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.