One of the most difficult aspects of it was that you couldn't kneel down as the gravel was so hot you burnt your knees within seconds. We tried putting the wrapping down to kneel on but that got hot very quickly from the stones underneath - and I won't tell you how painful it is picking up a long metal bolt without thinking after it had been lying in the open for half an hour. As a general rule these are not items that you give a lot of consideration to when you are assembling Ikea flat pack (because that is what it was). If there is an up side, it's that Ikea are very cleaver and it is so simple to do (which is a good job because we had more than 20 to do !)
Once again I am not staying at the site tonight (and can't now until Tuesday because of my terror check on Monday). This has all come about because everyone wants me to go there right up to the point when they are asked to sign my life away - at which point, to their eternal credit, we have entered the paper trail to ensure that everyone understands that if little old me wants to go to work in the morning then someone with a gun has to escort me (but it has to be the right someone.) When I finally get down there on Tuesday evening I will be "handed over" at the gate from one security company to another - a bit like a prisoner transfer, and I will not be allowed outside the walls unless I am escorted by a member of the security company that dropped me off. As I haven't got an office in this "prison" I will be forced to stay in bed until I am picked up about 1000hrs in the morning (unless breakfast looks better than it does here).
The theory is that the big camp Site Security Manager (my security company) will come and collect me to take me for a run at 6 in the morning and 6 at night........ we shall see, but as there is no gym here I might as well do something !
In one of our quieter moment today I felt a bit like Lawrence of Basra, wading around in fine sand a couple of feet deep in some places. This turnip had got stuck on his way home with about 8 people on board. They asked us to help, which we generously did, by hooking up their tow rope to our tow bar and pulling them out. Once we had maneuvered ourselves into position, carefully avoiding getting bogged down ourselves, and attached the tow rope we prepared to pull. Their driver gunned the engine, 8 people put their backs into it and he was free - we hadn't moved an inch however.........it's just moral support that they require really (only that doesn't pay so well !)
Talking of Lawrence of Basra, we came a different route home tonight (as we always do, along with a different route out in the mornings and different start times and different return times) and we went past this building. It's a police station and I wish I had a better camera so that the motorway central reservation wasn't in the picture, but you get the general idea.
Today's inventory:
4 cigars - I got some - they are smaller than my previous choice but beggars can't be choosers. It may help me to cut down and therefore be really miserable !
0 units
$13 Dollars spent - on cigars
0 visit to the gym - after my extreme sports activities this afternoon, and the fact that I had to drink 2 litres of water before I could drag myself to pass water, I decided that it was probably 4 or 5 days since I last had a night off so I would make the most of the opportunity.
Food - nothing particularly interesting. The one noteworthy aspect was that I had chips for the first time since I had a McDonalds at Dubai airport 2 weeks ago. They went very well with my filet steak with mushroom and pepper sauce.......
I am definitely going to bed early tonight. I am making progress with the Magic Mountain but it has been slow and I need a good run at it. One thing that I won't miss when I move to the new camp is my mattress. The new camp has new furniture and I'm hoping that the mattress will be kinder to me than the one I'm on at the moment - we can but wait and see !
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