Hello!

I will be honest I am super tired right now, but also rather pleased. We are back at work and it feels like we have been here way longer and that this is a different show altogether. Our production has made a decision for us to not wear masks in the desert due to the heat and possible threats it can bring over covid, so that is something.

My diet has been rather good this week and I have worked on my tan as well as managed to listen to my audiobook everyday. I have been social and it felt good. Overall it has been a good week with some downs, but manageable. I have played the book questions game with some of my colleagues this week which sparked some pretty interesting deep conversations. I had a little trip to the hospital which also resulted with me having another trip to that supermarket, where I once again stocked up on some keto supplies. I am getting tired of the hotel food, but hey ho, at least I don’t have to cook. 

Ah the sand is everywhere now.. and I see that I am rambling so I will stop and wish you all a beautiful week to come.

Big Love!

***

Monday. My last fully relaxing day by the pool I think. I listened to David Attenborough, I swam, I played in the sun and shade, I got a massage and had a nice meal afterwards chatting to my colleagues. I did pilates and as if by magic the aircon in my room got fixed when I got home in the night! Finally I can stay in the room without suffocating and it seems that there are less flies? Although I keep finding new bites on me everywhere. Ah also I had a strangest dream, which woke me up in the middle of the night. In one part of the dream I was a girl escaping a church which was being flooded with water and in parallel I was a boy escaping a building being drowned in sand. At the end I was a girl again running for the higher ground with the boy just to realise that we both actually drowned in our respected escapes and are dead now. So yea needless to say I was a bit thrown by the dream and couldn’t get back to sleep.

Tuesday. I woke up pretty late and because I have completely neglected my work emails last week didn’t realise we had a production meeting scheduled for today. Oh well, I made it on time anyway. It was nice to see everyone and reconnect with the work aspect of Morocco. Also some of the actors moved to our hotel and usually when you have actors around there is no escaping work. Weird how that is. In the evening  I also stayed up way later than usual and even had a little glass of whiskey with my mint tea. Perhaps that’s why I stayed way past my bedtime. All in all I was feeling pretty good, but also switched on again.

Wednesday. So today I woke up very late again. Will have to do something about it this week as it is getting out of hand and we start filming properly on Sunday. So today we are doing some test shoots in the desert after sunset and I am meeting my assistant aka 2nd unit script supervisor. Lots to do.

Thursday. So the shoot yesterday went well, my assistant co script super is super nice. A good trial run for sure. Although we were shooting in the evening it was pretty hot and I am slightly worried. After work we had few drinks, myself included that is rather unusual, but wanted to join into the celebrations with everyone. Today we did the same, but on a much smaller scale. Also I spent the whole day on the sun lounger with one of the actors just getting tanned and chatting. It was actually very nice, as I very rarely get to chat with the cast on non work related matters. Anyway the day was a success.

Friday. So my French friend finally got a day off today, so we were hanging out by the pool. More of the crew joined in and it felt rather resorty. So earlier today when I was trying to get myself comfortable on the sound lounger something happened in my back which felt like a pulled muscle or trapped nerve. I thought it was rather funny, since I managed to get this kind of “injury” by doing absolutely nothing. But now it is 1 am, and for one I feel rather weak and for two my back still hurts and now it doesn’t actually feel like a muscle pain. I have had a kidney stone on this side of the body in the past so obviously my mind has gone into the overdrive. Also wild dogs outside the hotel are super loud!

Saturday. So after a horrific night of no sleep, tears and pain I ended up going to a hospital this morning. It was an hour and a half drive away. They gave me injections and did an ultrasound. I could not say that the examination was very thorough, but it also wasn’t bad, however the doctor didn’t find any visible kidney stones. He said it could be because it is very small or have left my kidney and is somewhere on the way and not visible. Ouch. The pain is still there, not as bad as it was the first time I had it, but still. Also tomorrow we finally start filming.. I was told by producers that I can sit this one out if I am not feeling up to it, but for now I do want to give it a go and see. Whatever it is I have can only be revealed when I am actually living my life and not waiting patiently.

Sunday. SO. It was our first official shooting day in Morocco and what a day it was… The morning started with a rather mystical drive to set. This part of the country used to be underwater back in the day and you can really see it in the landscape. It literally felt like driving through the bottom of the sea and the little hills along the road were literally coral reefs once. Hauntingly beautiful.. also made me think of everything Davids book has said about our changing planet, global warming and its repercussions.. yes.. that was that and now let’s talk about the crazy sand storm which completely took us of guard while filming. It was something I cannot describe in words, because you have to see it to believe it. I have to give it to our unit drivers for getting us to and from set safe, because you could literally see nothing in front of the car. It was like driving through the thick milk. Incredible really, but now as I sit and write this I can still feel the sand crunching somewhere in me, even though I had a very thorough shower. I feel like I will cry sand. Ah yes so my kidney is still not ok, well why would it be. I was so busy this morning with everything what was going on that I didn’t have a moment to think about it. Ah yes we wrapped few hours early today, as the weather did not get better and essentially it was impossible to film.

Highlights:

  • English crew football match with the French.
  • Getting to know the actors in a non work environment.
  • Sand storm! It rained in Morocco, who could have expected that? I felt like in one of those BBC documentaries. Extraordinary really.
  • Back at work.
  • No masks in the desert!

Cheers with a glass of sandy elephant!