DAY 12 Thur 24 June

Fagr, aka Figgy and I out in the desert June 08.

Of all the nights to get a really good night's sleep, did it have to be last night? I woke up and it felt like I had slept in, so I reached across to get my phone to see what time it was. Clicked the button and saw that I had missed a text from Maryanne while I was sleeping. My heart dropped when I saw that – it wasn't going to be good news, and as I read it, it was with a sense of shock. Figgy had looked like he was going to pull through, but it wasn't to be. Either one of the internal abscesses burst or he had an embolism. It was so sad. Maryanne hadn't woken me because it wasn't a pretty sight, and while I'm glad I didn't have to see it, I wish I could have been there for her. I didn't hear a thing – not the grooms, not Maryanne driving out, not the bulldozer as it came in. I was out for the count. It was the one night I didn't wake up during the night because I was too hot. It was an unreal feeling walking out of the house and knowing that Figgy was no longer there. Maryanne summed it up perfectly tonight – "There is a Figgy sized hole in the farm" figuratively and not literally that is. It is never easy, but I also feel that it is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all. While animals leave a big hole behind them when they leave your life, they also give you so much while you are alive. I couldn't imagine going through life without my animals, even though when it is time to let them go it is very hard.
I waited until I saw Maryanne come online before I went over to the house to give her a big hug. I spent most of the morning over there, until she decided that she needed to head into Shoubramont to get some medication for Groucho.
Random things we saw on the way there – the overloaded truck, loaded with wooden pallets on a definite lean to the left, a guy who looked like he was riding two donkeys, and the random judder bar (speed hump) warning right in the middle of the road. And then when we got there the goose themed icecream cart which you apparently never ever have an icecream from, as it is likely to kill you.
Before we went out to do that, I was joking with Maryanne that maybe we needed to put her on Groucho's medication for kennel cough to deal with her cough. And then in the car I suggested that maybe she had given the kennel cough to Groucho. Which made it rather amusing when the pharmacist suggested she take the same medicine that Groucho was on.
The pharmacy from the outside was really indistinguishable for what it was – certainly nothing at all like western pharmacies. Inside, it was obvious that that was what it was – but it was also different. It was wall to floor with medicines behind the counter – they were all arranged by alphabetical order, but there was hardly an inch of wall/cupboard space that wasn't full of medicine. They seemed to be doing very good business too. There was a young kid, who was probably under 10 bandaging a guy's hand. It was an experience – they obviously had a lot of customers through as well, because the lino on the floor was worn through in places, and if it hadn't worn through completely, all the pattern had been worn off.
Once back at the farm it was time to relax, until lunch time, for which we were joined by Laura and Mona. Then after Laura had headed home, three horses were saddled up and Maryanne, Mona and I headed out for a quiet ride around the countryside. Maryanne was on Gameela, I was riding Negmadin, and Mona on Sondos. We hadn't gone far before there were all these egrets resting on a wall. As we got closer, they flew off, but just to the next corner of the wall. While riding through one of the villages we saw the most gorgeous baby donkey – he was whitish in colour, with a light grey cross on his back and huge enormous ears – soo sweet.
Further along there were also a baladi dog and cat drinking out of the same puddle – you don't see many cats out roaming around because they are often taken out by the dogs, but these ones looked like they had probably grown up together.
As we got closer to home, there was also a donkey tethered to one of the irrigation wheels – you don't often get to see them working. It was a clever donkey though – even with a blindfold on it knew it was going round and round in circles, and would often stop.
Then there was the random fence that Maryanne thinks consists of the sides of cheese containers – it had just been painted, and behind there was a roundabout and some old childrens playground equipment.
There were a few things that scared a couple of the horses – for Gameela, it was the cart coming up behind her on the opposite side of the canal. For Negmadin, it was of all things, a kid on the roof that he wouldn't go past without Sondos' protection – big sook!
We also saw one of the evil icecream bikes, and in one place over the farms and houses you could see the pyramids at Abu Sir, and the desert as well :)
Once back at the farm, the horses were being fed while we sat outside at the table making the most of the cooler weather and a lovely breeze, and after a while Sabine turned up so we sat talking, snacking and in my case watching the bats fly around. At first I thought it was a swallow. When at last it was time to head in to bed, I checked my e-mails first and then waited as the power came on and off – thank goodness for laptops! Now I'm lying on the bed typing, with no power. Fortunately today there is a nice breeze blowing, so I'm not missing the fan at all!

Countryside ride 2:
Distance - 5.43 Kilometres
Time - 1:06:18
Average speed - 4.9kmph
Max speed - 7.1kmph