louis-fes

Moving On Again

2010-06-25T14:10:00.002+01:00

I see theres still a trickle of people accessing the Fes Blog no doubt to ascertain what is happening at Dar Mernissi and Fes in general. Well much as would like to regale you with medina musings and Mernissi updates, I vacated Morocco over 2 years ago for the West Coast of Spain.

I still have the brick addiction or craving to buy and renovate that I had in Morocco but it has taken time to find my latest acquisition. The picture on this page is the result of 18 months research on the internet for a best value property. It is a 100 year old Cortijo or farmhouse in Almeria, already 2/3 renovated but scope for improvement and to put in some stylish finishing touches. I bought it last November 2009 for 60,000 euros and have just received permissions to renovate so if you want to follow my progress check out www.louis-cortijo.blogspot.com . Of course if you are on this site to find out about all things Moroccan you cant go far wrong by clicking on www.riadzany.blogspot.com

Whatever you decide have a nice day, whether I see you at the other blog or not I have bricks to demolish and patios to lay.

Hello Again....long time no see

2009-03-16T17:42:00.003Z

Yes its me again the wandering gypsy, feeling I have to put an update on here due to the numerous people contacting through blog and website for requests to come and stay in Fes. Well folks that would be quite difficult as I sold the Mernissi House last July to an American fellow who rented it out to a S.African family for private use. As to why I sold it well that is slightly complicated and personal but the fact that there was a forthcoming credit crunch which I strangely intuitively felt in my bones was one small reason. To have all my eggs in one basket, so to speak,made me feel slightly uncomfortable. To have various homes in various countries would have seemed ideal a few years back but then again in this present time I might have been feeling the pinch...ouch.

So I have undebted myself and squirrelled my money away in what I hope is a safe haven to watch and learn what is unfolding in this weird and wonderful world of ours. Although looking at the financial and economic malaise out there I think maybe one of those adjectives could be defunct for the time being at least. At least I am ensconced in what I consider one of Spains prettiest pueblos in Vejer de la Frontera, my base for the last few months and though not immune from the crisis, what a horrible word, its a gorgeous sanctuary. As you watch the sun go down over the Atlantic on a balmy Sunday evening at Cartero beach bar, whilst inside a cool funk band chugs out the beats while some of the local girls in Carnival mode kick up their heels in full Can-Can mode, its hard not to smile and be happy. PS Jane and the Can Can girls available for hire, weddings, barmitzvahs and gigs at reasonable rates. Would cause a stir in Fes!!

So there you have it, for those worrying, fretting about our greedy little world and the unholy mess unfolding find your own little sanctuary within it, lifes too short. Gordon Gekko said greed is good and it became a mantra for the past few decades, well the chickens have come home to roost unfortunately so lets get back to basics.

Me, I'm writing a book and thinking of various ways to cook roosting chickens......badaboom ...I'll get my coat!

Signing Off

2008-06-24T11:24:00.002+01:00

Its now the 24th and its been a whirlwind of activity around Mernissi maison. As I mentioned the house has been sold due to my feeling that all eggs in one basket, as is the case for me and several others in the Medina can be counter productive. The house is beautiful but has absorbed a lot of money and I feel that spreading monies over smaller projects would be sensible in the long run as people always want small houses in the present crunch climate whereas the bigger ones could lanquish on the market for years. In the Medina house sales have dried up as Europeans keep a tight hold on their purse strings.

I did not honestly expect the house to be sold so quickly although like me the people who bought instantly fell in love with the quirky layout and negotiations were rapid and concluded in a matter of hours. The past week has been a blur of packing and worrying in equal measure. Luckily I am moving just up the road to a friends apartment with worldly goods until all the business is concluded and I can take stock of next moves.

What will that move be well hard to say really with the current housing situation worldwide you need to be cautious and pragmatic. In Fes there are smaller projects worth considering but I would also like to dip a toe back into Europe, Spain or Portugal so that I have a European base also. It might be wise to sit and wait a bit and see how the land lies so to speak over the coming months.

Several friends are well into their various projects coming up against familiar hurdles and overcoming them in their own sweet way. For some it is a lengthy and costly experience as work goes over time and budget and their ideas and dreams change then voila they have the finished project in front of them. Each could follow Susannah Clarkes route and write a book about their experience and all would be fascinating and individual regarding the trials and tribulations they have gone through. Its never easy but it is a journey that has an end and ultimately your reward is the knowledge you have gained on route and the pleasure in saving an old slice of history and putting your own personal stamp on it. For those who are considering taking the plunge, come on in the waters lovely but don't stray too far into the deep end.

What a long strange trip

2008-06-06T22:08:00.003+01:00

When I take a break I really take a break to get mind, body and soul in order. If you live here or are planning to you will soon realise how necessary this is for your sanity. I have heard of a certain guest house couple who much prefer oyster eating at Oualidia to the rigours of day to day guest maintenance and who I am to say thats not such a bad balance.

Anyway back to me and over the last few weeks have been in Spain to lovely Vejer followed by feet up and Mums home cooking in Norwich before my old mate and business partner Tony whisked me off for two weeks in Phuket. Certainly appreciated the stunning beaches, bountiful food at roughly £1 a plate whilst Tony appreciated the fine art of conversation with several of the bar girls, who laughed in all the right places whilst understanding nothing, not that he cared.

Back at the fort in Dar Mernissi Ben was looking after various friends and family visiting and reported back every detail, he is a real treasure and also now a good friend and expectant father. One of the reasons for taking the break was to allow Ben and Sina time and space to have the baby without me getting in the way, babies are not my business, well not at his point in time anyway.

Enough gossip I hear you say where is the nitty gritty info, the lowdown, the real deal, well its coming. For some time now my creative juices have been drying up as this projects renovation came to a close and we furnished it and filled it with many interesting friends. This is not the same as getting your mitts dirty and watching something take shape before your eyes albeit with a helluva lot of pain balanced by gain in the long run. What I am getting at is I wanted to sell the old girl Mernissi so someone else can take it forward whilst I would like to take on smaller funkier projects because of cause I love the stress...not. Also it would make a tidy profit and in these credit crunch days cash is king folks ,not mortgaged up to the hilt and panicking about losing your house or the cost of oil and eggs.

So I thought I would test the somewhat stagnant waters of the property market here as all housebuying and selling has dried up dramatically this year. Hoping to make a profit for my endeavours of course I was also more interested in selling to people who would enhance what I have done here. I have always seen my role in the renovation here as a mercy mission to save a dilapidated home that had been neglected for over 50 years and I consider it has been a success and given lots of people including myself huge pleasure. But I need to move on to new adventures and challenges within this great country and elsewhere, being a somewhat restless Sagitarian Soul this is what rocks my boat so to speak.

So anyway it is now sold, as from today inshallah, it all happened tout sweet (sic) as a family took one look and fell in love with it, of course, and have now freed my little brain up to look at funky opportunities here there and wherever.....I'll let you know!!

Sabbatatical

2008-05-02T14:33:00.002+01:00

The blog will be on holiday along with its writer namely myself for a month as I rest up in England for the month of May. There might be the odd message from time to time but for new readers there are 150 or so pages of previous entries to amuse themselves.

As always life in Fes goes on at its own peculiar pace and you can always check on the daily or weekly happenings on the View from Fes website.

On my return there will be an announcement of some importance that I wish to share with you all regarding future plans and committments so bear with me.

Norwich Gal

2008-04-17T17:09:00.002+01:00

They keep popping over to see what I'm up to these Norwich gals and heres another in the form of compadre Cosmopolitan Kate. I've known Kate for over eighteen years and about eleven years ago we flew to Palma, Majorca as she wanted to escape the confines and limitations of Norridge, England. She wanted to broaden her mind and her horizons and I suggested working on yachts as with her cool stylish demeanour and catering background I thought she would fit right in. And she did.

I spotted a boat I used to work on and they invited us on board as honourary guests and within two shakes of a lambs tale she was working on it as stewardess and steaming across the Atlantic to the Caribbean. Now this sort of lifestyle can suck you in and soon Kate was circling the globe, Pacific, Caribbean and Mediterannean working herself up the yachting ladder. After leaving the bateaux she took herself off to the other side of the globe to New Zealand and for seven years ran a fantastic Art Deco restaurant in Whangerai, I believe, with her top rated chef boyfriend.

Alas all dreams can fall flat eventually as the couple split up and Kate rejoined her former yacht as if she had never been away. She took the time out from her hectic schedule on her present yacht which she refers to as a floating caravan to come pay Fes a visit and see the ole house here.
Impressed by Fes she wasted no time stocking up on rugs and scarfs for her future abode wherever that may be, lets hope its not too far away.

Dont Count your Chickens

2008-04-10T11:50:00.002+01:00

So Andy P came rushing over to Fez or should that be zigzagged via Eurostar and Paris, to complete the signing on his spacious Riad....or so he thought. Of course nothing goes as planned here and there is ALWAYS a stumbling block. In this case a new owner popped his head over the parapet to claim he owned several rooms cue a frenzy of paper checking. Its not unusual as Tom Jones once said, but then again all problems eventually resolve themselves even though us clueless Europeans really have no idea how it generally happens.

The best thing to do is go with the flow patiently waiting outside various offices to meet various people to solve various problems over various usually long periods. If you have a truckload of patience then you are fine but if your are of an impatient bent and like things done promptly I would suggest you have not come to the ideal place. Try Germany. Things can move quickly but generally when you least expect them to.

Back to Andys Riad he has uncovered some interesting history about the place, generally that it was once owned by the Sultan of Morocco who apparently sold Morocco to the French after his brother had spent the army budget on his personal fetish for fireworks. This is unsubstantiated but makes for good reading nonetheless and further investigation should fill in the blanks. Andy seems very well prepared to jump through all the necessary hoops to make sure he is the sole owner and has great ideas to bring the shell of a building back to something resembling its former glory. With a modern twist.

He left with frequent phone calls from England updating him on the imminent birth of his fourth child, so heres a man with a lot on his plate I would say.

The Back in Town Brigade

2008-03-29T16:24:00.002Z

Following on from the previous missive, yet more Fes regulars turned up on the doorstep this week albeit through diverse and circuitous routes from England arriving slightly more fatigued than when they set off.

First up was neighbour Bill a sprightly sort who has come to oversee the final stages, he hopes, of his riad almost 32 secs from my door. The fact that the snagging list he carried with him resembled a version of Encyclopedia Brittanica didn't seem to phase him although I thought each item would be a minor challenge in itself, I know I've been there. At least he had a big smile on his face which diminished somewhat when he realised the room in the house on which he planned to stay still very strongly resembled the building site it was a few months previous, so first snag then. Luckily he found alternative accomodation and can now do his daily spotchecks on the house to ensure it all comes together according to the bright, glossy printouts he carries round with him. Best of luck and dont let the bastards grind you down.

Also around was Michael and Jo and their exbanding brood of 3 who luckily have finished their house so all ready to enjoy the finished product for the first time after overcoming their various snags. However with the 3 kids in tow it was never going to be a restful stay and I honestly dont know how they manage as I find it quite difficult to look after just myself at the best of times. Its honestly nice to see a family enjoying at last the fruits of their labours after a yearlong refit the question that now begs is ....and now what?

For a lot of us the fun is in the process of renovation overcoming the hurdles and stress that it involves but when it is finished there is a void of kinds in that daily routine that needs to be filled with something equally as challenging. For some it is a restaurant or Maison dhote but for others who just have a holiday retreat it is what to do with their stately pile while they are not ensconced within which is challenging. Do you want a stream of strangers/tourists/backpackers lying on that sumptuous banquette and muddying your tapis or do you shut up shop until your next visit when you can affford to come out here again via your next circuitous flight route, umm challenging and there is no easy answer. Best of luck.

Also around this week were a trio of real travellers from South Africa who had taken a year in an old Toyota Landcruiser laden with surfboards to come up to Morocco covering 18 countries in the meantime. Their little break had turned into a lifestyle choice and they were not relishing the return to Planet Earth which beckoned. In their previous incarnation they were accountants but now resemble surfdudes so much its hard to envision them as part of the pinstripe brigade, short hair and sharpened pencils at the ready for double entry bookkeeping. You can read about their adventures at www.africansurfer.com and follow their re-entry into the real world again as they re-adjust to that rareified climate. Again....Best of luck guys and don't let the bastards grind you down.

Willkommen, Bienvenue, Welcome

2008-03-19T13:38:00.002Z

Its always nice to see old (and not so old) faces back in the Medina and so it was this week when two totally dissimilar characters returned. First was my friend Pippa who works in Dublin as a legal secretary for her sins, saving frantically to fund the renovation of her cute Dar in R'Mila tucked away near R'Cif. She bought a year ago but wisely is not in a frantic hurry to rush in until she is ready, wise girl.

Then of course there is the venerable Sandy who you might know from a certain well known blog who is back to put the finishing touches to his latest novel based in Fes. Returning characters are always vibrant and enthusiastic as they wish to catch up on all the latest gossip, news and comings and goings in their absence and we are all too happy to oblige of course.

Its sometimes tempting to temper the obvious enthusiasm of pre-renovators for their project with a healthy dose of reality in the form of and advice and guidance about the pratfalls and pitfalls that one has encountered along the way. But that would put a damper on things now wouldn't it. Every individual will come up against different obstacles to overcome and really its all part of the rich experience of fulfilling your dream to go through it all and come out the other side. Although you will be slightly less well off, have a few more grey hairs and a bit less grey matter between your ears undoubtedly you will end up with a nice set of bricks encased in tadelakt and furnished to your own immaculate taste.

Well this was definitely the case with our Sandy who now has a wonderful riad and no regrets after a lengthy and at times frustrating renovation where at various times odd things happened to frustrate the progress, having your donkeys kidnapped being just one of the minor hiccups. But then one fine day you step back and realise you have finished and I know for me the thought that still runs through my head is just how did I manage that, and would I do it again. The early days of finishing I think most people would say that was a nightmare and I wont be doing that again but as time goes on the appeal of another house project and new ideas start sprouting and you realise you have got a strange affliction to put yourself through the pain barrier again.

As of now I don't know a cure for this "brick addiction"and I would like to take time out to try and find one but am not aware of a national centre or hospice that has available treatment. So I for one suffer in silence or the exact opposite sometimes as I bore friends with what I would do with this or that project even though I don't have the financial clout to realise it, well one can dream I suppose.

So back to young Pippa then, she now has her permission to start work and can go away safe in the knowledge her little hideaway will be stripped back to bare bricks with donkeys carting away her house sackload by sackload with progress being replaced by regression. Then almost magically over the next few months there will be progress and the thrill of a European toilet being installed, that first flush ahhhhh, I remember that. Then when you first switch on a light, the first hot shower, the first piece of furniture moving in, the first night spent under your own owned roof, marvellous. Your bank balance takes multiple nosedives but that will eventually stop........and then what!!

Well another project of course and you have caught the bug, you have "Brick Addiction" .

As I mentioned before is no known cure.

House Buying Tip for Rock Climbers

2008-03-10T10:07:00.003Z

Johnathan, a world class rock climber who is also a property entrepreneur here in Morocco, told me an amusing tale relating to his latest house search in Chaoen. Scouring the medina for something cheap and cheerful to purchase he got more than he bargained for on an inspection.

He was being shown around a less than structurally sound old wreck when suddenly the floor gave way beneath him. Now this is where the rock climbing experience comes in. As he told me when walking along a crevasse that is likely to give way if it opens up, you extend your elbows and this acts as a brace to stop you plummetting to the depths.

Therefore as the floor gave way he instinctively went into rock climb survival mode and found he was dangling elbows akimbo between the beams over the fresh air space that once housed a not so solid floor/ceiling. I would like to have seen the look on the simsaars face as he realised how close he had come to losing a customer and also that the prospective sale had quite literally fallen through ha ha!

So house buying tip no 1 whilst walking on suspect flooring position oneself between the beams with elbows at 90 degrees to to the body, and though you might look as though you are going to break into a Birdie Song dance audition, you may in fact be doing your brittle legs a big favour.

A Taxing Day

2008-03-08T13:03:00.005Z

Jnan Sbil Garden renovations starting to take shape finally and looking rather splendiferous I must add, but moving right along...

Rotherham Rob arrived after trekking round the country, he had escaped the confines and temptations of Rotherham to teach bespoke carpentry to the good people of Kenya a few years back. He enjoyed it so much he eventually signed up for 5 years and part of it in Mombassa teaching the feisty inmates of a local borstal how to make their own beds ....literally.

Initially staying for one night he soon saw Fes cannot be fitted into a day and so before long he was tagging along with us on house hunting/renovation advice duties looking slightly bewildered with these mad expats and their house fixation. But he could see the appeal, well who wouldn't?

While he was here I received an official looking Municipality letter demanding the sum of 1700 dh in back taxes but with the previous occupants name on the demand. Off I popped with Ben to clear up this possible anomaly at the tax office to be told the figure quoted was a mistake, phew well thats alright then I thought.....wrong! "No", the mild mannered gentleman behind the counter carried on from his previous statement, " The figure owed is 70,000 dh", gulp and again GULP.

Darting over to the Adoule who had done all the paperwork for the house purchase and was wise in all matters pertaining to bill paying or not as the case may be, he said in Arabic the equivalent of Cobblers, a lovely word in English that suggests all is not as it appears to be in no uncertain way. The bill was apparently for taxes owed in Rabat that had somehow found their way to a previous address. Giving us several sheafs of paper relating to the situation back we went to the office of tax affairs to find Mr Mild Mannered slightly more stubborn and not budging on the situation.

Now in these situations it could be cause for alarm if you let it get to you, but the best thing is to go with the flow, show a bit of patience and then when you least expect it something gets resolved hopefully to your advantage. If you didnt think like that you could spend the majority of your time "climbing the walls" as we say or "pulling your hair out". So as I am not too good with heights and am to all intents and purposes bald, neither of these two panic options is applicable so I just went back to my daily routine leaving all responsibility to the Adoule.

Thats the way to do it.

Get the message

2008-02-28T12:51:00.006Z

Thought I would post this photo as it tells you in no uncertain terms to keep out. Spotted on a Mosque door in Meknes probably because too many stray English stragglers had ventured over the threshold and we all know that is strictly taboo. Respect.

Now on a lot lighter note, overheard at a table at the ever bustling Cafe Clock from a bemused customer "Two days ago I was riding a camel and now I'm eating one (between a bun) so my holiday is complete". Ahhhhh well done Mike for the fitting finale to Bart and Jessicas sojourn (they will be back, swapping a Brooklyn studio for a medina love shack no doubt).

New Lonely Planet book Fes Encounters is out now with photos by burly Doug Mc and featuring yours truly as male model so I have been told, hopefully gazing moodily into the distance, but I suspect its more likely to be a back of head shot or propping up a Volubilis pillar in the far background. Oh fame, you fickle mistress.

