Egypt4u

Overcast day yesterday so off to the next village wash house (water flowing constantly into two rows of large concrete tanks) with my thick rugs (already been scrubbed at home) The small one fits in one of the tanks, the big one lays on the pebbles in the flow, have to put rocks on to pin it down. Then the stamping ritual. I didnt realise the wash house is now on the tourist bus route, now my photo is on a lot of cameras, not one offered to stamp with me tho -huh. Then they all filled their bottles up at the potable water taps and off they went in the open top loudspeaker bus telling them not to touch the trees ! At 6pm IT RAINED ! ! ! large warm drops slowly falling for a whole 5 minutes, the sort of rain you hop around and dance in - and that was it.

That sounded idylic Jay, apart from stomping on the rugs The wash house sounds interesting, but as its in the next village how do you get the rugs to and fro, by car or horseback?

In the car, in a big builders box - they are outside on my swingbed frame drying now, in the sunshine. My village has no spring so no wash house. People do rugs in the mornings then hang them on the poles to dry, come back for them later (there is a permanent house there, she keeps her eye on everything.) Horus, what is better than splashing about in foot deep water in summer ?

It sounds a great way for beating/washing rugs

Horus, what is better than splashing about in foot deep water in summer ?

Nothing better in my opinion Jay
The lack of a spring in your village Jay begs the question "Is your village fairly modern?"
I assume that all of your domestic water is piped in which makes me think it is not an old village as I would of thought that a spring or nearby stream would have been essential in the days before piped water.

Most tiny villages have a turn the handle well and some people have a borehole. I watched my friends father having a source of water found, a guy with a stick walked around, said this bit here will give a small flow, then this bit here will do for 3 houses. Next week the machine came and made the hole. The father built 3 villas with swimming pools, all use this water. My village has 4 or five wells but due to civilisation most people have piped council water, I have, bought 200 yards of pipe, metres of sand and hired a little machine to make a trench. Before I was civilised I used to go to a mountain village spring and fill a whole lot of bottles - the best water in the district. I dont drink the tap water now.

I just love the sound of your way of life Jay and all that you have told us about it before in these columns

Me too

Definitely sounds fantastic and a super interesting way to live.