Another Sunday in the Country

Rabbits eating flowers.

Note the lovely silver serving pieces.

Atlas Mountains, originally uploaded by schmidwix2.

It is lovely to get out of the city for a little while towards the Atlas Mountains which are only about a 40 minute car ride away.
Our friends live about halfway there with cats, a dog, peacocks, guinea fowl and rabbits.
As well as an assortment of animals, there were all sorts of people - two Italian, two Swiss, four American, one Moroccan, one English. It almost sounds as if one were leading into some sort of complicated joke. The six children were truly international speaking an odd mixture of Arabic/French/Berber/Italian/English.
The food was delicious.

mimi and ollie

mimi and ollie, originally uploaded by schmidwix2.

Mother and son enjoying one of the last days of the old year in the comfort of our bed.
It gets very cold at night here with all the rooms opening onto the courtyard so we have thick Finnish duvets.
We put on sweaters to rush down in the morning to make tea and coffee.

Early in the Morning

costume, originally uploaded by schmidwix2.

I always like these robes with the pointy hoods.
Cosy and mysterious at the same time.

Fountain in the Courtyard

It is quite difficult trying to replicate an English or American Christmas in Morocco - though with the French influence there is a certain air of Noel.
I only saw a whole turkey for sale yesterday (29th) so we had to make do with a vast turkey breast and all sorts of trimmings brought from England.
Paxo stuffing, Bisto, sausages which were frozen overnight and smuggled through - terror attack by British bangers......!
I used a piece of shiny fabric as a table cloth and we played American Kennel Club UNO after eating.
Then there was a great deal too much chocolate and some red roses.
A last photo of the fountain with its Christmas balls.I'm about to clean everything up fpr the new year. There is something refreshing about emptiness.

Breakfast

Breakfast, originally uploaded by schmidwix2.

These characters did not want their photos taken at all. They were far too busy eating. The little dog at the back reminded me a lot of the late great Skippy.
Of course they shouldn't have been given cooked chicken - bones might splinter - but I suppose they were grateful they were given anything.
Most animals look pretty prosperous here - I suppose the weaker ones simply don't make it.

Street Signs

Below you will see the sign for a shop which sells all sorts of poisons for killing almost anything but rats are pretty rare here, since there are so many cats.

DSCN0929, originally uploaded by schmidwix2.

I am a complete sucker for camels of all descriptions - especially images of them. Note the spelling of Baghdad.

Christmas Tree

Christmas Tree, originally uploaded by schmidwix2.

Claudia and Adam were not impressed with this tree in the courtyard in Essouira. I thought it was a valiant attempt to be jolly.
We, ourselves, never got a tree because the selection was so sad.
If I were to go up to Marjane today (Boxing Day) they probably would have lots.......

Straw Donkey

Straw Donkey, originally uploaded by schmidwix2.

A seasonal and festive little creature - a nice contrast against the blue door.

Christmas

Feeling Festive

Henna for the Holidays, originally uploaded by schmidwix2.

Yesterday was the Winter Solstice, Eid el Kabir and four days before
Christmas.
This design still has the wet henna on it which will soon fall off.
This is a traditional design - much nicer than the flowers they always want to do.
SEASON'S GREETINGS

Happy Day

Happy Day, originally uploaded by schmidwix2.

Taking the ram home for the holiday.
The children are thrilled they have such a splendid ram which they will feed on oats and hay.

Camels and Princesses and Warriors Galore

Lots of presents at the Spice Market. All sizes of camels and very glamorous dolls.

Hard to choose amongst all this glitter and plenty

Tea Samples at Marjane

DSCN0838, originally uploaded by schmidwix2.

He sits in a cavern of packets of tea looking not entirely unlike Santa and offers samples.
In Marjane there are display stands offering holiday treats like foie gras and smoked salmon and masses of boxes of all sorts of candy.
It is beginning to look very festive.
There are pens of rams on open lots and the little boys have started setting out the little piles of hay for the pampered rams to eat.

Tea Party

The table was set in the courtyard, then it started to rain so we had to move the table.

Ismail 2 came to help out and make both ordinary tea and also mint tea.

The children made Christmas cards and then rushed about looking for Ollie who moved off to the next door roof top where he hung out with the two Not-Ollies - cats that look like him but aren't him.

December Evening

DSCN0820, originally uploaded by schmidwix2.