Well we have escaped the rigours of what was essentially a mild winter as we ease into March and I don't hear too many grumblings from the guest house owners as February panned out quite nicely. One popular and vivacious owner announced an 82% occupancy so someones doing something right. Still frustrating for all you Brits trying to get here from England but we have seen a marked increase in our American and Canadian friends from across the pond who bring with them that brightness, vivacity and ebulliency that is inherent in their nature. Always a pleasure. The major plus also is they do not talk about housey matters all day long but rather dissect the merits of Obama or living life in Brooklyn or Minneapolis so it makes a nice change huh.

The Peter Lippmann Experience

2008-02-26T22:03:00.003Z

I love photographers, there I've said it, I love them, when a few years back it was musicians and DJ's that I literally raved over now I feel my affinities definitely changing.

Over the last few months I have had several of that peculiar breed staying at the maison from Doug Mc the burly, ex war photographer cum Lonely Planet snapper to Simon G the gin swilling, weddings r us, websiter. And now to add to the illustrious list we have Mr Lippmann whos promo featured here was shot on location in Morocco with the help of yours truly scouting locations and driving off piste in Rif country.

The brief was for lush green foreground with colour and mountainous background for a Poland Spring water advert, so packing the Lippmann family in the voiture, daughter Kelly and sister Nancy plus Mr L himself we headed Rifwards from Fes in search of the perfect shot.

I had no idea that this entailed multiple stops enroute whereby Mr L would leap from the car, tripod dangling, stomping over muddy fields, lying prone amongst the wild flowers to frame his magic moment foreground shot. Then scampering back in mud encrusted jeans and trainers he complained about faulty batteries and light meters whilst enthusing graphically about the light or complaining ceaselessly about lack of it!

Kilometre after kilometre we passed potential Poland Spring backdrops which were captured for posterity on Pentax. Stopping for lunch at Motel Rif, a good halfway haven two hours from Fes, we then motored on through the verdant countryside and hilly switchbacks arriving in Chauoen to book into a classy, funky new maison d'hote. No sooner had we all unpacked our toothbrushes and enjoyed a mint tea on the terrace overlooking the blue medina than suddenly Mr L announced his perfect shot on reflection was back at the Motel Rif 60k back from our present location. Ho Hum. He was looking to get a 6am start to get the light, of course, so repacking our toothbrushes we hightailed back to the motel post haste settling in for the night after a hearty repast and several glasses of good grape product.

Luckily it rained at 6am but at 8am pronto after a snatched coffee we were on the road and guess what, no go on guess.....we found the perfect shot 100m (thats metres not miles) from the motel which had Mr L almost deliriously describing the light, the flowers, the light meter, the colours. We were all very happy for him of course as the perfect shot paid for this family outing to Morocco so was quite important. I was just glad I was able to find him such a spot and several more besides to make up the composite picture you see here on the page and it made for a tiring but ennervating few days out of Fes.

The passion and attitude and attention to detail all these photographers apply to their art is admirable, but I would question sometimes their compete sanity as they dive headlong towards their intended target, camera in hand, ignoring mud, insults, donkeys or whatever to get THAT shot. For instance Doug would shoot 5000 pictures and then announce he had probably 8 good shots, what!! Thats either lack of confidence or obsession with quality or a combination of the two. With Mr L he knew exactly what he wanted and when he had got it I thought. However even he could not resist taking more and more till his film ran out. If he had more film I feel we would still be standing beside some flowery field while a mud spattered dad and daughter peered through the lens once again to frame another even more perfect shot.

But luckily he didnt.

As I said photographers....don't you just love them...they're not normal you know, bless them.

No comment (well just a few words)

2008-02-20T20:40:00.005Z

Well no words necessary for these shots but heres some anyway.

On a gorgeous mid February day what more of an excuse did I need to hotfoot it to Moulay and Volubilis in the company of some of our friends from across the pond (thats yanks not francs) who were ready for an excursion. In danger of repeating myself let me say once again these twin gems are the perfect antidote to the Fes Frenzy and are the soul sanctuary that we all need from time to time to wind down, take stock, switch off the grey matter and reeeeeelaxxxxxx ahhhhh. Now doesnt that feel better. Now take a deep breath of clean mountain air.

Expanding Fes Part 2

2008-02-16T18:14:00.002Z

Having time to kill at the moment heres a furthur update on the rejuvenation of old Fes from a casual but observant observer. I know some of you out there are missing our fine city as you hold down proper jobs in the outside world to pay for your folly/palace/derb shack so let me fill you in with a little update on the previous post. Hopefully it will whet your appetite for your imminent return.

Lets start up near the Boujloud Square,with the rampart walls looking all shiny and new on the outside now the work is starting on the inside at the top end of Talaa KBira with the little vegetable stalls lining the wall being unceremoniously shunted to one side as the scaffolding goes up announcing in itself imminent improvements.

Not far away and across the square a little known project of a very large renovation is, so sources say, only months away from its unveiling. This is the old Jardin Publique Hotel and after a major makeover with no expense or time spared will boast two restaurants one on a stunning terrace and at least 30 rooms. These will be in the budget range but offering good quality throughout. I have watched its progress over the last year or so with great interest to be told at regular intervals it is 2 months away from finishing uh yeah right!

Over in the fantastic Jnan Sbil park one can glimpse inside the sparkling layout of fountains and seating and though I cannot hazard at guess at the opening date I would guess sometime this year. This is set to be a major tourist and local draw for promenades, contemplation, sitting and watching or just appreciating the flora and fauna and sky high palms. This will be a fitting end to the Palace and Gardens Tour which these days draws the tourist to Jnans multiple locked gates so they are reduced to peeking through the bars, not quite the finale they envisaged. Anyway just outside the gardens walls en route to La Noria restaurant the tin hoardings can't quite hide a rather fine specimen of Moroccan modern workmanship. This is to be a funky new restaurant in a Riad style with pillars and zellige aplenty and a terrace which will overlook the garden itself. I know who is behind this great project and applaud his vision and aptitude, bastard!!

Over on the Talaas within a few weeks two top quality modern shops have opened one on Sigheera the other just down the road on Derb el Horra. They both boast fine filigree light fittings and brass and bronze artifacts, and are very large so obviously trying to capture the attention of guides of tourist groups, commission aplenty then! The shop of more interest to me is the one on el Horra which only 2 months ago was a fully functioning albeit rather dark and dismal bakery. It has been transformed with lead light windows, funky tiles and fresh plaster and multiple shelving and the stock arrived and was on the shelves artfully displayed within hours after the last lick of paint. How impressive, which begs the question why do house renovations take so long then?

Further afield on the Route Immouzer is the Royal Golf Club and after wondering for 2 years why some enterprising spark hasnt built golf villas overlooking the course, lo and behold as if by magic row upon row of said villas is apparent on the near horizon. All sold before completion which comes as absolutely no surprise.

If I had a euro for every building, renovation or investment project that entered my little head which has been acted upon successfully by people with slightly more acumen and financial clout I would be 57 euros richer by now, enough for a slap up meal at Riad Fes and two bottles of sparkling (water).

Expanding Fes

2008-02-15T11:03:00.003Z

Took a drive out towards the Henri Laconte Tennis Academy the other day to check on Century 21 proposed residential units opposite. As always its such a bonus to have the car to go exploring sometimes with no particular mission in mind. However it was quite obvious from the outset that Fes is expanding in all directions and very rapidly.

Not only is the Century 21 backed project growing rapidly with the large billboards showing palm lined mini boulevards throughout the site, on the drive there the massive Oued Fes site on the route to Marjane is also steaming ahead. The site has been cleared of all those pesky trees, thwarting any treehuggers, and huge pipelines are lined up presumably for the artificial lakes within the complex. Is this progress? Some people would say there is no such thing as progress only change, well in this case scenario lets say there is massive change happening throughout Fes.

Outside the Kings Palace, en route to the Mellah there is now a rather fine fountain within a newly formed roundabout and also a palmlined central reservation and multiple mini fountains changing colour on the new dual stretch of road leading to Hassan 2. I can honestly say this looks great and a real improvement on the area and so well done it looks like it has been there years rather than a matter of weeks.

So continuing my drive past the Leconte Academy I ended up in areas of Fes I had never been but what was noticeable was EVERYWHERE were new builds and huge residential developements for low cost social housing, these are definitely not for tourists. So this is where the medina house owners aspire to live in and I can see their attraction. The prices are reasonably affordable and if they can unload their crumbling, unsanitary derb den onto a thrilled European visionary with pockets full of Euros, then everyone is happy, arent they?

Later on that same day I bumped quite literally into an old friend who is trying to finish his project after several years on the heights of Mt Zalagh, which when finished will have one of the coolest settings in Fes. He was excited and as far as I can gather its because the authorities had just announced the expansion of the city boundaries, rezoning several areas from agricultural to urbanisation and tourism projects. Of course this will have a massive effect on land prices and should entice more entrepreneurs to this fine city. Hope it doesnt choke the life out of the city though as its quite busy enough at the best of times thank you very much.

So although for many Europeans here the topics of conversation are still flights, house renovation, flights, house renovations and a slight drop off in clients if they looked out and beyond they would see this city is now officially a BOOM town. I'm not saying this is necessarily a good thing but there seems to be no stopping it now so either go along for the ride or move to Meknes!

Come and Go

2008-02-09T16:18:00.000Z

As the last GB Airways incoming flight arrived the other night it wasnt hard to spot all the Blighty contingent who owned houses here. Over the last year or so the same crop of people have been jetting back and forth in a budget stylee to check on the progress of their Dar, Riad or Wreck, take your pick, and sometimes a combination of all three. For a lot of them it has been a long, tiring and financially draining experience as being true Brits we buy first and ask questions or deal with details later after the initial buying experience which in itself can be traumatic.

A quick tip for those contemplating coming over soon from London try the train to Paris and then cheapo flight direct to Fes for all of 50 euros with Jet4you I believe.

No names mentioned but a certain friend has arrived on his tenth trip in as many months, six of them fruitlessly trying to nail a house and the last three in which he is now the proud possessor of three, count them, properties. The phrase making up for lost time springs to mind or strike while the iron is hot. So is the iron hot or not, well its hard to judge from where I am sitting as I havent really been paying attention although my friend Fred popped over the other day to look over this house and gave it a very healthy valuation, which is nice. Always nice to know when you have sweated blood and euros that your efforts have not been in vain.

Ross and Bill, a very dynamic duo who are my near neighbours who live maybe 32 secs away are seeing their gorgeous riad come to fruition, and no wonder as Ross attention to detail in every aspect of the renovation ensures there is little leeway for error. There are photos, plans of every inch of the place with exact fittings for every item. If you could afford his talents, which most of you cannot, you would be guaranteed a palatial reform every time. Clever Bastard!!

How I managed without a resource such as Ross I will never know but suffice to say it came together when it was supposed to come together and in only nine months really, not bad for a lad. Also over for a flying visit was my best friend Tony who is a partner in the house and we chewed the fat, had a few tipples and discussed progress and future plans for projects which I will not divulge yet. Good to see him after such a long while as he hadnt seen the house finished with basement and apartment so that was a bonus for him, hopefully he can get out sooner next time round.

Popped round to see Fred at Laaroussa (top ten hidden gems of Africa) with Kevin a restauranter friend from Minneapolis, check out www.cafemaude.com, and there was a palpable concern voiced by him about the effect of flights on the Riad and the real estate business over the coming season. This is because the Brits were so high profile here last year on their buying frenzy will they be more creative in getting over here or settle for a wet weekend in Cromer! Not quite as exotic now is it, so forget the plane, catch the train folks.

By the way you can see more about us and the house on www.darmernissi.com.

Deep Joy or Budget Blues?

2008-01-29T11:29:00.001Z

With unseasonal sunny weather throughout the last few weeks we could be forgiven in thinking spring is in the air. After spending on gas heaters and blankets in December in anticipation of the big chill its nice to be able to bask on the terrace to top up my paleface. My feeling is we should make the most of it as probably in February we will be suitably drenched by the winter rains.

In town for a flying visit at the moment is good friend Doug the photographer and journalist who is here on assignment for a well known magazine and journal. I cant really go into detail about the story as it would let the proverbial cat out of the bag and spoil the element of surprise. Suffice to say its a very interesting and positive take on tourism in the general region. So thats frustrating as I would love to spill the beans, as those that know me know I hate to keep a secret for too long.

The general topic of conversation around my neck of the Medina is less about renovation updates now as most of the immediate circle are coming to the end of that aspect of the project, but generally what is happening with the flights from London. Several friends are having difficulty getting to Fes without a hop, skip and a jump around Europe. For the guest house owners also they are trying to think back on this time last year to compare notes on tourism and bookings. Undoubtably over the past year or so the budget airlines have had a dramatic effect on the influx of visitors to Fes. This has resulted in shoals of prospective riad renegades and dar desperados anxious to get their mitts and money into an historic medina house.

Now of course lest we forget there have been many foresighted individuals who as long ago as 10 years were realising the future potential here and investing. I can think of several nearby owners who have literally put their heart and soul as well as probably millions of dirhams into their personal idyllic retreat. My point is they did not need the requirement of a Wizzair Budget Bucket Seat to decide to relocate or return to Fes. It was a call, a duty, a love or blind faith call it what you will, they just did it. I actually do not know in what category I would put myself but I know I seemed to have no choice in the matter, the house chose me and it was I feel a duty of sorts to renovate it to the required standard.

For some people it was a case of lets buy a few and sit on them and see how the market progresses, and thats all well and good and they are probably a lot shrewder and canny businessmen than I. For some bravehearts though it has been or still is a labour of love that can at various points shred your nerves, make you weep in frustration and continuously check the bank balance to see if all the noughts are in the right place. Ahhhh but when you have finished, Deep Joy and a true sense of achievement makes up for all those horrid hurdles, trust me.

And then what? Well for every individual here it is a different story whether you are Cafe Clock Mike or Classy Kleo, along the way your dream and your focus changes as Fes and the project changes shape. We all have to adapt and I for one have no idea where the rocky road leads. So if the flights for instance make it trickier to get here well we are only back in the spot we were a year ago when said investors were well into their projects. What we WILL see is the return of the discerning buyer who is captivated and charmed as we all were with Fes and is prepared to take up the challenge of buying and renovating on top of getting that pesky connecting flight.

The upsurge in European flight connections could ensure that other nationalities now take up this unique challenge ensuring a multicultural mash-up instead of one heavily weighted, or so it seemed at one point, towards the Budget Brits. We Shall See, Wont We.

Back and Forth

2008-01-19T10:39:00.002Z

Hello blogmates, its all quiet on the Moroccan front after the Xmas rush which is to be expected. Have been away for a few days to the rather photogenic Spanish haven of Vejer de la Frontera and if i thought it was quiet here its tumbleweed central over there, with lots of the cafes and restaurants closed for winter and friends scrabbling for work.

What was very noticeable were the notices in estate agents windows announcing price reductions on lots of the properties as through the past few years the Brit influx married to favourable tabloid reports led to escalating demand for the rinky dink old town properties. Of course throughout Spain now this era of silly year on year building concrete Disneylands and asking monopoly money for a ruined shed (lets call it a Cortijo to make it sound grander) in an illegal suburb, has come to a grinding halt. There is of course here a comparison with Morocco, which although in many ways is a mirror of how Spain was a few decades ago, gorgeous, virgin countryside, unspoilt beaches and cheap property could fall victim to inflated prices bouyed by the international not the local market.

We have seen here in Fes over the last few years the rocketing prices for the medina houses which though still good value for money when compared to dealing with European property, specifically London, could be a case of too much too soon. For instance the dream of local Medina house owners is to sell their almost habitable wreck to a an enthusiastic Brit renovator and move into a modern flat in the Ville Nouvelle. However the knock on effect has pushed up prices of these flats so the local has to put up the price of their old house to make the move financially viable for the family involved.

Its a tricky situation and one I feel that will find a more sensible pricing structure as we enter 2008 after the goldrush effect of recent years. For a lot of buyers however it is not just an investment in financial terms but a lifestyle choice as they fall in love with the perceived easygoing stressfree nature of life here plus the bonus of owning a slice of history. What is important is they prepare themselves financially, emotionally and also allow adequate time to realise their dream and the commitment needed. When you hear six months for a renovation best practice would be to double it. In fact if you double everything you perceive its going to take as a rule of thumb then you wont go far wrong and have a built in cushion.

The mood in Spain is one of uncertainty and its a palpable feeling and coupled with the US woes spreading its tentacles eastward this could have effect on all markets. Here in Morocco with the amount of investment not just from individual investors but the big players such as Emaar and Fadesa I think as it stands its in a very healthy position as long as greed and inflated expectations dont get in the way.

Into the new.

2008-01-08T11:01:00.000Z

All around the Medina there are huge sighs as the frenetic Xmas and New Year rush for beds eases off, to be replaced by slight consternation regarding the soon to be axed direct flights to Fes. How will this affect tourism, well time will tell, but in the meantime I guess its time for everyone to get their own house in order. By this I mean continuing those snags and running repairs that inevitably crop up in the old medina houses after heavy guest use and also after the last bout of heavy showers(its not all sun and fun folks) where do those pesky leaks come from.

Its also a time to get out and about to see what else is going on in the immediate environs, so a trip to see my good friend Lionel and famille seemed to be in order in the imperial Meknes.

His newly renovated place overlooking Bab Monsour is coming on a treat with the guest dar now having a fully tiled courtyard and budding garden since my last visit, well done mate! We spent my couple of days there walking about 100 miles so it seemed up, down, through the medina and the palace sights picking up stray simsaars who showed us an incredible variety of houses. As with Fes the prices are shooting up but Meknes has a lot to offer although unfortunately not the same variety of restaurants, but a budding nightlife so I am told and a calmer less frenetic pace than good old Fes.

Lionel was snapping away at the various houses and you can see the results on his new blogspot mekneshouses which has a link under my notable bloggers section. Several maison dhotes are springing up to cater for the individual trekkers as opposed to the coach parties of before of slightly older clientele shall we say. Bab Monsour itself is being renovated and all around this area there is massive repaving and restructuring ongoing due to the Kings insistence I believe, after all it is an Imperial city and does not want to lag behind its illustrious neighbour Fes, 50k away.

I saw a couple of houses that piqued my interest in the 40,000 euro bracket although out on a limb regarding access to the main tourist trail but in areas due for regeneration and having a realness not always apparent as such in the tourist areas. Although not near to an airport apart from Fes, Meknes is in the loop of the picturesque micro climate grape growing region that encompasses the ever wonderful Volubilis and my fave town Moulay Idriss.

