site after all, and there are traditions to be upheld wherever you are in the world !).

Whilst all this is going on (and phase zero was built in 5 weeks from start to nearly finished) we are planning Phase 1, for 250 people, with accommodation, offices, workshops and associated welfare, which officially started today - 121 days to 31st October (so our planner reliably informed me today). We have a planning meeting tomorrow so we will know more then but they've started laying roads and the sleeping accommodation has been ordered and will be delivered in about 2 weeks on the back of 58 lorries ! Plenty of time to tell you about that later.
I thoughtyou would appreciate a little atmospheric shot of the desert, from the window of an armoured land cruiser, with an oil rig "flaring" in the background - you lucky people !

My Arab managers on site have taken it upon themselves to improve my Arabic, one word a day - I can now say hello, thank you, tea, biscuit and nice (as in "nice tea" and "nice biscuit"). I have reciprocated by teaching them some of the finer points of the soldier turned Construction Manager's (how did that happen by the way....it's a bit of a blur) language - well, it's only fair, and they did ask ! We had fun today trying to work out how many different words there are for penis......... well, it is a long walk from the site office to the site.........

Today's inventory:

4 cigars

0 units (and I turned down a trip to a camp bar tonight in favour of going to the gym - I'm not sure it's me either as it happens.......)

0 dollars

1 solid trip to the gym

and I've started my new book - The Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann. It's a present from a neighbour, and apparently his favourite book. I just hope I can do it justice. I tried to start as I mean to go on by not watching Blackadder at the same time which must get me some serious academic points ?

I was thinking of adding either food or weather to my inventory (if that's the right word for it - suggestions on a postcard please) but haven't been able to find a thermometer anywhere, and the things in the cars aren't that accurate, so it might have to be "interesting things I have eaten today" until I can. On that note, the cooks here are mostly Indian so the curry's are as hot as the weather. I just hope you lot appreciate the effort it takes to think of something to entertain you every day (assuming it does.......)

Right, off to the Magic Mountain for a bedtime snooze. X