Kickback Canyon

A few years ago someone got the idea that Libya needed a railway. So of course an ambitious project was started. All kinds of heavy equipment was moved in - lots of hustle and bustle. Then the project slowed down to a halt, but every once in a while someone would get ambitious again and a little more work would continue. The work has stopped for quite some time now - maybe over a year. The site looks desolate and the equipment sits on the sidelines turning into rusting, useless junk.

We've driven out many times to see the progress (or lack of it). It looks like a big canyon dug out of the earth. I guess the train tracks were supposed to be down in it and at main roads the tracks would go through tunnels or over bridges.

I named it Kickback Canyon because most likely this project was invented by someone who wanted to make some big money on kickbacks.

I had a look at it with Google Earth and it looks like a big gouge in the earth's surface. It is nearly 10 kilometers long, and many people had to be relocated because of this project. Often when people are relocated it takes them years and years to be reimbursed for the loss of their property. Sometimes people just give up chasing their money after years and years of running around after it.

It is sad to see this blight to the Libyan landscape. I wonder if this project will ever be completed . . . and I wonder how rich someone got, too. . . 

We went to the farm today and picked grapes.

It was nice and cool under the trees.

We looked at the progress ont he house. The laundry room is nearly finished!

Yusef has grown so much since the beginning of summer. Here he is standing in the laundry room next to the window.

The details are being put in at the entrance. It is getting there - but slowly! - I sent my camera to be checked because the zoom lens was giving me some problems and the guy who fixed the camera got smudges ont he inside of the lens! On light coloured pictures there looks like grey smudges. It will have to go back to the shop . . sigh . .  

Will summer ever end?

This summer seems to be dragging on - it's not because I am sitting around with nothing to do - I don't think I have ever been busier - work and social commitments are keeping me on the go.

The kids are bored to death though and that is making me crazy. I never remebered being bored during the summer when I was growing up. There were a million and five things to do - but my kids just want to listen to music, watch cartoons and play with the playstation (actually they quit playstation because it got too boring). The boys have their bicycles and that keeps them happy, but it makes me nervous as I'm always worried they might get into an accident - the drivers here pay no attention to kids playing in the neighborhood.

Nora has been taking English lessons this summer and comes to the school with me to help out. She is enjoying her role as a gopher and it's giving her something to occupy her time. She got a 98 on her last quiz - I was happy but she cried because she wanted to get full marks!

Adam has been working in the medina at his uncle's shop. He is training to be an apprentice silver/gold smith. He grumbles that its too hot to be stuffed into a small workroom with burners that are hot enough to melt metals, but I told him to stick it out and learn something that would be useful - he's skeptical about the usefulness of it all. Oh teenagers! Aren't they wonderful!

Mustafa is off working on the house - poor man is turning grey! Hopefully I will go out to the building site and get some pictures tomorrow. I haven't been to the building site in a while and I hope to see some progress. He's got a new tiler working as the previous one had to go back to his country to see his father who was ill. Mustafa is not so sure about the new tiler - but then he never has any patience with these so called 'skilled' workers.

The Horses

This is a picture of the fountain in the Green Square in Tripoli. It was taken by Pig Sty Avenue - he's got some more interesting pictures of Libya too - go have a look: http://www.flickr.com/photos/pigstyave/

Jenna and a pony - she's had her hair cut since this picture was taken. I was going to post it before but for somereason the blog was not letting any pictures come through so I had given up. But here it is now - late. 

Weird eating habits

An interesting thing is going on in my kitchen - it involves our black cat and cucumbers. It seems the cat has a passion for cucumbers. She loves to eat them - which is probably pretty weird. But she loves them to the point where she will steal them right out of the refrigerator when you open the door. If she thinks you are going to open the fridge she comes running over and hangs around waiting by your legs. As soon as the door opens she pops into the fridge and grabs a cucumber - sticking her claws in, then puts it in her mouth and runs off with it. She usually hides under the kitchen table and crunches away until she is finished and then takes up her post, waiting for someone to open the fridge again. She likes tomatoes too, but not as much as cucumbers. Very weird!

Has anyone else got a cat with weird eating habits?

I've been playing with Google Earth - it's really a fun and interesting tool! This is my house in Benashur.

This is an image of the land we are building on. I've outlined the land thatbelongs to us and my two brother-in-laws. Our land is the lighter shaded area withing the red outline.

This is the sight of our building. These satelite images aren't very new - I don't know how often Google updates them. Our trees should be bigger. I will have to keep looking from time to time to see if the images get updated. It's really amazing! We looked at my mothers house today and visited places we have never been to. Bravo Google!