International Relations

2007-12-29T17:52:00.000Z

At the last count around the Xmas dinner table there were in no particular order these nations represented.....Romania, Cuba, Nigeria, England, Australian, France, America and Antigua not forgetting our host nation Morocco.

Pictured on our right is the Antiguan representative Teju Alekja swaddled in her comfort blanket as the December nights are closing in on us. She was visiting me and Morocco with her daughter Safi over the festive season, helping to add a little glitter and tinsel to the house. After a night in the basement on the first night they quickly commandeered the space and made it a cosy den. Teju has bought a piece of land in Falmouth, Antigua and is going back to oversee the building of her long awaited villa. Brave girl. Almost braver than me opting to renovate this lovely house when practically I can't even put a shelf up, but as the saying might go when in doubt delegate to a man who can, or several in fact!!

So Xmas Dins then, turkey and tagine, with mincemeat pastilla, xmas pud (hurray) and truffles and port and in the afternoon several kiddies opening prezzies under the makeshift rose bush xmas tree. A long way from home for a lot of people but hopefully we injected proceedings with a good dose of spirit to make people less fretful of absent friends and family.

Hope yew awl had a good one now bring on 2008 probably in a Cafe Clock stylee this end with Mike and the gang.

Chrimbo and all that Jazz

2007-12-22T20:53:00.000Z

Festive Greetings to both our readers from the funky Fes Medina.

Well its not all fun and sunshine here albeit I would hazard a guess that its warmer than old Blighty right now. All around the Medina propane sales are blossoming as we wheel out our trusty heaters for a few months at least and I for one permanently don my chunky Chefchaoen knitwear, very fetching. Along with my woolly hat I have been told I resemble a Moroccan nut seller, which has done wonders for my credibility, I dont think.

Just recovering from my personal Eid experience where I was confronted in the basement a few days ago with a face to face encounter with a 40 kilo bundle of lambchops called Dolly. Ben had made her very comfortable with a bed of straw, some canapes and a glass of chilled reisling and she reclined thinking I am sure all her Xmas'ssss had come at once. The fact that she wouldnt even see this one out had not entered her tiny brain, so I thought, you can wipe that sheepish smirk offyerface as soon as you like. The next day a Moroccan Sweeny Todd had dispatched Dolly to that great green pasture in the sky soon after the call to prayer.

The Medina was smelling of sweetsmoke charcoal, charred horns and heads and everyone slinging their personally branded sheepskin still bloodied and muddied onto piles on each street corner to be collected for a tannery rejuvination. It was incredibly organised and the threatened rivers of blood scenario I had envisaged did not occur as people seemed meticulous in keeping their personal doorstep clean. Ben then very swiftly prepared Dolly for a tagine party that night in two shakes of a lambs tail ho ho and again HO!

So know its getting near the time for our Occidental celebration HA! I remember last year on Boxing Day I was shopping for 5 toilets, 2 baths, 4 sets of taps and 5 GOOOOLD RINGS , 4 Blah de blahs, 3 sitting ducks, 2 French Tarts and a Partridge in a Pear tree. Now getting that lot back into the Medina in a fleet of Carrosas (trolleys for the uninitiated) caused a few stares and an unbelievable amount of scurrilous gossip so I wont be doing that again.

This year I have some West Indian friends coming over from Antigua although originally from Nigeria joined on 26th by some other Nigerian ladies so I will be having a traditional Nigerian Xmas whereby we all set off at the crack of dawn and lasso the nearest water buffalo, and spit roast it with cashew nuts, banana, plantain and Yorkshire pudding. This is traditionally followed by plum duff and Birds Eyes Custard which read literally seems an abomination, birds eyes and custard yuck, sounds like a Bushtucker Challenge. Then we will sit around the gas fire tell tall tales and chant long forgotten negro spirituals till way past 7pm.

More fun than shopping for toilets.....I hope!

On the Road again

2007-12-13T13:33:00.001Z

Quick photo of the Mernissi house for my Xmas visitors to peruse, its unique folks its got a roof (keeps the warmth in).

When you have lived in Fes for a while there is always the temptation, once in a while, to go exploring to search out what lies beyond the Medina walls. It is difficult for some of the people here to get further than Marjane the hypermarket by taxi as they do not have access to a car. Therefore they can find it can get slightly claustrophobic and the need for a breath of fresh air and an adventure is necessary. Thats where I come in and now who needed that kind of break I thought to myself ummmm.

I suggested to Josephine from Dar el Hana that we undertake a trip to Al Hoceima on the Med coast, why, because I had never been there and I wanted to see what all the fuss was about with the massive development of this area. The Kings Plan is heavily concentrated on resorts springing up in this neck of the woods and locals here have long championed the beauty of the coast, so thats a good enough reason to go visit i thought to myself.

Josephine didnt take much persuading and soon with her bag of nuts, biccies and crisps to hand we headed off into the unknown. You might want to have a map to hand to follow the progress as it gets quite convuluted. First of all we headed east out of Fes on the Taza road and soon branched off onto the Al Hociema route to the Rif mountains. Now it said 250k but from experience never try and guage how long a trip will take in Morocco as roads can twist and turn or else you dawdle (great word) to take in the scenery. So for the first part we cruised through the sparse, sand coloured landscape feeling the Fes stress melt away.

The running soundtrack to the whole trip was Jo's squeaky seatbelt which emitted a groan everytime she moved to check out the vista, which was frequently, which had us both in stitches although less so by the end of the trip. Through winding, snaky single lane roads we passed through Taonate which was festooned by sheep, people and Merc vans all jostling for the few inches of space left in the road, nightmare and then the dubious delights of Ketama which is Kif central where there looked to be a deal being done on each corner. Best to hurry on before sundown as the road now became infuriatingly bendy and not to mention downright dangerous with the oncoming traffic all thinking they were a cross between Michael Schumacher and a deranged pyschopath on angel dust.

Finally Al Hoceima came into view, "the sea, the sea" we both cried, while the seatbelt squeaked in agreement. This is a modern, clean resort area with serious development ongoing but on a charm factor scale it figures low, especially off season and the serious lack of a decent restaurant. We spent the night however with an agreement to continue eastward to Nador and beyond. Now this is where things become exciting as heading out to what we thought was the main inland route to Nador we ended up on the brand new coastal road that hugged the shoreline for some 70k. We saw some of the most gorgeous fertile agricultural land almost bordering the sea and to our right almost moonscape rock formations or gentle pastoral delights. Eco tourism thoughts filled our heads as this setting must surely be one of the most unspoilt stretches of coastline I have seen for many a year. This road is NOT on a map yet so the rest of infrastructure is barely in place, few shops or houses to speak of and only one adventurous entrepreneur building a hotel. In a word STUNNING!!

Therefore on hitting Nador after a turn inland we were severely disappointed. This is earmarked as the business centre of the region and though it borders a lovely lagoon and a spacious promenade the town itself again factors low on the charm-o-meter, and we turned around and skedaddled (great word meaning to escape quickly I believe). So now it became obvious we were going to head for the famed Saidia resort, the flagship of the Plan D'Azur, and soon in the distance we could see the huge pastel Disneyland. Stretching out over a region the size of the Fes Medina ie. massive folks, this spanking new mix of apartments, hotels, townhouses,pools and gardens amazes with its breadth of vision but also with the identikit nature of the buildings. It is going to be a phenomenal enterprise heavily promoted throughout the international property market but as a purist from the cultural heart of Fes it was not to my liking, shall we say! This area is going upmarket quicker than a rat up a drainpipe and will obviously seriously compete with the Spanish market on the Costas in a few years when complete.

Old Saidia a somewhat sleepy but fashionable one street town just along the coast is rushing to catch up, replacing whole roads and for the speculator a plot of land here would be a very good punt I should say, when the major apartment builders turn their starry eyes in this direction, wont be long. So slightly shocked and stunned we headed to Oujda with no expectations whatsoever, how wrong could we be!!

The brand new motorway, superbly lit, passed by the immaculate airport soon to be VERY International and then Oujda itself, quel surpris. Here was a stylish, wide boulevarded town, pavements planted with jacaranda trees, what seemed like everything under major refit or renovation in a VERY tasteful way. Beautiful colonial buildings sat side by side with modern structures and it worked, the charm-o-meter shot up the scale. This is a town with a very serious future as the hub to the Med coast operations and for the new batch of first time visitors to Morocco they will be perhaps even more impressed than myself. We booked into Hotel al Hanna (it was the name that did it said Jo) for the grand total of 60dh a night (avoid the shared bathrooms) and had a fitful sleep of almost 12 hours after a mentally exhausting day.

The next day was 350k trip back to Fes and though we searched high and low either side of the road for the new proposed motorway between the two towns it was not apparent that anything more than the little single lane road we were on was going to be the realdeal. Am I missing something here because this should be a two line highway so you could roar to the coast at 100k an hour not take the snakes and ladders route to the Taza road from Fes where you are always stuck behind an overladen lorry. Oh well cant get everything right can we?

The Joy of Decks

2007-12-05T14:26:00.000Z

Somehow I got invited to DJ at a 500dh a head Golf Tournament dinner soiree at the Majestic Restaurant, through a local contact. On being told it was the high end society crowd with average age 40-60 I began to have kittens as we say in England when slightly nervous. This is only because my curious blend of house, Latin, afro Latin, Spanish sundown and vague chart hits confuses even me at the best of times.

So it was with some trepidation that I set up my kit the night before with a local PA hire firm who seemed to surround me with several microphones, I kindly informed him I wouldnt be singing a medley of current Gnoua or Sufi chants, so they werent necessary to which he smiled strangely.

Arriving at the gig I was preceeded into the venue by a group of desert attired Berbers who had come up from the Sahara, and they set up their drums and sinister, stringy instruments in front of the decks, hence the need for the microphones I guess. I had been told I was on from 9-2 with no real idea of how I was to entertain a 100 seated, buffet stuffing, Moroccan golf loving afficianados but jazz seemed to be the obvious place to start. Very inoffensive opening I thought so introduced a bit of Latino to which the Berbers ears pricked up and they started playing along, one even sourcing a Flamenco guitar and strumming along, result(1) I thought.

From here on in it got slightly strange as during the buffet, which was a fantastic Majestic spread by the way, The Berber Desert Crew bongo-ed and strummed, followed by me playing between two and three records before there was a stop in the proceedings. One stop was for a huge, swarthy comedian who went on and on with varying degrees of success followed by the presentation of the golf prizes. At each stage I was ready to launch into my multi-purpose set to no avail as on went the band again to step up their riddims so that the once coutured and implacable guests were now a frenzied, head tossing, bongo bashing melee in front of me.

Great, I thought, they are warmed up nicely now for a samba, Brazilian mash-up DJ finale only for the band to finish at 1pm and everyone went for their coats. I had time to slip in a quick couple of big beat numbers which got a few movers shaking as well as the bar crew who were definitely up for a party, before the first of the many BMW convertibles scooted away from the car park.

So there were no litter of kitties as my grand total of playing time was probably 43 minutes plus an invite to stay in the desert from my new Saharian brothers, result (2) I thought again!

The Dali Triangle or Windy Musings

2007-11-28T17:23:00.000Z

Had to squeeze in these two shots sent by Uncle Simon of Scotland as they are classic mini Berbers he met on his travels and as he said from the look in their eyes they "just know dont they", couldnt agree more! And now for something completely different as Monty P once said.

Thanks Ryanair, one Dirham each way to Girona ensured the little break I was taking started off cheaply. Had no idea of itinerary (just how I like it) so on arrival got the hire car and roared around Girona with no concept or plan (just how I like it) and then discovered no room at the inn wherever I checked (not quite how I like it). It was getting late at this stage so head for the hills I thought, although what hills and in what direction didnt seem to matter.

Saw a sign for Figueres 35k so thought that will do and not long later arrived eventually into the Ramblas or main square, looking for parking I turned left and almost jumped out of my seat as I was confronted by the most bizarre sight. For those who have been here you will know it is the Dali Museum, which the great man designed and eventually was buried within, but I was totally unprepared for the sight. More like a cake made by Delia Smith after a pint of Absinthe, it consisted of bright red walls studded with plastercast brioche or local bread, one level up nude gold mannequins struck absurd poses whilst the roof had row after row of giant eggs.

Soon it became all clear this was the birthplace of the fabled nutter/genius and I was in the heart of the Dali Triangle so called because his main house was also around here at Port LLigat and a castle bought for the missus/muse Gala was down the road at Pubol. My holiday was now taking on some kind of purpose, to get an insight into this fabulously talented individual.

My first observation which would not be too obvious to many Dali acolytes is that his talent although influenced by the incredible Emporda landscape was definitely defined by.....the wind! This is no ordinary wind or Levante as we knew it on the Costa de Luz where I used to live on the Atlantic west coast of Spain. There it literally turned people mad/bonkers/doolally regularly especially after a few weeks of constant howling, consequently Tarifa on tip of S. Spain has a somewhat dubious reputation for very creative suicides. In the Emporda region of Catalunya though it was more intense which would have had a definite effect on the light, cloud formation, rock shapes and bent and denuded trees not to mention the inside of Salvadors brain as the wind whistled Dixie at full blast.

Indeed in the time he was growing up here people leaving the bars in the Ramblas after a few sherberts were given two bricks, one for each pocket to weight them down from the wind as they stumbled home at a 45 degree angle, I kid you not!!

Anyway this town had touches of the great man everywhere you looked sometimes inadvertantly for instance the tame hiccuping pigeon walking in circles outside the museum, just coincidence I know but also the strangely lifelike trees around town with their knobbly boney branches like skeletal fingers grasping at the sky have figured in lots of his works. And dont get me started on the Town Hall clock which overlooked the Emporium Cafe, still there, where he whiled away days writing a draft for Le Chien Andalou, a Surrealist classic movie. He must have felt time slipping, dripping, tripping and ticking/tocking away as he scribbled away obtusely especially if he was dabbling in the Absinthe that seems to feature behind the bars here. Now that and the wind would explain everything methinks.

Needless to say the museum is everything you would expect and somewhat more, I would urge anyone to visit to see the mix of kitsch, surrealism, high art, junk all dressed up, messed up and in the end serving its main purpose which is to entertain and enthrall in equal measure. Many surprises around every corner including his exquistely designed jewellery which showed another hitherto unrecognised side to his talent especially one piece that had a beating heart ruby centrepiece, yes moving jewellery folks now theres a notion. How about a necklace that waves at passers by Salvador or rotating earrings, the list is endless or maybe not hey, maybe its the wind effect and I've only been here a day!!

Well Fed

2007-11-22T19:59:00.002Z

Nothing better than a good stroke before bedtime after a hearty Camelburger. Heres the newest additions to the Medinas cultural mix with yachties Vince and Vanessa aiming to join our ranks, whilst Lady Karina is obviously missing her cat.

We're upstairs at the Clock Cafe and from the smiles I would say we were adequately refreshed, fed and watered, wouldnt you?

Nearly there!

2007-11-22T09:50:00.001Z

Some nice shots from Uncle Simon Grosset, a long lost family member from the wilds of Scotland (also available for weddings..true).

The apartment now looking slightly sleeker and can seat 10, sleep 4 if necessary and out of shot the Sushi counter all ready for a Kiotori takeaway/delivery service, unbelievable that this is now available though have yet to test whether it arrives by mule or moped!

The Basement looking cool and feeling cool also and out of shot also now have a working fountain to put the plastic ducks (thank you Simon Butcher of Norwich). Just need to get Lady Karina to suggest fabric for tenting the ceiling to cosy up the old place. Have fitted a Moroccan toilet (every home should have one) in basement also with a new shower so that ones ablutions can be performed all -in-one as it were, I leave it to your fertile imaginations on that one.

So the next project I think now is the top terrace although listening to the heavy drizzle outside I dont think it will be anyones favourite spot for a while.

The soft opening at Cafe Clock last night was great success and finally got to eat one of their famous Camelburgers, rich and delicious and no sand in sight. Wish Mike all the best and also his crackshot team who rose to the occasion spendidly. looking forward to the real opening very soon.

The Perfect Weekend? (part 2)

2007-11-18T22:48:00.001Z

Some belated shots from Simon the inhouse photographer, raconteur and Gordons gin connoiseur of the Indian Jazz Parpers and Dancers from their performance at the Jazz in Riads Spectacular. In the picture below notice that the nails are not that sharp (damn cheats) whereas the broken glass he later danced on looked pretty much like the real thing hence the pained expression on his painted face (that is a picture on its own).

Sunday was Famous Road Trip Day as Kath, Lady Karina of Ghengis fame, Andy the House Hunter and Chauffeur Louis took to the high road, or more specifically the route to Meknes.

First stop was at Bab Mansour in Meknes to visit New Pal Lionel and his family where a quick tour of his labyrinth house was much appreciated by all with great arches and exposed brickwork throughout the house. He took us on a quick tour of the Medina stopping at a house of a Moroccan friend of his halfway through a massive renovation. This house would have to be one the classiest I have been in containing 17 bedrooms, pool on the terrace, 360 degree views and the crowning glory the ex Pashas suite which was a museum piece that took your breath away. I cant tell you what was paid for the house but in six months the value has quadrupled due in no small part to the exquisite renovation work.

With a proposed opening date of New Years Eve I somehow found I was to be the Dj at the party which now means I could be treble booked as Riad Fes and Cafe Clock are also offering la meme chose, nice to be popular. I sense I need to get back to Spain to pick up my records tout suite!

Leaving Lionel it was time to visit my fave town Moulay Idriss and I guess its time to let the cat out of the bag now and explain my vested interest in the town. On one of my many visits Faissal, our man in Moulay, took us to the top of the Medina to an enclave of houses bordering a community garden. We spotted a house with a view onto the Mosque, the holiest of places in the whole of Morocco, also the whole of the Medina and off to the side the Volubilis site. The owner happened to be there so after quick visit to the top terrace found a small deposit being laid down for a future purchase, what am I like!! So if you are reading this Tony, here we go again. I now have a year to find the grand total of 13,000 euros!!

Took the troops up to the house and we all sat on the stoop admiring the view quietly in contemplative mode as it was so gorgeous, drinking mint tea with Mohammed the house owner as the local kids scampered around us. Could have stayed here for hours to watch the sun go down in the valley beyond, bathing Moulay in a suffused lemony light but no time to waste as Volubilis beckoned.

As ever the old Roman town fascinated and chilled even the most knowledgeable of travellers with its own special magic, with its wholly intact mosaics still open to the elements, a reminder of the Romans own zellige artisans. Karina was fascinated by the fertility rooms stone phallus which we took her to with eyes shut, so that she had to guess by shape and touch what it represented. It seemed to take her an inordinately looong time to guess its shape and purpose, so prising her fingers from the ancient Dickus Romanus we wended our way homeward as the sun set violetly over the lush grape growing plains.

