Blue Wall/Jardin Majorelle

Blue Wall/Jardin Majorelle, originally uploaded by schmidwix2.

Happy New Year.
Wishing you peace, happiness and prosperity
in 2009

Season's Greetings

Half a Christmas tree drawn in the sand at Essouira by the retreating tide.

A magical forest  -- also in the sand.

The fountain dressed up for the season.

Also my study window...........

ARGAN

Two more splendid images from Judy Sidonie Tillinger. Go to her blog magpie'sbeads.blogspot.com and click on all her wonderful Moroccan pictures. 

Argan trees, whose nuts give a most wonderful oil, grow on the coast of Morocco and almost nowhere else.  The oil is used both for cooking and as a beauty aid.

Here a woman sits with a traditional basket of argan nuts.

The argan tree is rather dull and unprepossessing -- a little bit like an olive to look at but not so pretty. Goats climb the trees, eat the nuts.........they pass through the goats.........

and voila!

Magic oil. 

A Marrakshi Cat

Photo courtesy of a good friend who also makes Marrakshi cat calendars.

This looks a pretty typical kitty who likes to keep abreast of world events.

Judy Tillinger

The photographer, Judy Tillinger, contacted me when she read I was missing Marrakesh.

She sent me links to her astounding pictures. (Go to www.magpiesbeads.blogspot.com) and look on the right hand column.  There are lots of pictures there - Maryam has shown you some of them already.



I have chosen pictures of the south which is utterly beautiful. Here traditional drummers.

And camels - am spending today drawing camels for our Christmas card.......I can use this picture as a jumping off point......

Here a woman goes shopping in Marrakesh..........

Judy should make a book, a calander, anything.

I could look at her pictures for hours.

Memory

The pictures came out in the wrong order.

The first was meant to be last and so forth.

This is the problem with memories  -- we can't keep them in order.

Here is the tomb of the holy man at Moulay Bouzerktoun.

Another picture of the same.

Here is the 'big square' at night.

And a fountain in the Bahia Palace with colors reflected on it from lofty windows.

And here is derb Djedid, an alley leading deep into the heart of the medina.

Some Creatures I Miss

When I think back to Marrakesh, I miss our animals terribly.
Here Mimi and Ollie take a nap.



Before Eid el Kabir (the big holiday) a ram goes for a ride in a cart.



A handsome donkey right by our house on derb Djedid




Camels on the beach at Essouria.



Ollie in awe of the shadow of Mr.B king of the roof cats.

Fountain in the Courtyard

Fountain in Derb Djedid, originally uploaded by schmidwix2.

Derb Djedid

Stairs to the Roof

Friendship

The first photograph is mine, taken near the bus stop on Blvd. Mohammed V in Marrakech.


This second one is a beautiful photo by my friend UmmLuz (mother of Luz/light) who has just visited Essouira and who has promised me many more pictures.......stay tuned.
Enlarge for more detail.

Magic Windows

The top photo is from last summer's summer rental outside Essouira.
The whole house had weird colors but bags of charm.



The picture below is one of my favorite photos of our little house.
When we arrived all the windows were yellow glass with a design in it.
Plain glass is much prettier and multicolored more exciting.
So I went up to the glass cutters and had them cut me lots of panes of pure colored glass.
The bathroom walls were pink tadellakt (sort of polished plaster).
The reflctions change during the course of the day.

Cheerful Birds/Color

IMG_0206.JPG, originally uploaded by schmidwix2.

Sparrows on the roof

Place Djemma ElFna

Late afternoon:
Lots of dried fruit for sale.



Night:

The biggest barbecue in the world..........



Very Early Morning:

The water truck arrives and washes the square.



Morning:

All that grease and dropped food needs serious scraping..........


Later Morning:

The square begins to fill up with people and trucks and mopeds.
The building in the background is the post office.

Stationery Store/Medina

Stationery Store/Medina, originally uploaded by schmidwix2.

Back to school - sigh -
Some of these books are for shops and offices - but some are for the classroom.

Pink Ladies on Derb Djedid

Pink Saturday!hosted by Beverly at How Sweet the Sound.

DSCN1780, originally uploaded by schmidwix2.

An afternoon outing.

Shop Windows in Gueliz

Wonderful rich fabric.
What curtains or cushions of our dreams would it make?



A rather meagre selection of articles in the electrician's window.



A thousand splendid magazines for every taste. Note the inflatable Santa in the doorway..........

Ismail's Mom's Magic Chicken Tagine

IMG_0161.JPG, originally uploaded by schmidwix2.

Recipe:
Chicken breasts
every veggie that's in season
love and attention
magic seasonings
long slow cooking under a conical hat
one could attempt this outside Morocco - Williams Sonoma now has packets of tagine spices -
but much better to go there.............
sigh

Mostly Pink/ Pink Saturday

Pink Saturday is hosted by Beverly of How Sweet the Sound. Go to her site for more details and other participants.

Shop front on Derb Dabachi.



Outside Cafe France. Waiting by the caleches.



A hand painted sign above a closed butcher's shop in tne medina.



Shop selling towels in Gueliz.



Ollie relaxing in the sun on the roof.

Light at Midday

The light in the suqs would be unbearably bright without the coverings which cause light to slant.



Scarves and slippers to fill your dreams.



I like the round toes slippers best but chic people go for the pointy ones.



In the Mellah market light falls on mopeds and plastic containers and makes even the mundane look romantic and enticing.