13 January - Rest day in Atar

ATAR - HOT AND SUNNY - AT LONG LAST
Even the Almighty needed a day of rest - and I bet he wasn't feeling hot and sweaty all the time...

Awoke this morning without the help of the alarm clock - at 8am... no need to move as we're not travelling today, so I had another 30 minutes before the need to water some desert forced me, blinking. into the bright sunshine... Not a breath of wind, warm, sunny... nice!

After dinner last night, I got back to the airfield at 12, to find a party in full swing... loads of the French staff, caterers, editors, security, medical - everyone, basically - swigging beer, wine, spirits, with loud music, under African starry skies...

Joined in for a beer or two, then flopped in my tent at 1, closing my eyes with Bob Marley wafting across the warm air... Bliss...

Today has started with a leisurely breakfast in the sunshine, with a very old friend, Allard Kalff, and his fellow Dutchies from RTL... lots of joking and reminiscences about the old days...

Now about to start my scripting for the first part of the weekly programme, which I'll voice this morning - the rest tomorrow - then get on with whatever it is that we're going to put into the 26-minute daily show... It'll be an artily-edited retelling of week 1, so I expect it to be good-looking but a nightmare to script...

Much as expected, the day was a blur... Started well enough, checking out the images Manu had for the Weekly programme, finalising the script, barring the last 4 minutes...

thought I'd have lunch - oh no, wait, it's 1.30 and I have to voice at 2.00 - in between times I need to finish the script...

So, no lunch, because as soon as the voice was finished at 3, it was time to focus on the daily highights...

Any thought of making a half-hour trip to the facilities for a shower and to answer the course of nature had to be put on hold, until night-time.

Much as expected, the programme came together VERY late.... VERY VERY late...

MAURITANIA - SPOT THE TREE

Sebastian and I were flat out, trying to keep up with everything, as the editors cut and pasted furiously... every one a work of art. But, like the Sistine Chapel, delivered late...

Somehow, we voiced the programme and managed to crash out some sort of basic script in 20 minutes... So everyone is happy... except anyone trying to commentate from the script, that is...

After the main programme was finished I went baqck into the Hercules and sat down with Manu, watched the final images, voiced them and typed them up... Script delivered BEFORE the programme was fed to the satellite... Hooray... everyone happy...

Gael's mobile won't be ringing... he won't be getting nasty emails and he, Christophe and I will be happy... and shattered...

So, on the menu for tonight is to venture down to the bivouac (which is obscured by a permanent dust cloud... remember Pig Pen in the Charlie Brown strips? Like him, only 10,000 times dustier...) and eat...

Mmmm, wonder what they'll be serving with the dust?

I'll try some pics and then clear off to attend to my ablutions...

Night all...

THE BIVOUAC - DUSTY, HUH?