Arriving back in Fes I suggested a wasabi mouthburn at at the one and only Kiotori restauarant and even though we were 90 mins early for opening time Moroud (spelt wrong i am sure) the owner ever graciously led us to a side room decorated with cool Balinese screens. No need to order as a superbly fresh platter of delectable fish delights arrived to tantalise those tastebuds making us doubly satisfied as he waived the bill, as I have spent maybe more time than I should have in his establishment. However when food is this good it is easy to become a sushi addict.

Rushed back to Boujloud Square to catch the free jazz in the coolest of settings inside the freshly manicured rampart walls. To finish off the splendid day I hunched over the computer to blog madly before I forgot the details, while Simon and Kath sat in the main salon, her nursing a cup of Horlicks, him something slightly stronger, whilst listening to multiple episodes of the Archers on the internet Radio podcast!!

The Perfect Weekend? (part 1)

2007-11-18T20:17:00.000Z

Well it certainly comes close to being one of those weekends where the weather, good friends, Fes and the ambience collude to produce a magical couple of days. With my very good friends Pippa and Kath in town it was always gonna be fun but throw into the mix new compadres Simon and Andy over from England and the Mernissi house was a hive of activity.

First up it was the Jazz in Riads week in the Medina and luckily enough the first two nights it was held in the Palais Mnebi all of 30 metres from my house. To say it was good would be like saying that Shergar could probably catch a trotting donkey, it was ASTOUNDING. I havent heard jazz like this since Soft Machine or Weather Report in their pomp in the 70s, it was in that kind of league. First up was Synop-sis from France with guitarist Eric Sempe and the incredible drummer Felix Sabbal Lecco amongst others who layered intricately textured rhythms together with practiced ease with warped Arabian vocals from a manic percussionist. It was little short of mind boggling in fact I cant remember the last time when my mind was as boggled but it could have been that strange mushroom omelette on Had Rin Beach at a full moon party in Thailand in 86, not that I remember too much about that particular night apart from two nice ladies called Bad and Oy, but thats another story.

Next band up and I mentioned that I would not like to have followed on from that but the Didier Lockwood Trio took up the baton and ran a blinder as we say. As a violinist Didier has played at a tender age with the likes of Dave Brubeck and here his frenzied and inspirational style was more Stephane Grapelli on acid plus he was flanked by young hotshot pianist Thomas Ehco who made Jamie Cullum seem more like Russ Conway (remember that gum showing piano tooth smile), as his fey, foppish appearance, plus he looked about twelve, belied an amazing fastfingerflashy style. I turned to Kath to say he was soo good that I wanted to chop off both my useless non piano playing arms, but I suppose practically once you have cut one off how do you attempt to cut off the other ummm i suppose I will shelve that idea and just watch with gritted teeth whilst turning green with envy.

The word prodigious did not do this man justice as the notes seemed to fly from his fingers as he tossed his forelock frantically to the manic pulse he was creating, note to self.... i havent got a forelock just a crinkly tuft, whilst Didier with the aid of multi effects pedals created multiple rhythms overlapping as he played atop and alongside his own created sounds......mindblowing. Came out shocked and stunned, the Jazz in Riads this year has taken a huge leap forward, could even rival the Sacred Music Festival in a few years time, well done Fes.

During the day I nearly forgot to mention throughout the Medina the Jaipur Maharajah Brass Band (I kid you not)were strolling New Orleans style but in full traditional Indian costume a-parping and a-honking of their bugles and a-bashing of their drums with their pearly whites a-flashing in the most manic fashion, most peculiar and enlivening. Gathered in Boujloud with a very appreciative audience craning from all the surrounding rooftops two loudly dressed dancers spun and whirled to the frenzied indian jazz. The male dancer looking a mite apprehensive as well he should then proceeded through his party tricks, consisting of balancing four tumblers on his head atop of which was a huge heavy urn of water whilst dancing on broken glass and then a bed of nails....I know....WHAT the ***!

So all in all a fine start to the weekend but that was just the start.

Fes Clipping

2007-11-14T17:35:00.001Z

Just came across this article in New York Times from last year that someone sent me so have a read

http://travel2.nytimes.com/2006/10/01/travel/01journeys.html

A Day in the Life

2007-11-07T12:30:00.001Z

Its a tough job but someones got to test these terraces out for comfort, thanks Fred and cheers Gary for the photo, now everyone can see what a lazy git I am. Well at my age (have a guess) I think I deserve it!!

A DMcKinlay shot from the Menzeh bedroom framing my Ali Baba magic lamp, unfortunately Genie-less.

An interesting day yesterday as I had a visitor from our neighbours Meknes in town, who after following my blog observations about the nouvelle cafes in town decided to come check it out for himself.

Lionel is a Frenchman teaching English at a school in Meknes and living with his girlfriend and young children in a large Medina house that he is in the process of renovating. Comparing notes on the different cities it quickly became apparent there is a huge gulf in the way things operate. Here in Fes we have more malems than we can shake a stick at, whereas in Meknes there is a dirth of skilled tradesmen apparently with only one zelliger of note for instance an old 70 year old Meknessi who the renovators share!!

According to Lionel there are approximately only 4-6 Europeans who have bought and restored a property (surely not) and when sourcing materials sometimes a trip to Fes is necessary to pick up plaster or zellige materials. He was suitably impressed with the bilde in the buildings here in Fes as this is not the case in Meknes whereas he says prices tend to be higher per sq m even so.

As he was only here for the day I tried to pack in as much as possible and will hopefully get a reciprocal time when I visit him. We took off for the ceramic factories to negotiate a good deal for his zellige with wildly fluctuating prices but after some astonishment at an initial quote of 800 dh a sq m we found a small independent at a more reasonable 300 dh, it pays to shop around as we all know.

From here we went to my new fave venue So Sweet cafe for savoury crepes, back to the Mernissi house to chill before a cool vodka and tonic with Sesarina at the effortlessly cool Riad Fes. To finish off Lionels day with a flourish off we went to the equally effortlessly cool Kiotori for sushi (3rd time in a week) where we joined Mr David Amster and Miss Karina Deubner of Ghengis fame for some wasabi mouthburn antics, yum.

Nice to meet a fellow European with a completely different take on living in Morocco and look forward to getting under the skin of Meknes and checking out the stylish Art Deco inflenced new town amongst other things.

Big Thumbs Up

2007-11-04T11:19:00.002Z

Photos by the very wonderful Doug McKinlay of Lonely Planet fame amongst others, who will soon be showing an exhibition of some of his framed prints of Fes around the house in the near future

A special visitor knocked on the door this morning being one of the Mernissi sisters from whom I bought the house all of twenty (has it been that long) months ago. For those who are not aware the Mernissis are one of the famous Fassi families whose members include the renowned writer and strident feminist, lecturer Fatema Mernissi. I recently googled Mernissi and the first thirteen pages were all on Fatema!!

I digress, anyway one of the reasons for the sisters visit from her home in Spain was to see her old family home as she was born and brought up here so of course she was incredibly interested in what I had done to it. I like to think I have done a sympathetic restoration but now was the acid test. Her comment "Magnifique" was good enough for me, just wait till I have totally finished though. As with any renovation the finishing details can carry on for up to a year afterwards as you fine tune and then finer tune almost daily to reach the stage where you are 99 per cent happy. You will never be 100 per cent happy so dont even try, if you are then you must be Godlike!!

Ps Oh I nearly forgot the sushi review, took along Doug and Jane fresh from our morning horseriding experience where we had magnificent Arab/ Berber stallions, and can very cheerfully announce that Fes now has another fine dining experience. Authentic in all respects even down to the flat screen tvs which I am assured is a staple feature in Japan, and even the Moroccan waiting staff looked entirely fashionable in their dark Kimono garb.

And the food.....delicious from the miso soup, crunchy tempura through to the sushi and sashimi with stunning presentation from a menu the size of a Michener novel. Oh, that wasabi burn, I can still feel it so Domonic, if you are reading this from Tokyo, its time to come back mate now you wont feel homesick. Can also report that one of the trendy new cafes So Sweet is serving Eggs Benedict so your intrepid gorger took in brunch, leaving slightly disappointed (I usually am) at the thin dribble of semi Hollandaise on my fried (no no no) eggs. There should be at least a gallon of the foamy sabayon over two perfectly poached eggs, but at least there was ham and over a blueberry muffin which was a nice touch, very Maine (USA) like, which brought back some warm memories of when I lived there in the 90's in Camden and Boothbay Harbour.

So those scores again 10/10 for the Sushi experience, 5/10 for Eggs Benny, 9/10 for the Maine memory jogger.

The View from The Top

2007-10-31T14:55:00.000Z

Photo courtesy of the very wonderful Doug Mckinlay who is back at the house with his other half Jane bringing with him some great prints of the house in his inimitable style to be framed to grace the bare walls. He also brought a complete sushi kit with mirin, wasabi and soy so I think the message is clear.....find tuna!!

Rumour has it and I can substantiate it that a new Japanese restaurant is soon to open opposite the Jnan Palace Hotel. When it does, could be days, be sure we will be one of its first clients with a full critical review, hopefully glowing. Sushi in Fes, I never thought I would see those three words in print.

Just when you thought you knew Fes you discover more as I went out and about with Khawla, an agent with Sirocco estates, who are building a great complex just out of Fes on the Taza road, incredible value, about 25000 pounds for apartment with garden and communal pool, interested?? then email me.

She then took me to two very trendy Soho or Marrekech type coffee bars in the Ville Nouvelle where all the bright young things chat over their cafe nous nous and choccie cake whilst cool house music plays in the background. We then went to her familys villa off the airport road and furthur on to a huge equestrian centre with stunning horses in stables, massive swimming pool, riad and terrace and two restaurants all under extensive renovation will be very swish, as we say in the west, when finished. Ive booked two horses for Hopalong Mckinlay and Jane this Friday although have wimped out myself as I can sense that any horse can spot a novice and will gallop off with me stopping somewhere outside Azrou and depositing me in a heap.

Hot Spot or Lukewarm

2007-10-27T17:01:00.000+01:00

Soooooooo is this the next hotspot of Morocco or is that just wishful thinking. Out and about in the trusty Merc I am always on the lookout for bargain properties or areas ripe for genrification Moroccan style. This area in the photos, which is meant to keep you guessing of course, has several major plus points added to an equal number of minus points which adds up to a VERY LONG PUNT INVESTMENTWISE. However for bravehearts the rewards will be reaped its just when.

On a lighter night my compadre Tony Hall, superstar chef to the stars, specifically Roger Taylor from Queen, is jetting in next month for a flying visit. He is all fired up, full of exotic recipes and looking to guest chef at one or more establishments during his stay. Im not giving too much away when I say in all likelihood he will be chopping up a storm and burning the gas at Riad Laaroussa and hopefully Cafe Clock for starters (scuse the pun) but anyone else wanting to hire his unique talents just leave a message in the comment section below. Of course I am a chef myself but my passion nowadays is in bricks and mortar, but I am sure Tony will have me sauteeing or chiffonading something, with the odd mirepoix and julienne going on and ensuring that he is mise en place. All culinary terms are from our period at Norwich Catering college circa 1973, so as you can see we go waaaaaaaay back.

Back to the house and now the basement (photos soon folks on the blog) is nearly done it was time to turn my attention at long last to furnishing the apartment. Off to see Koko, whose brochure for his shop features many shots of this house which has many of his handmade pieces gracing each room. We went to his fabric man deep in the derb (I love that expression) and I bought 20 metres of quality cloth for the banquettes for the grand total of 55 euros. The previous day Ben and Zina acting as the impoverished newly weds went with me to an out of town souk where we negotiated a great deal on some hand made wooden bases to support the banquettes. When these are all made should only take 4 days then I will commision a low lying metal table and voila will have created a cool breakfasting spot in the apartment salon, which already has a cool cedar breakfast/sushi counter. Will post some shots when all is done.

Out and About

2007-10-25T18:09:00.000+01:00

Doesnt time fly when youre having fun hey, lots of comings and goings over the last few weeks to keep an old man on his toes so therefore poor old Bloggy takes a backseat. First up was the Norwich invasion with Michael Mystere bringing along a very subdued and reflective Mr Connors from Norwich an international engineer of some repute.

Michael enthralled us with tales of cushions and fabrics, a far cry from the days when we used to run a underground dance outfit together but then that was a few years ago. Of course back then I had no idea I would be swapping a terrace house in Norwich for the more exotic Mernissi House leaving behind a mortgage and a smoking ban, whilst Michael became a happy breeder and the owner of a delightful soon to be fully cushioned Dar. We were joined by Paul and Debs from Norwich en route to the Puro DesertLounge dance party in Marrekech. We took in the sights including Riad Fes and Riad Laaroussa for lunch in between Fez buying for the natives back in Blighty.

Strange to look around from my top terrace to see alongside me four familiar faces from England whose more normal habitat would be the famous Fat Cat pub in Norwich, just voted best pub in Britain, again. Here our local as with most other bods in Fes is Thamis who never fails to deliver the culinary goods. Soon we will have the Cafe Clock as an option and we are all waiting and warming up our saliva glands for that experience and there are also rumours of a sushi bar opening in new town soon inshallah.

Have been out and about lately and one night came across a Rap night inside Bab Makina with thousands of young Moroccan hippity hoppity type dudes in outsize baggy pants and baseball caps, frugging and breakdancing to some very theatrical stage Djs. Up on the crenallated fort walls of Bab Makina which would not look out of place in a Lawrence of Arabia set, several storks in their makeshift nests looked down haughtily on the proceedings and if storks had eyebrows they would most surely have been raised at the antics of the crowd below. Having been the setting for some uplifting spiritual music in the Sacred Music Festival it seemed very incongruous to be hearing hard hitting angry polemic played to look a likey homeboys Moroccan stylee!!

Have been having a great time recently hitting the road normally with my esteemed colleague and entrepreneur Mike Clock as we need to keep ourselves acquainted with what is happening around and about Fes so we can reliably inform friends and future guests. Of course this has involved house hunting and we have both come up with interesting opportunities further afield as prices in Fes point skyward. How to pay for these projects is another matter but where theres a will theres a way.

Latest stroll through the Medina was again a revelation on returning to Fes as it was , how shall I put this and will you believe it, very SMART!! The Qaraouiyine Mosque doors were open on all sides and revealed the stylish renovation in all its glory and all around the shops, fronts, awnings and walls were how we say in England spruced up to the max. I popped out in Rcif very pleased and privileged to be a small part of the renaissance of this incredible place, and its still very much an ongoing process.

Up to his old tricks

2007-10-12T18:16:00.000+01:00

Back behind the old Technics for a cocktail hour session at the very wonderful Riad Fes courtesy of the manageress Sesarina. It seemed to go down well with guests and visitors alike and it was nice to dust off my dormant vinyl to set the mood. Could end up a regular soiree we shall see.

Coming to the end of Ramadan here, could be tomorrow, so the medina is buzzing and frenetic in anticipation of normality including the return of alcohol sales and conjugal rights to name but two of the bonus points. Its been a rather pleasant month and not too many signs of the irritation and frustration caused by going without, although Mahoud the snail seller outside the house did have a spectacular meltdown when someone nicked his gas burner, we could here him 5 floors up for an hour. He ranted and raved to no avail of course as his bucket of snails sat forlornly on the pavement with no means to boil up the little blighters.

From this weekend after a 3 day holiday Fes goes into winter mode the shops and restuarants open earlier and close earlier and very soon it will be time to batten down the hatches for the winter rains and dig out those long trousers and woolly jumpers for the onset of the evening chill. All around the Medina people will be firing up their patio heaters, the Europeans that is, dusting off their gas heaters and stocking up on their winter logs. Yes folks it can get cold here though last year we only had a dusting of snow on one day to the great amusement of the kids.

C'est pret enfin

2007-10-06T17:16:00.000+01:00

Yes it is ready finally, the final project on my list here of major importance and no I am not talking about crucial dental work to fill in the gaps or botox injections to smooth over those renovation tramlines on my forehead, I mean the Berber Basement dummy...

After four coats of paint the sad looking walls now look pristine, the accumulated light fittings that have sat on stairwells performing no particular lighting function are now in place like flaming torches. Ben attacked the freshly zelliged fountain and floor with acid water which is not a nouveau hippy drink but a highly caustic solution that is smoking as you pour it out and brings rapid tears to the users eyes. Suffice to say it immediately devours everything in its wake including half your fingers given half the chance.

We moved some plants and cacti in, played around with the lighting and tomorrow will throw down some tapis or carpets and cushions and voila ....the chillout Berber Basement, just need to hook up the Ipod dock to African lounge mode and then i will turn my attention to draping the ceiling to get the all important tent feel... cant wait.

Have had some great contact with old friends recently who are winging their way to Fes, Paul and Debs from Norwich are coming over soon for the PurodesertLounge concert in Marrekech with none other than Bryan Ferry the original Lounge Lizard performing alongside Claude Challe and Dimitri from Paris amongst others. Also Pippa jetting in from Dublin to check on her house purchase here as well as Doug the photographer coming over for a short break with his family. The best news though was a longstanding friend Teju coming over from Antigua.

We first met in the Caribbean over 20 years ago when we were doing modelling shoots in Antigua as being half caste we both looked very brotherly/sisterly for the shots. I was moonlighting from my yachtie chef job whilst I was also Djing in her then boyfriends bar and was lead tambourine in the Barracudas a rock n roll combo of musical yachties. Oh sweet memories of halcyon days of my lovely misspent and wild youth when the world was your oyster and it was all beach, beer, barbecues and bloody huge hangovers to boot.

We had the privilege on the way to one of our many beachside gigs with the Barracudas laden down with guitars, drums and assorted maraccas of picking up a tired and emotional Keith Richards, depositing him in the back of our cramped van and dropping him off at his wifes house. He said he only went out for a pint of milk 3 days previous but somehow got persuaded to stay up and out of it....funny that. I mentioned to the somewhat squashed and smelly rocker that this must remind him of travelling to early Stones gigs to which his succinct reply was errrr no. Conversations with the rich and famous hey dont you just love em.

Talking of the Caribbean mentioned to Teju that the troubled popstress Britney was on her way to rehab at Eric Claptons Clean up Clinic in Antigua just down the road from where Teju lives so she thought she might dash off a few pics for the dailies to get some dosh for her hols ummmmm. Well dont want to get tabloidy here so Im off to play with the basement lighting will post some pics later.

Oh Crumbs

2007-10-05T10:30:00.000+01:00

Josephine of Dar el Hana fame and I were cruising towards Macro supermarket in the trusty Merc not really paying attention to our surroundings as we were busy devouring a nice selection of biscuits. This being Ramadan we generally do not flaunt our eating, smoking and other subversive activities on the street but within the confines of the car its generally perceived as reasonably acceptable. Therefore with a mouthful of macarroons,spattering crumbs every which way over ourselves we were not aware of an approaching cavalcade. Suddenly a motorcycle outrider was flagging us to the side of the road closely followed by another.

