Halfway House

Not a lot to report as the workers are still on a Ramadan break should be back by the weekend to crack on to the second phase of putting the house back together. Its been raining here for a few days the first for ages which brings the Medina to a bit of a standstill and has us frantically covering open roofs with plastic to keep carpets dry etc.

Back in the house its reaching a definite halfway point in my eyes. With most of the building work done its time to concentrate now on putting the old girl back together. As wiring and plumbing are almost finished we can start replastering the walls and also finish plastering the main salon ceiling. Down in the basement as all the drainage is in place we can clear out all the rubbish and lay another floor down.

Just had my friend Dan over from Vejer on his third visit looking for a cheap 30,000 euros property but after two days of looking with a local guy and Fes properties he could not find anything to push his buttons, my favourite phrase. He was amazed how the prices are going up so fast with each visit and how the choice seems to be less each time. Well the gems are still out there you just need patience and luck. It seems amazing now that my house cost 37000 euros compared to what you get these days but the real acid test will be what it is worth after the renovation I guess.

The next few weeks will see more visitations from friends including Chris a possible investor from London whos been following progress here with great interest, Michael a friend from Norwich who is about to start renovation on his Dar and Tony an old mate from Norwich who has invested in the house and is promoting it to all his friends in the yachting world. Interesting to see what they will make of the changes to the house and Fes as a whole.

From talking to locals the Kings wife has been given the job as overseer of the Fes renovation as a whole as she is a Fassi native and they wish to get Fes on a par with Marrakech over time. Its quite possible as personally I find Fes more culturally and historically more interesting although Marrakech has the hip factor of course.