Still warm enough to have a coffee outdoors after dinner.

Hangin out on the Roof

DSCN0738, originally uploaded by schmidwix2.

Ollie is fine and gulping down his expensive Whiskas with his fat mother but he gave us a pretty good scare on Monday morning.
He usually spends the night on the roof with the bad boys and comes down to sleep all day on our bed.
In the morning he shouts at us from the parapet on the terrace so I have to get up and feed him. This is pretty effective since he has a very insistent voice - inherited from his mother.
So Monday am. as I am about to get up out of my nice warm bed, there is the most tremendous, frightening THUD.
And we realise Ollie has fallen off the roof into the courtyard.
We reckon this is about 30ft.
Horrified, I rush downstairs to look for his remains. Can't find him since he has hidden under the bed in my study.......where fifteen minutes later he eats a little breakfast. He has a small bloody scrape on his chin where he banged it. No other signs of anything.
Rests all that day and the next in front of the sitting room fire.
Yesterday he wanted to go on the roof again............
When Ghislan came on Monday afternoon I asked her if this happens often?
And in her pragmatic way she merely said, "C'est normale"
Ismail 2 came by to see Ollie yesterday and said it was "Pas normale".
Who knows.........

The Terrace in December

Wonderful to enjoy the sunshine in December.

Contrast

olive tree just visible, originally uploaded by schmidwix2.

This is looking up out of the courtyard to the sky.
Quite different from downstairs where the cats and I huddle by the gas fire.

The Salon in Winter

Ollie, originally uploaded by schmidwix2.

Nothing like curling up with a good book

mother and son

mother and son, originally uploaded by schmidwix2.

enjoying a long winter's nap............

Fruit stands at Dusk

DSCN0783, originally uploaded by schmidwix2.

Wonderful dried figs, apricots, dates and nuts - everything your heart desires...........

Christmas Cards

DSCN0779, originally uploaded by schmidwix2.

being printed on the courtyard table

Before the day begins

DSCN0774, originally uploaded by schmidwix2.

Place Djemma elFna is almost empty.
Later on the whole square will be filled with carts selling dried fruit and orange juice and with dancers and monkey and boys selling wooden snakes and REAL snakes - whose mouths are sewn shut - I hope. There is also a place selling all sorts of plants and thirty or so shoe shine men, and there are men lounging next to their hand carts - called 'chariots' waiting to wheel all your stuff home for you.

doors gueliz

doors gueliz, originally uploaded by schmidwix2.

A very bright color choice but lovely to see very early in the morning

technorati

Technorati Profile

oranges and plums

oranges and plums, originally uploaded by schmidwix2.

late fall fruit on the tile table
squeeze or stew to suit

Folk Art

castle, originally uploaded by schmidwix2.

A lovely very small painting by the artist who has a little shop by the Mellah.
He is so charming.
I bought two paintings for the equivilent of six dollars.

Camels

camels, originally uploaded by schmidwix2.

Courtyard

Courtyard, originally uploaded by schmidwix2.

The courtyard looking tidy for once

Gueliz at Dawn

Gueliz at Dawn, originally uploaded by schmidwix2.

Light

DSCN0700, originally uploaded by schmidwix2.

Lots of light covers to choose from in the metal workers' square.
I was just looking for rather plain covers - some painted and some unfinished.

Autumn in florence

A Visit to Italy

Here are some photographs from our trip to Florence where we ate a lot.

Sunday

This is derb Dabachi. Last year we bought two palm trees from the character on the bicycle.

Flowers on the table in the courtyard.
The reason we have two blogs with almost the same name is that you can spell Marrakech/Marrakesh - the C is tyrned into an S here and is used interchangably.

Sunday

This is my 2nd blog - it has bigger pictures than
ewix.wordpress.com
which has more writing.

Saturday

Saturday was the last day of I.'s visit so we rushed about looking at things.

This is a door in the harem courtyard at the Musee Dar Said. One of the guards let down a little chain and let us look into the hidden part of the palace which must have been the home of a very rich man. All I could think of was how beautifully decorated the place was and how perfectly awful it must have been to be trapped in there.

This is the part of Cafe France where you can have meals. The decor - rather pink with artificial flowers - is oddly appealing and hasn't changed much for a very long time.

Bert Flint has the sort of house we wish we had - down a very quiet street, with two courtyards, lots of plants and odd artifacts with amazing designs.