My immediate thought was we were going to be reprimanded for driving without due care and attention as most of our due care and atention was concentrated on which particular tasty, crumbfilled delicacy we were going to devour next. Pulling over to the side of the road we were swiftly overtaken by a Maserati and an Aston Martin I believe and then a stretch black Mercedes containing his Royal Highness who we swore gave us a passing glance. What he would make of two Occidental infidels stuffing their faces with biscuits during Ramadan daytime I dont know,but it did make us feel slightly guilty for a few seconds so I sparked up a cigarette, which in England now is ILLEGAL if it impairs your driving. UTTER TOSH.

Now I know I can not comfortably feel at home again in that nanny state which daily is infringing on personal freedom and rights in so many areas,tapping phone calls being another recent idea. I wonder soon whether there will be any area of your daily life that the government does not have an influence on or an appropriate fine in place for. I feel in some ways it is a more restrictive regime than here in this liberal Muslim country. At least people go about their business here with a smile on their faces, oh well.

Sun is shining, plants are healthy on the terrace, new friends are coming and going and all is good. In the basement the painters are on track starting their work at 9pm till 3am in the morning such is the topsy turvy (great word for Moroccan attitude to work) world in Ramadan. This is when they have the most energy of course after that huge sugar intake at sundown. The basement is already transformed and soon will ready for draping and carpeting inshallah lets say about a week to be on the safe side!!!

Usual Suspects

2007-09-26T15:52:00.000+01:00

Top of the list the lovely Luz a friend of mine from Spain, un beso to you and your sister, elsewhere Karina the great great niece of Genghis Khan and Sean the great great grandson of Richard Nixon,joking Sean, finally Dom Juan smouldering behind a pillar!!

Where are Karinas hands and why the big grins ummm??

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Dominic jaunted in from his Tokyo headhunting and gathered around himself a sprinkling of the new and old faces in the Medina for a mid Ramadan dinner. With an exotic mix of German, Kazakstan, Spanish, American, English, French and Italian at the meal it reflected the true exotic mix of characters and nationalities choosing to make Fes a big part of their life.

With all of these guys they are sincerely trying each in their own way to contribute positively to enhance the message of the Medina. What is that message, well part of it is assimilate dont segregate and contribute in whatever way you can to the fabric of this spiritual place. If at the same time you can have some fun and simplify your life and unload some stress then that indeed is a bonus.

Familiar Story

2007-09-20T19:36:00.000+01:00

For all you renovation specialists out there heres a familiar story involving a carpenter, zellige man, plumber, builder and an electrician and I am guessing you can sense whats coming. Its to do with logical sequencing so you know some fun is in store. Basically a small project involving plumbing and wiring the basement fountain should be no problem well not if you have the patience of a saint.

We know already from past experience that plumberman and leccy man have to do their bit so builderman can lay his trusty trowel over their indentations, then leave to dry before zellige man comes over to magically blend the new zellige into the existing set up. In the meantime carpenter man has to repair and hang two gnarly cedar doors in the basement rooms. Well it sounds all too feasible but in reality of course, and this being Ramadan which I guess increases forgetfulness, they either pop up unexpected, at the wrong time or not at all. After a year of renovation mode I am now very relaxed about the whole procedure as I know it comes together when it is supposed to come together and not when you personally would like it too.

So almost Keystone Cops and revolving door scenario ensues as you try to tie people down, not literally but a good idea anyhow, to a specific date and time to complete their designated task. Of course it all comes together funnily enough and I can literally laugh as a projected few days work stretches into 10 days with gaps so I find if you turn your attention to other more pressing matters it ceases to be any kind of problem at all just another funny story on the renovation rocky road.

Moving on and Christinas sister Luz is visiting from Palma looking to move to Fes and continue her Arabic studies so took her to American Language school and then out to Mt Zalagh for some incomplicated Berber hospitality at my friend Hamse. They presented me with the golden elixir a litre of their champagne coloured home pressed olive oil and an invitation to join them at break fast this weekend with my friends.

Also staying is Doug who has been snapping like the clappers for Lonely Planets new pocket guide and my friend DJ Patt from Vejer who rocked up in the Merc with my trusty turntables, mixer, amp, cds and even a box of vinyl so a chillout basement session is on the cards ......we just have to source a painter, after zelligeman has finished blah blah blah!!

Project time

2007-09-12T16:07:00.000+01:00

A couple of pics, one of trio of Mali masks I picked up to enhance wall space and a nice shot from my friend Johnny of the main salon or comfort zone of the house soon to be surpassed I hope by the Berber Basement!!

After the well deserved break/rest/work whatever you want to call it, escaping from the medina hothouse in August was on relection a bloody good idea. For one thing as mentioned it was getting unfeasibly hot so much so I was looking for a rainy respite in England which of course didnt fail me as I had a week of nothing else. Also going back to the Costa da Luz it was the height of the summer, i really recommend all you anti Costas to try the west coast of Spain for a REAL unblemished coastline and long may it continue, and so the beaches were nicely packed and the chiringitas or late night beach bars were buzzing.

I stayed with my friend Sina who kindly is babysitting my spanish furniture but its becoming to look quite comfortable in its new home so I guess it can stay put for a while yet as the Fes house is getting fuller anyway. It was nice to drive the Merc around as well taking long trips into the stunning Andalucian countryside cruising to Granada for instance just for fun. A week back in England with the family was suffice filling up on curries, fry ups and fish and chips before flying out to join a yacht in Nice for an eight day charter.

The real highlight of the month here as I had to shake off my culinary cobwebs,I hadnt cooked professionly for a year, kit out a galley from scratch, help train two stewardess who had not chartered before whilst also giving cooking tips to the crew chef. After a few days of settling in it was water off a ducks back and the guest family and friends aboard were having the time of their life and i was cooking up a storm on my unlimited budget. It was real nice to dip my toes back into this rareified atmosphere as far removed from Medina life as is possible, and left with promises from the crew to come and visit.

With a hefty paypacket in hand I returned to Fes with a focused head on to tackle the last major project in the house namely the celler or basement area. Within a day I had Ben stripping the two cedar doors and organising the plumber and electrician, builder and zellige to finish wiring and plumbing the fountain before tiling begins. This should only take a few days and then we can paint out the whole room and drape/tent the ceiling to get an Arabian nights feel and carpet and cushion the floor and fix the light fittings and voila we have another functioning room.

Back to Reality

2007-09-05T10:54:00.000+01:00

Just noticed the ole blog has not been updated for almost a month whoops, well I have had a good excuse as I have been moving weekly from country to country Morocco, Spain, England, S.France, Spain again all good fun apart from rainy England.

Best part was I just spent an idyllic week in S. France as guest chef on a beautiful 180ft sailboat Fleurtje, with the help of two stewardesses and pristine galley and an unlimited budget for food!! Hence shopping in Monaco and St Tropez buying lobsters and seabass etc etc It is run my an old friend of mine from my yachting career who called me out of retirement to do this charter for 8 days and rewarded me rather handsomely for the privelige, could live for a few monthes in Fes on that no problem.

Spent gorgeous nights anchored off Cap Ferrat the richest real estate on the Cote DÁzur whilst whisking up a tasty dinner or buffet lunch for the appreciative guests, it was a step back in time for me as I spent 10 years doing just this in the eighties when I was a lot wilder and gung ho. I find I am now the chilled alternative to the young and booze friendly crew which is cool.

Am back in Spain at mo in beautiful Vejer de la Frontera getting the papers ready for the Mercedes to get over to Morocco. Lots of calls from friends coming over to stay so it should be a good finish to the year, will keep you all posted.

Its all GO

2007-08-05T12:00:00.000+01:00

A pic or two from halcyon days on my favourite yacht, a wave to the camera, as I have been requested to guest chef again in the old Riviera on another friends megayacht for a spell in August, oh its a tough life.

Just back from a two day sojourn with Mike in Chefchaoen as a break from Fes but also to check out Mikes two recently acquired properties one at 13000 euros and 18000 euros both bijou but great views. Always nice to go there but as a double bonus bumped into Christina who recently stayed at the house in Fes, which made my day for sure.

Stayed at our friend Johns place at the top of the Medina he is a classic English eccentric, recently turned 65 but he is rambustious,opinionated and likes the odd tipple or tiffin. Suffice to say he is a brilliant cordial host when in Chefchaoen. He is soon to be appointed warden of the town by the Consul in Tangier which will only serve to make him more over the top i guess, bless him.

Back in Fes now and just received a call from an old skipper friend of mine needing a chef for a weeks cruising in Monaco, Nice and St Tropez (thanks Tony for giving him my number). As I am on my way back to England on 14th August for a stint the timing is perfect as they require me in Nice on the 22nd so time to dust off my knives for a return to the fray albeit for a few days. It seems an old chef never really retires, when the call comes and you weigh up the bucks, which are substantial, then off you go again. Basically you could live for months here in Fes in what I make in a week on a yacht but then its time to get back and crack on at the Mernissi House on those small details that have been bugging me over the last few months.

The Medina has been empty of familiar faces for a while but come September I expect they will be trolling back and finally Mikes place will be open followed by the sumptious Riad Alkantara just round the corner with its landscaped gardens and olympic size pool (almost ) for some culinary evenings or two. The oppressive heat should have dissipated and we can all breathe freely again and be able to venture out without dripping profusely inshallah!!

Its only words

2007-08-04T23:01:00.000+01:00

How do you sum up Morocco, well for those who have been or those who havent try these words out or add your own, its only fun but see how many ring true.

Magical, mysterious, sensual, intoxicating, frustrating, illogical, ebullient, innocent, allknowing, charming, frustrating, refreshing, relaxing, religious, hypcritical, deserty, lush, cheap, luxurious, poverty, happiness, respectful, hospitality, dirty, frenetic, fun, alluring, captivating, unhealthy, overbearing, overfamiliar, overtaking, illuminating, sacred, sacriligious, serious, spicy, progressive, baksheesh- central, backhander, breathtaking, calm, oasis, greedy, childlike, poor, respectful, happy, hardworking, lazy, toothless, sunny, sharing (see what I did there), brilliant, bombastic, bewildering, becalmed, irritating, patient, impatient, serene, and so on......add your own.

Above all its an experience and as they say here "This is Life" , a life of contrasts to be sure.

Blooming Marvellous and Bloody Hot

2007-08-01T13:29:00.000+01:00

Johnny the video celebrity with yours truly
The sultry Spanish siesta princess cools off on the cushions!! Come back soon now y'hear
The title says it all really with the sun scorching through the menzeh shutters from early in the morning waking yours truly from his happy slumber. Though during the day on the terrace it is well nigh impossible to spend any quality time without being seared, scorched and severely burnt etc the bougainvillea and assorted plants are thriving in the hothouse atmosphere.

Its been a very cool week in other respects in the Mernissi House with an old yachting compadre Johnny Edwardes jetting in from a Palma film shoot with his gorgeous delectable friend Christina who features in daytime siesta recline mode in the photo. Johnny and I spent many happy years crewing on the classic sailing yacht Sumurun, check out the website www.sumurun.com for an insight into my previous lifestyle, in the Caribbean, States and Europe. These were the days of exotic food as I was the chef, Celebrity guests such as Richard Gere, Bianca Jagger and some bloke called Mick she was with and we were young single and permamently hungover.

So of course Johnny and I had lots of catching up and tall stories to tell. What was more interesting was his current job helping on film,video and still photo shoots in Palma. We got onto youtube and Johnny showed me a cool clip of Outkast and Pharrell Williams (for those in the know they are the coolest hip hop honchos) and blow me down if he didnt feature in a scene as a badass gangster, so his credibility factor went up in my estimation several notches. Of course this gave us the idea for doing something similar around Fes where we have more locations than you can shake a stick at so watch this space.

Spent long lazy langourous days destressing the two of them as they had been doing a 6 week 16 hour day shoot before visiting me so we lounged and ate and siested and then off in the cool of the evening to show them Fes finest locations, all within walking distance. The highlight had to be one of my now famous Mt Zalagh trips for sunset where we were invited in as always by a new Berber family and as the sun went down under the shade of a grand olive out came fresh churned butter and crusty bread, alongside wizened olives and golden olive oil for a memorable feast. This was topped by a glass each of hot foaming fresh cows milk....delicious. The family invited us to sleep on their roof under the stars but I had to get back for a dinner date so next time.

Sad to see Johnny and Christina go as like all my friends here they felt so at home and it felt too rushed a week longer would have been good. They will both be back soon I hope with new plans and ideas for Fes and the house i hope.

With August approaching or upon us even its time to escape to England for a bit of Mums home cooking and a spot of mindless TV thus escaping the Fes Cualdron so missives from this end could dry up a bit but keep checking for a View from Norwich update maybe.....

Investment Advice (Commit to memory)

2007-07-25T09:45:00.000+01:00

Research and due diligence as they say are invaluable tools when it comes to putting your hard earned moolah into a venture. I always listen to my peers, or those in the know, as well as using my gut instinct but from now on there is a mantra i will be remembering over all others. It is simple, commit it to memory and you wont go far wrong as you strive towards creating your personal pension, or enhancing your portfolio or just want to get stinking rich. It is the personal credo of one of the worlds richest men and shrewdest businessman Warren Buffet and it goes something like this.

When embarking on a venture either as investment, speculative borrower, setting up a business just follow these 3 main points and you will NEVER go wrong. They are in no particular order

1. DONT LOSE MONEY

2. DONT LOSE MONEY

and last but not least

3. DONT LOSE MONEY.

I think I get Warrens drift and after his lifetime of global risk taking I think he knows what hes talking about so Thanks Warren thats definitely made things a lot clearer for all of us!!

Observations and ethanol

2007-07-24T10:34:00.000+01:00

Nice piece in the Sunday Telegraph about our fine city with a few slightly distorted facts from yours truly, I really wish the reporters would send a proof before printing as I really dont recall saying searches on a property can take a year. Or maybe I did as Mike and I were blathering on at a rate of knots but it would be good to confirm certain elements before they are set down as gospel truth but its a minor quibble all good publicity, hey.

Took another one of my scenic observational walks the other day and the stand out attraction hands down was the renovation of the Jnan Sbil Gardens, this is a monster sized public park undergoing massive reconstruction. Situated at the far end of Boujloud square opposite the Kings Palace it covers several hectares and though locked to the public at present peering through the gates i could see an incredible centrepiece fountain being built flanked by plants and subsidiary sister fountains. Also throughout the park as far as I could tell there was pruning, planting and landscaping being carried out and it will very soon look sensational.

Coming back through Boujloud square the workers are now renovating the INSIDE of the ramparts and soon we will not recocognise this area as proposed demolition of the triangle of old buildings to your right as you come out of the Boujloud gate is on the cards. This will open up that whole view into one gigantic open space so of course eventually this will be Fes answer to Marrakech's Jamaa el Fna.

The other highlight was on the walk back from a visit to my friend Monique at Riad Norma to console her as her latest project has over run, overspent and under finished, I passed by Riad Mokri, no not Palais Mokri that is a different beast. This is a worthwhile stop not only because it is a beautiful house but unusually for Fes in the Medina it boasts a 2000sq m landscaped garden on several levels which is an oasis of calm and some incredible mature fig, olive, date, orange and palm trees and at the bottom of the garden a zelliged working well on four zelliged pillars.

As this is blog post number 100 I raise my glass to whoever is reading and wish to get political for a moment. We are all aware of the cost of oil going through the roof and the effect of carbon emmisions on climate change, witness the flooding of dear old Blighty and there is now a big push for the use of flexfuel or ethanol based products. Going back to my old mate Brazil did you know they are not oil reliant at all(but they can always borrow from neighbour Chavez) and that 70 per cent of the cars there run on ethanol, so it can be done America pay attention. Actually America through a Bush mandate is surging ahead with ethanol production BUT at what cost.

As ethanol can be made from wheat, sugar and even straw you would think that it is a healthy ecofriendly alternative but it could actually increase world hunger quite easily. If overstetched farmers have to divert their wheat crop say to produce ethanol this lessens the amount of wheat that is used for food product, less availability, price of wheat goes up, who pays the consumer of course. So you are driving a flexfuel car, doing your bit for the environment driving to the shops to put a down payment on a loaf of bread. Its the downside of an ethical equation, but it will happen. So what do you do, well buy shares in sugar and wheat now if you are speculative, but basically be aware of the conundrum this will happen in our lifetime.....so maybe I'll pop over to Brazil to see how they manage..anyone want to sponser me????

99 and rising

2007-07-23T10:03:00.000+01:00

The title refers to the fact that my postings on the ole blog now stand at 99 a bit of a landmark (well to me anyway)so for the next posting I hope you will join me if you are reading in a toast of whatever beverage floats your boat!

I must admit that I seem to have acquired a wifi addiction over the last few days now that I have access 24/7 in the sweet comfort of my chilled salon, as opposed to sitting in a sweaty cybercafe surrounded by screaming kids on gaming machines who all seem to be called Nordeen or NORDEEN!!!!!(shout at top of voice every 2 mins). Now I have the luxury of browsing/writing/exploring old Smiths videos on youtube at my leisure over a nice cup of Typhoo tea and a buttered crumpet whilst Ben my trusty guardian linseed oils every piece of wood in the house around me. So as I write this a heady mix of oil and fragrant cedarwood is gently assaulting my senses, very serene, I think I might write a book its definitely conducive to it here as outside the Sun cranks up the heat a notch or three making mid morning an ordeal.

Talking of Sun where is it in Blighty, nowhere to be seen it seems so I thought I would post some summery (is that a word) pics to peruse namely the blooming terrace and some colourful Caribbean art brought back from a previous sojourn in St Maarteen. I have them up in the house here and its fitting as its African art albeit from a Caribbean perspective although of course they came from here originally though not of their own volition methinks, so I am, to quote the great man "Bringing it all back home".

Now where was I, oh yes, the wifi scenario has enabled me to do the research that I used to do on property in Spain so now I am researching Morocco of course, though unfortunatly the Mernissi Beast has taking huge chunks out of my potential investment pot it doesnt stop me looking. Now for those who know me I have for the last few years had a fascination and strong instinct about Brazil and my recent research has borne out the fact that this is one of the strongest investments in the world at present. Listen to these facts....Brazil has a third of the Worlds drinking water...WHAT I didnt believe that one either, it is part of the BRIC conglomerate that is alongside Russia, India and China where the biggest leaps in economic activity/world influence is due over the next few decades (ask Goldman Sachs). It is one of the greenest eco friendly countries on the planet and with the price of oil going through the roof it is one of the largest producers of alternative fuels namely ethanol.

