In the Mellah Market

February at the Market.

Mother and son.

Choosing the perfect fish!

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Glimpses of Dar Tah-Tah

Dar TahTah is a wonderfully funky no-frills tiny guest house

 tucked away in the medina just near the straw market

with wonderful checker-board stairs 

 and eau de nil doors

 and a tiny little courtyard

It really is rather fun

 and full of wonderful colors......

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The Little House Itself

When we lived in the little house in Derb Djedid it had bags of charm -- but probably all sorts of structural defects and quirks.
There was the time when we had to jump over a giant hole in the stairs and had to have an entire beam replaced.
There was the time the courtyard filled up to our knees with flash flood water.

So, it was exciting when we heard that the new owners were completely remodeling the place.

So, this is where the salon was -- an uber-swanky kitchen. Gosh.

I don't think I ever took a photo of our old kitchen.....

Look at the wonderful storage carved into the very thick walls.

This is the front hall. The floor was raised 18 inches and the scruffy little WC is now a utility room.

The bathroom window

The stairs are in a quite different place. Above where the old kitchen was.

Looking down into the courtyard......

Looking up from it.......

I was happy to see jasmine on the roof. So, the little house has an entirely new life which is thrilling.

We were welcomed back for a state visit. I was surprised that I wasn't a bit sad --just pleased to see how well the work was done. Grant Rawlings of Chic-Marrakech designed the new house and oversaw the whole project.

Cats/Part II

On the whole, Moroccan cats are pretty fortunate.

They get to wander around at will and get petted by everyone.

They tend to be both handsome -- and noisy. They call out to catch your attention.

They assume they are welcome in shops --here a blanket seller in Essouira.

and kittens outside a ceramics shop in the same town.

How nicely the white cat contrasts with the blue door!

A sensible choice of venue: underneath a fishing boat.....

At the rug seller's again.

In the inner garden of the Bahia Palace......

and little kitties just hanging out in Essouira.

Most of these photos were taken in Essouira one of the places you
must visit while on your Moroccan holidays!

Cats/ Morocco Edition Part I

Sindibad, the monarch of all he surveys, now lives a very pampered life

 but was born in the vegetable market in Djemma El Fna.

This elegant young lady is our Mimi reincarnated -- the same multicolored fur and up-slanted eyes.

Taking a nap in Gueliz in a planter with bamboo.

Taking a nap in the old part of town in a nice cardboard box.

Waiting for her babies to arrive in a nice sunny spot in Essouira.....

This mother-to-be was photographed in exactly the same meat market where Sindibad

 (in the top picure) was born. May her kittens be just as handsome.

Light at Susie's House

One of the magical things about Morocco is how light......

is tossed from a lamp casting shadows ......

 seeps in though internal windows.....

 falls slap onto oranges in the courtyard

  and bathes the pale roses by the pool.

Blue and red glass in the fanlight brighten a quietly colored room.

So  very many cushions in the salon!

 and how sharp the shadows of the olive tree in morning light. 

In the evening the candles flicker on a sheepskin rug in the courtyard.

All the photos in this post were taken in February at Riad Villa el Arsa, my friend Susie Scott's very old guest house in the medina where we stayed part of the time we were in Marrakesh.