Also I wont tell you where, because you can check this out for youself, but the worlds fourth largest airport is being built as we speak due to be finished in 2009 (and no it isnt Rio or even close) and the affect this will have on land prices is of course ridiculous. The area I have been looking at you can at present buy a plot of land on the beach for about £10,000 or thereabouts now who wouldnt want to just sit on that for a few years?

Well see what happens when you get wifi, access to all these possibilities from the comfort of your banquette. Well I better move as Ben is threateningly close with his linseed brush and the rate hes going I could end up with a coating myself!

A View from the Derb

2007-07-21T12:43:00.000+01:00

Just clicked onto the View from Fes blog and was surprised to see my last missive reprinted, well as long as it reaches a wider audience its all right by me. My article just goes to show though that its what goes on behind the scenes here in Fes that makes it the eternally fascinating city that has captured our imagination.

For those of us who are searching for a richer and also simpler life based on sound principles incorporating family values, respect for one another not to mention a lower cost of living then we have found it here. All this is also enhanced by the fact that as I mentioned previously the Medina overall is finally getting the major facelift it deserves. From 1981 onwards when UNESCO and World Bank provided funds and initiatives to stabilise the rot and decay that had undermined life here Fes did not really move forward in great leaps and bounds. I would suggest that some of these monies may have been misappropriated although anyone involved in a contract for supplying the cedar propping up the houses here probably made a pretty penny.

Its only now that we are seeing the true fruits of over 25 years of interest in this World Heritage site. Not only within the medina streets where its visible renovation is taking place nightly but also on the ramparts where six separate contractors are restyling and repairing the city walls. Within the houses also we are seeing a massive amount of investment from Europeans intent on creating or recreating glories from a bygone era hopefully with a sympathetic eye.

As one goes about their daily business its not always apparent exactly how much is going on and I must admit my stroll the other night brought home the extent and also the speed of operations. Maybe the deadline for all this work is 2010 according to the Plan Dazur from the King when we could also expect the other infrastructure to be in place such as the double decker high speed trains, proposed motorway to Oujda and cable car over the Medina!!

In general with the expat community here it is time for a time out as we head towards a traditionally scorching August so everyone will be taking time off to dip a toe back into their previous life. I expect September will see a resurgence in frenetic housebuying and continued costly renovations (its never the price you would like it to be) and with all the proposed new flights winging their way here Fes continues to be the focus of a lot of media attention.

Strolling through the Medina

2007-07-19T10:03:00.000+01:00

It being a cool night in Fes and with nothing planned on my agenda for the evening i decided to take a stroll through the Medina late at night as the shops packed up their wares. I realised that I hadnt ventured into the depths as it were for some time as I am a Talaa boy at heart enjoying the local community around this Golden Triangle. Also as I have recently acquired wifi, sounds like a tropical ailment in that context(must put some cream on those wified parts) after seven weeks of on off shenanigans from Maroc Telecom and their engineers I needed some time away from my overheated laptop.

I had heard of the various renovation updates down in the depths but I really wasnt prepared, as we know how long things take here to progress, for the sheer scale and standard of the works. The main work that had been grabbing my attention of late has been the pavementing at the entrance to Ain Azlaiten car park where not only are pathways and plants being introduced finally but also that curious phenomenon known as "sleeping policemen" that serve to jettison one into the ceiling of a petit taxi at least 5 times before arrival onto the flat.

However I digress, strolling through a nearly ready for bed Medina I was amazed at the nocturnal activities going on around me. First of all nearing Seffarine I looked up to see costly lattice work cedar in place obviously to give shade to the street below during the furnace like daytime. The cedar ceilings continued throughout the walk to Rcif at various intervals but also there were new cedar carved awnings in place over long groups of shopfronts.

Further in the shopfronts were closed but metal scaffolding rose dramatically skyward and gangs of workers were chipping away at old walls spraying the few strollers underneath with a rain of dust,stones etc. Even further in the shopfronts were splattered with newly applied madloouk which had been beautifully applied to the once crumbling surrounding walls, and once dejected looking old mosques now stood proud and gleaming as the works of art that they most certainly are or were.

I must admit I was slightly shellshocked as the realisation that this renovation in The Medina is now getting really serious the money is definitely going where it is supposed to go at last. Now whole streets are renewed in a biscuit coloured madlouk glory, also repaved and definitely rejuvenated and all under cover of darkness because of course you cannot work on these streets during a busy shopday.

I popped out the other end in Rcif and caught my breath as even here funky shop stalls had sprung up catering to the late late crowd, sizzling kefta on charcoal fires, long sticks of sugar cane to be cut and sucked and the inevitable bookleg dvd man but at 10 dh a dvd Im not arguing. All in all a totally pleasurable and exciting promenade and for those who come back after a time away get out and about down here after 11pm and witness the transformation, Marrekesh watch out Fes is on the rise....again!!

Nice Weather for Ducks

2007-07-12T16:08:00.000+01:00

As my good friends from Norwich have just left after a few days roasting on the terrace heres a shot of their endeavours on the octagon delight or duck pond. Simon and Kate needed a well earned rest after the protracted sale of their secondary house in Suffolk and where better to come for some balm then the relaxed environs of the Medina. Believe it or not its not all frenetic bartering, donkey avoiding and dodgy tums well two out of three isnt bad!!

Its quite possible to just CHILL within the cool white walls of your house, unwrap the plastic ducks, fashion some rods out of bamboo and twine, fill up the octagon with water and encourage the neighbours to join in the fishing game. Well this was Simons idea of a well spent holiday while Kate encouraged and aided him in his endeavours. My role was to make sure they were fed and watered and went home relaxed and to this end I think I succeeded to the extent that their 5 days seemed like 10 to Kate. I tailored our expeditions out of the house to their love of all things wood or veneer orientated as Kate is a cabinet maker back in Norwich while Simon is a fine finisher of some repute with a great eye for detail and colour.

So going to see classic renovations around the Medina was right up their alley as we say and it was worthwhile seeing their eyes light up at classic gyps work, carpentry and fine zellige and madlouk finishing. Simon has never seen me as the practical type as I am more of a delegator and overseer of works so it was a bit of a surprise for him to see me on hands and knees inspecting potential tadelakt crack repairs in his shower room!!

Life in Fes

2007-06-30T13:59:00.000+01:00

As I write this in a waterlogged cyber cafe, the wind is howling outside and the rain is teeming into my sodden basement.....just kidding folks the scorching sidewalk forces us into the shade of our houses for the main part of the day. Unlike poor old England which has had about 10 years rain in 10 minutes it seems to me Fes has leapt into summer with a vengeance.

So what do we do in this scenario, well not much if you are me thats for sure unless you want to fry which is exactly what I did the other day convalescing on the terrace with a good book and turned a crispy black colour within hours. Apart from the pain it did make my teeth look whiter always a bonus!

So whats new in Fes well another big splurge in publicity heading our way after the Daily Mail and the Telegraph met us, that is Pizza Mike and myself, at Riad Fes the other week where we burbled on about our life here so that should be coming out soon. Also the rather big news that i picked up the other day is that the area around my fave spot at Mt Zalagh has been declassified from agricultural status to potential touristic developement status which is worrying and exciting at the same time.

I spend quite a bit of time with the small indiginous Berber community up there with their wattle and daub houses, cows in the living room, butter churn in the kitchen and outside a team of donkeys threshing the corn underhoof, whilst the kids chase the goats and chickens hither and thither, i love that phrase. So what will happen to these families when the big developers move in, I would really like to know as the region is set for such huge change i am sure most of them are totally unaware of the rapid progress. I almost would like to make it a personal crusade to raise awareness of the benefits or otherwise of this progress so that they can fully appreciate how this will impinge on their almost idyllic lifestyle.

They are not rich and probably do not own the house or the land it is on but i have rarely met a more hospitable,healthy, smiling, gracious people. On my several visits with various friends they are unfailingly impressed with the hospitality as we are greeted like long lost cousins, the cushions and tapis arranged under the shade of a massive olive tree or favoured spot. Sitting in perfect silence admiring the environs of the Medina beneath us very soon out comes the mint tea with a bowl of local olive oil and freshly baked bread to dunk it in and you can feel a perfect moment slyly creep up on you. With only a few words of Arabic to my repertoire the conversation does not exactly flow but its not needed they understand the need of Medina types to recharge their soul up in the hills with a cool off Atlantic breeze and perfect peace.

I have taken stressed out renovators and overworked estate agents up here and been able to chill them out instantly I call it my Zalagh Zen Experience. I would hate to think that progress would impinge on this experience but I guess it is inevitable so hope only that the prospective villas will not subjugate the Berbers too much to the vagaries of the 21 st Century as they work quite happily a few centuries behind us.

Thats got that off my crispy tanned chest so what else is new. Well Cafe Clock is threatening to open any week soon but realistically could be late August but it will be a welcome addition to the Fes culinary experience; might have to show Mike a classic Sunday Brunch theres nothing better than a good eggs benedict to start the morning, just need some english muffins and the Sunday papers!!

The Likely Lads

2007-06-23T12:08:00.000+01:00

Hello Folks yes I am still alive and kicking and as I have just been sent this amusing snap from Mystere Mike thought I would post it here for a laugh. The lads on it are DJ Patt my old compadre from Vejer in Spain and Koko the jack of all trades in the Medina responsible for making half the furniture in the house. I am relaxing after a hard days relaxing as you can tell well you dont want to push things too hard at my age do you.

Fes is a wonderful place to be right now the summer is kicking in and although the surrounding countryside is quite parched and dry a short drive into the hills ensures peace and quiet and the fantastic hospitality of the Berbers. At the house a succession of friends are arriving from all parts of the globe including Steph and Carey who have been working in the Peace Corps in Burkina Faso for two years one of the poorest countries in Africa. They fell in love with Fes immediately and will probably move here, it has that effect on people and if you dont believe it come over yourself and see if the bug gets you.

Octagon Delight

2007-06-06T11:54:00.000+01:00

Many thanks to Susannah Clarke for the image featured here which she took as one of a portfolio of photos for her forthcoming book. It will probably feature prominently on my upcoming website when I get round to it inshallah.

As we awoke today at the house Shawn an American friend came in bleary eyed from his dawn experience at the Merenids tombs Sacred Music gig to announce it was just a man with a horse and two musicians, in his typically dry and laconic tone, yea I got up at 4am for a freaking horse, adding I expected circus tricks at least. Oh well... the highlight conversation of the gig was one American turning to her companion as the sun rose over the tombs to point at the vast spread of the Medina in front and below them to announce Whats That! Would have to say that lady is spectacularly ill informed as to where she is and whats happening.

Halfway through the Music Festival and its only now that we are finding the hidden gems ie the free concerts at 11pm at Dar Tazi with wonderful call and response chanting and Dar Batha with an intense and invigorating Gnaoua demonstration last night that lifted the spirits skyward. The day is spent wandering the Medina soaking up the atmosphere and vibe of the Festival in keen anticipation of the afternoons activities. Sorry to have missed the inaugural appearance of a new Whirling Dervish extravaganza at Bab Makina the other night which by all accounts was top notch but i did manage to get my frantically bobbing head on national tv the other day whilst listening to some otherworldly Mauretainian chanting at Musee Batha...fame at last.

all relaxed.....for now

2007-05-26T12:56:00.000+01:00

There is one happy house hunter sunning herself on the terrace after finally choosing her little house in the Medina and as she left her sister Nicki showed up and soon was tramping the derb in search of her own slice of the Medina, it never stops. The renovation side of things is coming to an end and my hospitality side is now kicking in for all my visiting friends and family.

As i have not written for a while I have been pondering the exact purpose of the blog and I realise its main purpose was to entertain and inform at the same time the progress and pitfalls in a renovation. To this end I feel it has achieved that aim over more than 90 pages so new readers should take the time to go through the blog archive to see the progression.

For old readers I will probably post from time to time but will probably set up a website incorporating the best visual images and will keep you informed of its progress. There is so much happening in the medina but not all of it relevant to this particular blog, I feel Sandys View from Fes site covers our general daily life and I may take a fresh tack on things once my wi fi is fixed at the house could take a while though!!

Hectic

2007-05-07T12:21:00.000+01:00

Poor old blog suffering from a lack of attention but not because nothing is going on en contraire there has been too much to take in at times. From the frantic renovation and opening party of the Clock Cafe, the frantic renovations of Kleos ongoing project and the Sufi concerts at the Palais Mokri there has been a lot to take in this month.

At the Mernissi house work is slowly coming to fruition and as we speak a houseful of old friends have demolished a hearty breakfast and are now sunning themselves on the terrace or playing with the tortoises, putting off doing the less exciting task of opening bank accounts. Yes all the friends are potential Medina house owners of course. At present there are Andy and an expectant Shiffra and the mad Poles Rafe and Joanne who are seriously thinking of investing and Michael a lawyer who has taken on a huge restoration project down in the depths of the derb as we say.

Its been fun having people enjoy the house and entertaining them whilst down in the basement work goes merrily along with the build team taking their time to reconstruct walls; make new floors and today taking delivery of a ton of tiles to lay a new zellige floor. This should be the last major work in the house then we can concentrate on fine tuning things.

Yesterday Ben my trusty guardian got married so we all trooped along, he regaled us all with the story of his wedding night which was a detail too far for most people but he seemed pleased enough to share the full story with us. he will take a few days off to recover no doubt before moving back to the house with his new bride.

Very soon this month we have the invasion of the Norwich contingent starting with Mystere Mike and the wife and brood into their soon to be furnished Dar followed by more reprobates from my previous life should be fun we shall see.

2007-04-24T14:42:00.000+01:00

As one friend leaves more turn up which is great to get them to test drive as it were the various rooms. Its feeling real homely now and all around the house have been adding little touches but still need some real essentials such as a toilet door for the upstairs room, oh no I dont as its just arrived, albeit seven days late.

Heres a few pics of the interior for those of you fed up with terrace shots and for Michael a shot of our lunchtime companions the metalworkers.

Next project is the infamous basement which has been used as a dumping ground and general store for months but now hopefully we can transform it into a chill out space as it will be nice and cool in the summer heat.

Sandy provided another feast of entertainment in a Moroccan Music Melange type of way and a very healthy turn out of expats greatly appreciated the superlative vocal stylings of the various masters. It was shame we couldnt get to socialise more after the event but as it finished quite late a conga trail of us wended our way back up the medina ensuring all the girls got safely home. Cafe Mike provided his famous lemon tart nibbles alongside other treats and was most offended when Barbara enquired if he had anything savoury or salty as she had missed her dinner!

More and more characters are passing through the medina portals including NZ based set designers from Lord of the Rings to French chateau owners and music teachers from Eton and it all makes for a heady mix. In fact its difficult to spot a boring person as Fes tends to attract the unusual and adventurous not to mention the downright mad, no names mentioned.

A fine old time

2007-04-16T16:39:00.000+01:00

The Purple Circle members have been revealed to the public at large consisting of like minded souls intent on promoting ethical restoration, organising cultural events, socialising and supporting each others endeavours in the Medina etc. There was talk of a breakaway movement from one of the newer members to form a Deep Purple Circle whose role would either be to play Smoke on the Water on a constant loop or to be an underground wing. One of their weapons in this endeavour is the fiendishly clever and devious lettuce chewing character above who for the purpose of subterfuge is cleverly disguised as a common or garden tortoise.

We had a social gathering of the PC clan at the house on Sunday as I had decided to make a traditional Sunday lunch with Yorkshire Puddings. All the usual suspects were there and more besides and there was a lovely write up and more with a great terrace photo on the View From Fez. As the house is clearly now habitable with a functioning galley kitchen who better to try out my rusting culinary skills on than Fes nearest and dearest eccentrics.

Michael is over from Norwich for his usual mad three day sprint to get all his furniture made or ordered even though his house is not ready. Took him round to see my very valued contacts who have done me proud in the workmanship stakes and he was able to easily see, price up and order to his hearts desire. Picture shows him at the metalmans, we only dropped by for a minute but they insisted we stay for tea, lunch and even repaired my shoes into the bargain, as always exemplary Fassi hospitality.

For all those interested will post some pics of the house interior now that its all coming together and any mates interested in coming over to stay should contact me at djlouismac@hotmail.com

Its all happening Folks

2007-04-08T17:59:00.000+01:00

The Medina is buzzing and not just with the Semana Santa or Easter crowd but also with the core of ex pats here and its growing almost daily. As i said before have just discovered another new neighbour in the delectable Barbara who has stopped the renovation at her spacious marbled Riad to write a thriller novel, so she must meet Sandy of course for a few tips.

Introduced her to Pizza or is it Lemon Tart Mike and Fraulein Kleo and of course everyone hit it off like a Dar on fire as we are all basically as eccentric as one can get but all involved in beautiful projects of course so we cant be all mad. At the Mernissi House although waiting a week for the notorious plumber to show to fit in kitchen taps I cant let him get to me as we concentrate on making a house a home with handmade, not by me I add, furniture and pots and plants. Cheers Michael at Dar Mystere for the before and after shots on his blog of my terrace I had forgotten what a tip it was, my how time flies, as that was less than a year ago.

Ben and I were potting plants minding our own business the other day when we heard a commotion outside as a tour guide and his 40 young French ladies were admiring the front door and ladies lookout window which is a rarity here. I bounced down 5 flights to invite them all in and Ben gave them a quick shoof shoof around the house to the amazement of Fatima the Da Capo lady and the two cats and the very frightened tortoises. It was quite an experience and while on the top terrace several enquired as to my marital status so I held up my ringless hand prompting fits of giggles and two offers of marriage, not bad for a Saturday morning.

Fun continued later the same day with dinner with Kleo and Barbra at chez Barbra where we all cooked up a veggie storm and cheered up Kleo who had had a mare of a day having her water cut off and her electrician literally going mad. Not angry you understand but bonkers which is not good if someone is wiring your house, did I mention that the lighting doesnt quite work, well that goes without saying really! Anyway explained to her that she is approaching the Hump Phase as I call it when problems seem insurmountable but then they even out and you realise you are on the home straight and flying towards the post, over the Hump!

Dining on Barbras hand made black marble table in the bandstand area of her 450sq m patio with the two lovely ladies made me realise that I wasnt in Kansas anymore Toto, or for Kansas read Norwich terrace house and suddenly all felt right with the world. I have got over my personal Hump and am now fine tuning the house and it is looking great in fact just as I pictured it in my head all those months ago proving it CAN be done you just need to be STRONG in all senses of the word.

Will post some more piccies later when I have finished my pottering, made the beds and await a batch of friends arriving any moment now inshallah to test out the Mernissi hospitality.

Getting Neighbourly

2007-04-06T13:46:00.000+01:00

Big Big meeting last night in Batha at the sumptiously appointed Government Hall or whatever this palatial place was. It had been necessary for some time to get the Government and Tourism offices to acknowledge the frustration and anger of the European contingent and also to remedy said frustrations. All problems stem from archaic bureaucracy or delaying tactics with roxas or interference in peoples design choices for their business.

The meeting was pulled together by Maison Bleu and The Amster, David to his friends and a lively discussion ensued with several highlights incuding the Minister of Tourism being pedantic about criteria for Maison dhotes, for which he was interupted several times by a Government minister. Barbara, a Riad owner from round my way also had her say not mincing words when saying how do we stop getting ripped off by malams. Strong words indeed, but someone had to say it as most of the Europeans around the hall could equate to her individual experience in some way during their own renovations.

It was a good chance to see and meet the other mad people of the Medina who have chosen the Fes lifestyle in their individual projects and hopefully this meeting will result in more discussion groups being set up to address concerns as and when they arise. Hopefully with a sympathetic Government influence the Tourism and Planning Departments can work with us and not against us in the near future. After all we have all renovated here because we love the houses and Medina lifestyle and are not quick buck Bulgarian off sale merchants so a bit of respect for this would not go amiss. I think we should be in harmony working towards the common goal of having a legal business, paying our appropriate taxes etc to free some us up from the stress of working under the table so to speak until reforms are in place.

On a more chilled note it was good to see lots of the Medina stalwarts including a few new ones, got introduced to Barbera the rip off accuser from Question Time with the Walid and discovered yet again someone who was a very close neighbour who I had never seen before. This keeps happening so now I find myself flanked by Kleo on Kabira side and Barbera on the Sighera side in the middle of a German sandwich, not that i am complaining. They are great examples along with Josephine of the gung ho,go it alone, charming but feisty if necessary, strong independent women who are attracted to the Medina.

I take my hat off to them also anyone of us brave enough to dip their toes in The Renovation Game and come out the other end with a brain intact and anything but coins in their wallet or purse. Its all worth it in the end folks as I near the end of this first phase of finishing I can look back on all my hassles and realise it was all part of my education. Question is did I get an A plus for effort or a B minus must try harder next year, maybe I will never know until The Amster comes round!!

Yellow and Green

2007-04-03T18:16:00.000+01:00

The painting and sloshing and dripping finally came to an end today, after many complaints about masking off and not splattering. The last day they spent on a monster clean up of tiles and terrace and light fittings etc and well I couldnt believe it as the terrace became a vision of yellow and green. Ostensibly it should be Fassi Beige but its yellow to me and so we now have the national colours of Australia, Brazil and of course Norwich City my home town in Blighty.

Friends are staying in the salon bedroom and the intermediary room which at the moment has no doors, still waiting on that one as they are being made, so its a bit makeshift at present. Still putting one kitchen together but as the plumber has gone walkabout we have no taps in place although plumbing is good to go, so we have to go to the apartment kitchen for water, oh well at least we can cook and have a fridge. The plumber will turn up when you least expect him and I will come back one day to find the work done and while hes at it theres that leak in the bath thats bugging me!!

Its strange time at present as even though there is still lots to do in the house having friends there forces me to look to my catering and hospitality side to make sure they are reasonably happy in the circumstances explaining the lack of a sugar bowl or door to their toilet!!

Abdelkaddir stands proudly in front of his latest paint job and I have finally paid him off the last installment of the plaster,tadelakt and painting he has done. I dont know exactly what he has been paid but it is a LOT but his work is worth it in the long run after some of the shoddy work I have seen. I would recommend him but make sure you nail him for exactly what you want done and is material included and the exact sq m of what he is doing so you are au fait with what you are getting. Also see if cleaning up is in the price or what it will cost to clean up after his workers, factor all this in your quote and you wont go far wrong.

Old faces: New faces

2007-04-01T14:28:00.000+01:00

Doors are on, bolts polished, kitchen tadelakted and just when i thought the mess had ended I decided to get the terrace painted while I was off for a few days. Well thats not logical is it as I should have had it done ages ago but as Abdelkaddir had promised a wicked job at fair price I went along with it.

Had to pop up to Chefchaoen for a few days mainly to pick up my old mate Simon from Norwich on his way down from the Jerez MotoGrand Prix looking to celebrate his birthday with a Moroccan Experience so I obliged. We had a few days in the pouring rain for the most part catching up with Archi and collecting twigs and kindling for a nightly fire in the funky apartment we had rented. No news on the paperwork for the Chefchaoen abode, how unusual, so after two days headed back down to Fes through glorious greenery and verdant countryside. Simon was already impressed but interested to see what he would make of Fes and in particular the Mernissi House.

As he is a fine finisher back home his eye for detail and colour schemes is second to none so I value his comments or critiques on the house. On entering he was already impressed as the layout of the house is unusual to say the least and once on the terrace his unerring eye was picking out detail and coordinating colours. Unfortunately the painters had rain stopping their play so the terrace was not finished and slightly paint splattered, how unusual, as they believe its a clean up crews job to tidy up after them whereas half a day masking up could have solved the problem. Its best to be on hand to ensure this happens and even though I left strict instructions on my departure no masking was done and the old methods prevailed, oh well just hoping this is the final clean!!

Next day couple of old friends arrived for a week and as main salon bedroom ready thats where they went and over the week will help me put the kitchen together and fine tune the house for liveability. Paul and Becky have only recently bought their house here after numerous trips and frustrations over the last year so good luck to them and their imminent baby, could this be the first expat Fes birth i dont know, we shall see.

All week bits and pieces started to come together Simon and I choosing light fittings for the stairwell while Koka the leather man produced gorgeous banquettes out of the leather hides I have had for a year. Also the central light fitting in the main salon was made and ready for pick up so slowly, slowly it all comes together. The main project left is the Berber Basement so when the terrace is done its down to the depths we go to finish this off again Simon adding invaluable advice and great ideas he really is on my wavelength which is great.

More friends arriving this week from Chefchaoen so its all go at the mo will post some piccies soon adios.

Up the Workers

2007-03-25T14:54:00.000+01:00

Nice to see the Boys getting their hands and notably faces dirty as we progress on the renovation path. Nordeen who greets me each morning with Hello my brother, his only English, is on his last chore after repair zelliging throughout the house. This is the counter or is it bar top on the terrace and of course we are staying with our green and cream design complementing the table and terrace floor.

Mustpha the builder who solved one of my biggest annoying problems the huge chunks taken out of the steps in the stairwell, created a mosaic mix that perfectly blended in with the existing steps. He came in early Friday as the shops were shut because when he got his sanding machine going full tilt to polish the steps the place became enveloped in a Kalahari dust storm hence his dusty visage in the photo.

Nordeen the carpenter was responsible for the salon doors after the potent potash boys had stripped them. He lovingly made a colour stain to match all the existing wood in the house and applied it and then a linseed oil coating so the doors then looked good enough to eat, wood chips anyone. Then with our new solid brass bolts in place we hung the doors to give the whole room a special glow it seemed, because rooms are so naked without their nicely oiled doors, methinks.

Great three course meal at Pizza Mikes abode who will now have to change his name to Burger Mike or Lemon Tart Mike after a delicious meal in the exalted company of The Amster and Sandy Fassi Man with his newly acquired fez, looking quite the part I must say. The Purple Circle reared it s ugly head yet again and has gained some new members so I have heard so watch out Fes, this could get dangerous.

House Hunt

2007-03-23T16:33:00.000Z

Had a runaround week this week folks as my friend Pippa, another Norwich Nomad arrived. She was determined to find a property for under 20000 euros within the Medina and was expecting to see drivel or rubble but in that strange way that househunting works here she found her ideal house within an hour at 19000 euros. Or so we thought...

I knew it was too good to be true and so it was as the agents tirelessly working on her behalf, Linda and Alan from My Moroccan Dream, came up against the usual obstacle, one family member who wanted to jack the price up to...30000 euros!! How do you say you must be having a laugh in Arabic cos thats what we all thought. Poor Pippa was so despondent but hey thats the way things go so she put in a counter offer but they still held out and so the game continues. She left for Essaouria with nothing sorted so yours truly will pick up the reins for her and carry on the game.

Its been all go in the Medina and around the house as well as we organise yet another clean up, you realise that the final clean up is always tantalisingly out of reach. Started to stockpile furniture now at quite an alarming rate it must be said but all necessary and even on a frugal budget your money can go a long way ie wicker chairs at 140 dh each. Also dont go out on a limb for beds, a decent mattress from Metro on top of the wooden banquettes is just fine for most people unless of course you are expecting royalty.So this is where the fun begins visualising furniture and fittings in place and then checking the wallet to see what you can stretch those dirhams to afford.

Pizza Mike is back in town and found a lively companion in our Pippa as they are both ex Maitre Ds of top restaurants. A few drinks were shared with other ex pats at the Batha hostelry spotting Joesphine and the last remnants of the Aussie contingent over for her sons wedding, also Sandy preparing mentally for his Sufi party. Mike was waxing lyrical about the Purple Circle and why he was not in it whatever it was so suggested he start his own, maybe the Brown Circle... anyway moving on.

Its time for a Chefchaoen trip, why, because its there, plus need to see what progress in the house there regarding paperwork because then I will have to seriously chase up money. Also ANOTHER Norwich Nomad is on his way and Im sure you will see him out and about soon enough, an old mucka of mine of some 35 years standing his name is Simon Butcher. We were involved in an infamous Nomad meetup in Perth in 1986 which took two years to organise getting Norwich friends to Oz from all over the globe for a couple of months of mayhem that Xmas.

I think he needs a break from Englands frenetic work pace so the Big C should be ideal, whats the betting I sell him a house....

The Da Capo Code

2007-03-12T19:30:00.000Z

Dont talk to me about Da Capo I have had just about enough, for those who think I am talking about a Sicilian Dynasty ..think again. It is basically paint stripper used on all the cedar wood here but faced with stripping my main salon doors as they look a tad ratty in the cold light of day i decided on an alternative measure. With their fine gravure it would take the ladies over a week to strip them maybe more so I got in the Potash Boys. Now these guys use a caustic solution mixed with water that bites through the old paint and strips doors almost instantly albeit with tons of scrubbing and water.

Now the purists amongst us especially that Purple Circle crew would be up in arms about this procedure but to hell with it they came out fine. Then I will let the Ladies loose on them for a fine Da Capo treatment and then the carpenter will apply his secret mix of gum,alcohol and water to give the doors a heavenly body before we stroke them finally with linseed oil. But the discussions about all of this took up half a day as everyone had an opinion about everything ..how unusual in Morocco.

Elsewhere in the house the plumber suddenly arrived after a 9 day absence to put fittings in the apartment bathrooms, whilst Mouaniss was ordering marble for apartment steps and the beautiful handmade bolt for one of the salon doors a work of art in itself but at 900 dh was it cheap ...who knows, but it weighs a ton, slight exagerration.

As we progress slowly and surely the old wallet is taking a hammering so decided to meet up with the delightful Kleo for a drink or two in the sumptious environs of Riad Fes. Truly stunning and tasteful, yes Kleo that could be you but I meant the building, throughout this grand Riad perfect for a chilled session after Medina Madness and we compared notes on renovation. She has a stunning house that is just a bit behind schedule by about a year so I shouldnt grumble really, as everyone seems to assume I havent much left to do ...WRONG, I see loads and its all in the small nasty details. I guess the place will be furnished with a couple of deckchairs and a sand pit with an odd bean bag if i dont curtail the spending but the trouble is these houses demand a certain standard so in for a penny in for a dirham or two is the norm here...Drat.

I notice that Fred of Fred Real Estate Developements is opening his new office next door to where I am typing and best of luck to him have heard various reports about the good service and property he is showing, so good on you Fred now give us a job, you need a Fassi lookalike with a broad Norwich accent dont you now.

Failing that of course the two girls I helped to buy a property or two in the Big C have been in contact and I would love to oversee their renovations it would be a doddle compared to this dirham munching monster, after saying that its all been a great life experience although one of the most stressful things i have ever done in my life. I have been in a Force 9 Hurricane for 5 days on a yacht in the Atlantic in the mid eighties in a previous incarnation as a private chef and that was life or death situation everyday, but there have been times when i would have said that was more preferable. Just letting prospective buyers out there to Be Prepared, you will need all your wits and possibly another bag of wits for spares, ohh what a wit I think I will retire now its been a long day.

From Door to Door

2007-03-09T21:48:00.000Z

Woke up with no workers around,luxury, as it was a Friday; but just as I was about to exit along came a new carpenter who I had commissioned to make a new cedar door. Just the one door you understand to test the quality of his work and if good he can make another and then...another as i need five or six in total. I have had doors on the mind for a week now, as you do; getting fixated on silly things just because you have to really.

The day started to take shape when after the successful door hanging I met up with a couple of bright young street sellers who earlier on in the week had sold me two gorgeous old cedar chests for next to nothing. After a quick linseeding they both looked stunning in the house. They whisked me into Ziat to check out an old mate whose granfather had died so was selling his collection of antiques. It was like walking into an Aladdins cave of ancient artifacts, old carved banquettes, Chinese antiquities his gramps had brought over from China and some ornate gild mirrors ...nice.

Several things took my fancy but need to sleep on it really before I get carried away as I usually do but I will definitely get the cedar carved banquette bases which could double up as a bed base. The young guys were very switched on as as they definitely knew their cedar so took them to the Mernissi House to view the salon doors which are intricatly carved and in dire need of a good Da Capo as they show up the main salon now everything is looking good. They pronounced they could do all four doors in 3 days at whatever I wanted to pay them so thats a goer then and then will also try and source old doors for 500 dh which is half the rate of getting new doors done. so that could be the end of my door fixation so now I shall have to find something else to worry about....shouldnt take long...what about that Berber Basement!

Norwich Nomads

2007-03-08T12:42:00.000Z

Nice to welcome Mystere Micheal back in town now for the eighth time along with another Norwich face in Napoli Phil, who was visiting Morocco for the first time. Phil needed a break from the exertions of his computer software and programming job setting up a wicked site text2ad, not sure of the address exactly but if it takes off he could be rolling in it so to speak, so good luck to him.

Within hours of arrival Phil had been seduced by the idea of a little retreat in Chefchaouen as it fitted all criteria for relaxing, mountain climbing and good prices and he hasnt even been there yet!! I think I painted a good general picture and when he actually saw some photos it was the icing on the cake.

Within the three days they were here camping in the menzeh bedroom, well not literally camping but you get the picture, we managed to fit in an early morning souk visit, check daily on the progress at Dar Mystere, have drinks with the luminous Sandy, met the delightful Kleo for dinner in R,Cif, shopping trips to Metro and a birthday lunch for Phil at Majestic.

During this time the Mernissi house work slowly creeps along as the fine details take up a lot of time, for instance the zellige repair. Also having rushed to get the rest of the bathroom fittings last week the plumber has been sick for 3 days and tadelakt team announce they will be back in a week to do the kitchen and repair any knocks and dings throughout the house. Meanwhile the electricians have put up 15 gypsy style lamps as Michael says on the terrace so now we can play with the dimmers to our hearts content. Also light bulbs in the main salon behind the intricate plasterwork backed by Iraqui glass near the ceiling transform the salon area. The dimmed lighting emanating through the glass and the plasterwork is like a work of art and I can,t say I have seen its like in the Medina before.

Had several old and new friends around for a salon christening and Pizza Mike brought round some freshly baked pizza from his pastry chef as we discussed Medina lifestyles,gossip, renovations and Purple Circle updates.

A member of the PC earlier in the day was debating the issue of ^^To Maison dHote or not to Maison dHote that is the question, whether it was nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous baksheesh, or take arms against a sea of roxa permissions^^ blah blah blah, you get the picture. It is difficult to pick your way through the minefield of legislation to find the formula that works best for your particular property but inshallah things could be becoming clearer over the next few months.

Awaiting the visits of two more Norwich Nomads in the coming weeks with Pippa flying in from Dublin looking for a small Dar on a tiny budget and Simon an old friend from way back just needing a break from the rigours of English day to day living,poor lamb. Will he be seduced by the Medina, will he buy a house, will he like the Mernissi renovation, will he recognise me with a grey Berber beard well we will see wont we.

The Big Clean

2007-02-28T09:33:00.000Z

A bit of a hold up this week waiting for the marble man for 3 days as he has to finish his work before zellige man can finish his work before tadelakt man can finish his work before clean up crew can finish their work and so it goes! Soon it will come to an end and I will miss the constant wallet opening......NOT. It will be time to start earning and not burning up the spondulicks.

The da capo girls have finished the front door WOW looks good enough to eat and now a big clean up starts inside on salon zellige mainly, whilst the salon kitchen gradually takes shape.
The marble counter is laid in kitchen and now zellige man can finish around the counter and we will be ready for the return of Abdelkaddir to tadelakt the last room before going on a snagging detail around the house to finish off the chips and bangs and knocks that always occur.

Had a young couple around yesterday who had just bought in the medina and found myself regurgitating my trials and tribulation of renovation to them but hopefully didnt put them off the whole experience. My last question for them was are you mad cos if you are it will definitely help along the way especially integrating with the ex pat nutters and that includes me and Pizza Mike and Antonio the Italian, definitely larger than life characters.

Back on the block

2007-02-23T11:11:00.000Z

A week back in England brought me up to date with the Strictly Come Dancing on Ice finalists and the latest plot twists of Eastenders whilst staying with my mother. The trip back was to unfortunately to bury my dear old gran but was able also to catch up with the family and pop in to see Michael of Dar Mystere fame so we could compare notes on our renovations.

Back to the Medina to lots of happy workers, happy to see me as I was carrying their wages but also happy with the progress. The Da Capo ladies are on the last leg of their wood stripping campaign and its the big one, the massive front door. Doing a beautiful job and should be finished in a few days with their next job already lined up. The carpenter has been tweaking, sanding, planing all the doors and windows so that they effortlessly glide open and shut; a painstaking job. Also have another two bathrooms almost ready with all fittings in place and the main salon kitchen is tiled and ready for a marble counter to be laid before tadelakt man comes in to finish.

Looking forward to the day when the wallet is not always open as it is a constant stream of notes flying out at present as the finishing details can get quite costly and we still have to furnish the old place yet aaaaargh!!

Over next few weeks several friends coming over to check on progress and also possibly to invest in Fes or Chaouen with varying budgets. There are still some small houses in the under 20000 euros bracket in Fes and 40000 in Chaouen would get you a funky medina house with great views.

Tadelakt or is it Cadillact

2007-02-14T12:16:00.000Z

Had some new visitors around with Josephine and we discussed the tadelakt or the fact that it was a version of tadelakt to which the quip was well why not call it Cadillact.. top of the line, so thats what it will be from now on in.

Came back from my weeks sojourn to find so much done in the house it was amazing, the front door was dacapoed or stripped to reveal honey coloured cedar and all bathrooms are now Cadillact. The shower room for the intermediary bedroom now looks exquisite with some artistic licence taken in the zellige as you can see in the photo which works well and the luscious lemon tadelakt walls. The other bathroom is a vibrant aquamarine blue equally cool. Also majority off all doors and window frames are now stripped and locks and handles are being fitted. Was able to have a steaming hot bath on my first night back soI was a very happy bunny indeed

We just have to finish the main salon kitchen and a storeroom so choosing marble counter from the factory was priority today and getting zellige ordered for the floors. When this work is done Abdelkaddir will come in to finish his penultimate tadelakt job with another lemon finish in the kitchen. This kitchen area has been an eyesore for so long it will be good to see it done at last. After this it will be snagging work for him walking round the house to see the little repair jobs and then he will be paid up and LISTEN UP FOLKS he is looking for the next job so my advice is to nab him. This is what i did when he had finished Sandys job and though not cheap you do get quality which is important over price any day.

I have to take off again on Thurs to go to my old Grans funeral in England so time to draw up another worklist although Moannis knows the house as well as I do these days so he can pre emt what I want done, and with Ben as my eyes and ears the project is in good hands.

Blue View and Rif too

2007-02-11T15:30:00.000Z

Im just going to let the pictures speak for themselves really, the top one is the liveliest butchers shop Ive ever seen as they chase your order around the counter. The Rif in all its glory, absolutely stunning and theres Archi reclining in the fjord near Akrou contemplating carpet sales no doubt. The electric blue Aladdin restaurant in town is one of my faves a minaret every metre is the theme and theres a couple of shots of the house I am putting deposit on tonight only so that no one can grab it whilst I scour for shekels and await a reply from the Aussies as to their involvement.

Lots of interesting property here folks and I have done all the groundwork sourced simsaars and local contacts as well as checking out workmen, best deals on wood for furniture and where the locals get their carpets. I picked up a hundred year old carpet nicely worn, huge it was and paid the equivalent of 45 pounds, I know in Fes it could be up to 10 times more i will check with the boys when I get back tomorrow.

I am in love with the Big C it is the most laidback, tranquil but still vibrant place with real life, real people and unreal views, the views, the views are out of this world as are some of the Kif smokers in another way.

Taking care of business

2007-02-08T15:41:00.000Z

Left Fes for the Big C leaving Moaniss in charge with Ben with a 3 page worklist for all the workers so we all knew what was expected in my absence. Spent a good two hours on the morning of departure ensuring everyone on the case and left a float for contingencies with Moaniss. Starting to put the pressure on them now subtly and me leaving at this time should ensure a spurt of activity to impress me on my return, thats the theory.

In the house at this time we have a carpenter putting wooden counter bar in the kitchen, plumber putting all bathroom fittings together so I should have at least one functioning bath and shower and three man plaster and tadelakt team who are giving the whole house and bathrooms their critically acclaimed finish. Their tadelakt work continues to amaze and even had the esteemed David Amster admiring the quality without quite being able to put his finger on exactly how it was achieved and what was in the secret lime mix.

Theres also of course thee Da Capo ladies and Mernissi whos sole job this week is to clear and clean all terraces. The metalman will be making stairway down from top terrace to next level terrace and the builder is oddjobbing throughout the house after laying the glass floor in the intermediary bedroom. The zellige team are finishing tiling floors in two bathrooms and finishing kitchen in apartment. So its all go as I left so lets leave them to it shall we and take a break in the Big C.

Reporting now from Chefchaoen as I have been up here four days now trying to relax but invariably it has been all househunting. On the first visit with Pete and Karen here we found an incredible house on the top edge of the medina and parking next door and a garden a huge bonus. It looked straight out of a magazine and we decided it had to be bought especially at 39000 euros even though my money is tied up in the Fes property i figured somewhere along the line i could find 13000 as a share as it could take 5 months to complete. My experience with an ex partner before should have warned me about getting involved in another project of that type but hey ho you only live once, and people over here leap into projects with such abandon and spirit of adventure that its refreshing although probably not rational.

Anyway this visit was to put a small deposit down and i mean small about 1000 dh and this would hold the house until paperwork was ready, it has been promised ages ago but not materialised. The house would then be signed for in 6 months when Karen and Pete return from Oz. As it stands it would make 3 two bed apartments with a top terrace and its value then would double we estimate if not more. Anyway we shall wait and see as the months progress but prices here are climbing almost daily.

Linked up with Archi in his shop my multilingual carpet man and general right hand man and spent my first night as a guest in his semi built house on a hilltop overlooking the town, with his family. We sat eating kefta and watching the stars from his bijou garden planning the coming days.

The next day at the shop bumped into two girls, Susan who lived near Ronda in Spain and her friend Charmaine who lived in Dubai for her sins as a nurse but also had a small property portfolio in England and looking to add to it over here. Alongside Archi we all went on a mission to look at property and i found myself in the simsaar role evaluating each house according to price,size,condition and views etc. They kept telling me I was good at my job and I suppose I am as I have picked up so much knowledge over the year but now should be the time to charge a fee for services rendered. This became clear when both girls found a property they liked and we ran around finding the owners and paperwork and hammering out fair prices.

By the third day deposits were changing hands and bank accounts were being opened and it was all getting serious especially as both girls asked if I could manage the reform of their houses. So I could see another project coming together alongside the house with Pete and Karen that could earn a few shekels especially if I brought Archi in as the chantier as he has his head screwed on on that front as well.

So with Mernissi house galloping to the end of its refit and spending next month kitting it out etc the ongoing Chaoen projects in a few months time could tie in nicely we shall see. Also have been getting a few emails from potential investors, friends from home and could start lining up stuff for them to see as well. You have to keep busy here and have a few irons in the fire so to speak and be able to adapt to whatever is required of you at whatever time.

TopTopTerrace

2007-01-31T14:21:00.000Z

Back on the blog two posts in one day hey hey! Its just that having written this mornings missive just after the railings arrived in the Derb, I had only been gone an hour and on my return the rails were in place five floors up on the top terrace, with the builder and metalman working in close harmony. I just wanted to point out that sometimes, just sometimes though; things come together very quickly and you almost leap for joy. Especially gratifying to see two craftsmen singing from the same hymnsheet so to speak.

We here can all quote so many instances where the beautiful work of one craftsman is demolished by the lack of respect from another and then of course he has to redo his work again, and who pays....well you can guess the answer to that one. Am getting ready for a little break to Chaouen and mentally ticking off all the projects that could be completed in my absence including actually completing one bathroom at least!
That first bath in the house is going to be very memorable after a six month wait as washing out of a bucket on the terrace has lost its allure.

I still cant get over the quote from the builder which includes laying a glass floor and buiding an extraction duct from the kitchen and it has put a smile on my face all day, I think I will have to chain him to the premises so that he doesnt escape or get poached. This helps restore my faith in workers because some will definitely fleece you purely because you are European. For instance went to a zellige factory with Moaniss and his recently hired zellige worker to look at buying tiles for two bathrooms and kitchen and they quoted 450dh a sq m. I knew this was total bollocks and said so until we had halved the price but felt if I hadnt said anything then maybe zellige worker and factory would be sharing the commission, a very normal practice over here. I have probably been caught out loads of times, who hasnt, so you have to work out the best deal for your peace of mind.

Going to the factory, checking prices; talk to friends who have done similar work,know your costs per sq m for different types of work especially zellige and you should be able to negotiate better than Kofi Annan!

Perseverance

2007-01-31T11:39:00.000Z

As Sandy from View from Fes rightly said about my blog so succintly it is about the trials and tribulations of renovating in the Medina. I would like any prospective buyer with stars in their eyes to talk to those of us involved in this process to maybe help ease their passage through the potential minefield of permits and quotes, working schedules, standards of works and suchlike. It has not been easy but therein lies the challenge we set ourselves, as I said before its like giving birth when you say that was painful, never again, and then go on to have a healthy brood.

When you get on the finishing home staight which in reality I am on you have to pay so much attention to the fine details you are likely to bore your friends silly with talk of hold ups, toilet cisterns, fittings and such like and you can see their eyes glaze over. Of course its your personal project and like a mother will think her newborn is the most wonderful sprog in the whole world even if it looks like a wrinkled prune, so you have the ability to look beyond rubble to that gleaming palace that you dream about. Whether others can share that vision is another question but generaly those of us involved in a long sustained project can do that.

The important thing to remember is to get adequate breaks away when the schedule permits so that you come back refreshed in good spirits and hopefully see some good progress. This is where Chefchaouen comes into its own at just three hours away it is anther world, chilled and laid back and a perfect antidote to Fes work schedule.

So hows the work going, well slow but sure is the order of the day awaiting zellige to finish two bathrooms and then Abdelkadir with the boys sweeps into full tadelakt mode to give it the finising sheen. They have finished the menzeh bathroom in a beautiful biscuit colour and I have the raised sink and funky taps as in the photo ready to be plumbed in. Apparently they leave the tadelakt for fifteen days then give it a high polish to seal it completely should look great. Surprised at the number of visitors I have had recently purely to look at the tadelakt, not to see me, there has been Aussie Pete and Karen, Pizza Mike, Fred and Thierry from Laroussa and John and Jenny. I dont think anyone has seen Abdelkaddirs tadelakt before as he has his own style and i think he will be in great demand. His plasterwork is already renowned throughout the medina so there will be another string to his bow now.

Also have got beautiful marble plinths in two of the bathrooms and the apartment kitchen now has a black and white, of course, marble counter. Its all starting to look quite sharp. This morning the metal man arrived with the railings as in photo for the top terrace, he was very reasonably priced I thought at 1000 dirhams for his work and I paid for materials about 700 and the design complements the menzeh grilles below. Talking of quotes they can be wildly different. For instance the last project in the house is the basement area with two toilets and a storage room and largish open space with fountain in the corner and stairs up to main floor. An old builder quoted 20000 dh to finish it ages ago whereas Mohammed who is doing great finishing work round the house just quoted 2000 but I supply materials. At that price I think I could sprinkle the walls with gold dust and still be on budget. Always good to get several quotes especially if one is a tenth of another and the standard of work has been seen.

Turning the corner

2007-01-23T12:44:00.000Z

Sorry for ignoring you blog but when friends come to town unfortunately blog takes a backseat. Pictures are of the lovely, loquacious Da Capo Ladies and the two cats Moullay and Idriss checking out my new purchase from the souk. There is Abdelkaddir the master plaster in full tadelakt polishing mode, he really is a little trojan when at work.

Its been fun to see Michael from Dar Mystere here and I think hes quite pleased with the progress so far on his house which is at the Make it Strong phase, also Andrew is on probably his fourth visit without nailing a property so this time round he needs to plonk the moollah down on something.

So hows the house, well the infamous plastering team are back from their sojourn and straight into Tadelakt mode for the menzeh bathroom. Making up the mix of lime and water on the terrace, letting it sit for a while and then splattering the whole bathroom so it seems it is a messy job and very labour intensive. Gradually over the next few days the mess cleared to reveal a silky, shiny, sexy finish to walls and ceiling ooh la la. They were then straight onto plastering the intermediary suite overlooking the main salon, theres no stopping those guys, and demanding what was required to be finished in each bathroom before they stepped in eg zellige and plumbing.

So everyone is talking so that there are no overlapping jobs at the moment which is good. The new windows are going in throughout the house and the blue wood painted apartment is being steadily stripped to reveal its cedar glory. The theme for the apartment is black and white throughout so today Moaniss and I went to a marble factory to choose some for plinths for the raised sinks in the bathrooms and also the kitchen worktop in the apartment. Again that word sexy comes to mind when choosing marble, maybe I should get out more.

The main fun for me this week was going REAL early to the Sunday souk with Aloumi and straight away seeing the green zellige table and six chairs, perfect for the terrace. Hit them with a low bid, got accepted and next thing back to Medina in a Honda, loaded up four chariots with very heavy base and table and chairs. It then took eight men to winch the base up four floors and ten to carry table up the stairs but when in place it looked like it had been there for years, result!!

The retail therapy really works as the day before I felt bogged down in little details all over the site and miscommunicating seemed to be the order of the day. Happy to say they all got sorted without too many grey hairs.

Lots of socialising and meet ups this week with the aforementioned Andrew putting down a deposit finally on a lovely Dar on Kabira, meeting up with Mike and friends at his proposed Pizza emporium and the ever reliable Pete and Karen knocking up king size burgers on their terrace Aussie style. All of us spotting lots of opportunities for business around here but of course I cannot go into detail as one of you blogmonkeys might beat us to it. Suffice to say there are projects on the back burners here that could be realised with a little effort and also not much money, now thats a recipe if certain resources got pooled but cant say more than that at mo.

So near and yet.......

2007-01-16T11:47:00.000Z

Interesting to note from View from Fes latest missive that a Lonely Planet survey put Morocco and Brazil in the top destinations, which is nice. Its been relatively quiet here tourist wise after the New Year of course when all Brits are panicking over their Xmas excesses and also have to find extra shekels for those newly risen bank charges plus Gordo Browns new airport stealth tax.

Old faces are trickling back in as new faces leave with their memories of Medina life. Its always good to see the old faces as they see the progress a lot more than I do on a day to day basis. As always trying to get a logical work plan together for the workmen is constantly frustrating as you can never get them in the same place at the same time. The plastering team were doing stupendous work and then announced theey were off for a week to Tangiers, why, your guess is as good as mine. The builder has put in two baths and is awaiting the plumber who turns up after the builder leaves and the next day neither of them show, oh well.

Meanwhile the stalwarts in the operation are Mernissi who diligently cleans all the zellige throughout the house behind the plastering team and the Da Capo ladies who will strip anything that doesnt move it seems. They are busy getting all the blue paint from the apartment windows revealing the gorgeous cedar underneath. The carpenter has made frames for all those missing windows or new windows throughout the house and is also hard at it. The taciturn lone electrician is steadily putting the trip switches in the junction boxes and there is a threat of imminent electricity throughout the building in the very near future.

I suppose i shouldnt complain should I as lots of people have a lot more problematic time but one can only deal with ones own situation on its own terms and when you can see the finishing post your natural impulse is to surge for the line. Its at this stage actually when you should slow down and take stock and dont rush because a bad finishing detail could come back to haunt you very quickly.

The boys are back at work

2007-01-11T11:38:00.000Z

Few photos of Mernissis Da Capo work on the front door, the top piece is brand new by the way courtesy of the carpenter; the plaster teams cutting edge work and a funky light that I fell in love with in Chaouen.

Eight days after Eid, I still dont know how to spell it, the workers drifted back. Mind you it was only to say hallo and drop their tools and clothes off and then off they went with a promise to see us tomorrow, Inshallah. And thats the way it goes in the wonderful wacky world of renovation.

However now they have been back a few days it has been all systems go with the plastering team doing an exceptional job scooting down the stairwell adding lovely decorative flourishes in their wake. The Da Capo ladies arrived with their brushes, wire wool, gloves and tins of gloopy stripper to attack all window frames. The carpenter busy counting and measuring missing windows and frames; zellige man laying funky black and white tiles in the apartment bathrooms, and the electrician slowly making sense of the miles of wires.

Yes you can sense it all coming together now and we even have a bath in place in the menzeh ablution area, no taps or a plug but its in place its a start! Had a visit from Baccali the ex foreman who quite genuinely said he missed not finishing the project, and though he was with a new client showed him some cracked work on the top terrace that I suggested loudly that his team should replace. This was because he was after the tax owed on the work done , kind of like VAT, so I suggested repair the work and tax will be paid. He smiled and in an aside to Ben as he left said Mr Louis is getting more Moroccan, well if thats what it takes to get things done I will change my name to Abdul Mernissi and go the whole hog, or maybe I should not say hog in an Islamic country. However go the whole sheep doesnt have the same ring about it.

On the Road again

2007-01-05T11:00:00.000Z

Its holiday time folks so what does that entail, lots of turkey and trimmings, taking back that chunky Fairisle sweater two sizes too small that grandma bought...well no not exactly. In the renovation business it involves watching the backs of your loyal workers rapidly disappearing down the derb for their extended break clutching their Id bonus money, with only the vaguest promise to return on a set date. Rather than twiddle my thumbs and now rather bored of playing with the electric switches on timers, running up and down the stairs to reach the basement loo etc decided it was time for one of my random road trips. Cue drums!!

Had spoken to Aussie Pete and Karen about a trip to Chefchaouen or CC as we shall call it and in true Aussie style, no messing, they said we are in. So armed with choccies and fruit, tons of fags and a change of underwear we set off for CC territory. Piled into Tina the trusty Peugeot and off we went at a gentle pace well whats the rush, on the north road to Ouezzane. Luckily bypassing Sidi Kacem which doesnt figure in the top ten scenic attractions only a short time later we had swapped the sweeping and sometimes quite barren and dramatic landscape for a lush, verdant Andalucian vista, gorgeous.

From Ouezzane onto Chefchaouen, sorry CC, rolling countryside gave way to the majestic Rif Mountains with roadside olive oil presses giving off pungent aromas as we cruised by. It was like drivng into a different country within a few hours, cleaner, more European in feel, and a simpler less frenetic lifestyle.

Within 3 hours we turned the final bend to reveal CC in all her glory spreading out over her cosy mountainside setting.

Heres the ex bleating sheep in Chefchaouen sunbathing on the sidewalk directly oposite a restaurant where we wisely stuck to omeletes as I couldnt bear the thought of eating a possible relative of said sheep.

CC in all her blue washed glory where we perched to watch the local football match in the foreground.

Pete in Gringo mode with his new smock come cape enjoying the tranquillo lifestyle a bit too much

Out with the sheep in with the new

2006-12-31T18:17:00.000Z

Woke up to the sound of sorrowful bleating and the smell of charcoal burning on street fires as the cull got underway in the Medina. The man with the sharp knife who slits the sheeps throat as is the practice will have a full agenda today and probably take the rest of the year off. Ben took off early to his Mothers house to witness his personal sheep meet its maker and was returning to pick me up for the ceremonial family lunch later. During the morning the sheepskins piled up on street corners to be sold i guess while buckets of innards were furtively scrubbed for what reason I can only hazard a guess.

Sina has left for Spain to meet up with her daughter arriving back from Berlin, I think she has had a dizzying and confusing, amusing and also very relaxing stay all things considered. Its quiet in the house as I relish being ensconced, such a lovely word, in the Menzeh room with the two cats Moulay and Idriss popping in to check out this new heated room after Bens chilly apartment. It will be no go on the workfront now for three days and no excuses either from the workers about holiday payments and sheephunting when they get back, its time to steam in as we like to say.

I would hope we can get all plastering and tadelakt in the remaining rooms done and finish off the electricity and plumbing so there should be a few working bathrooms within the next month, inshallah. Most of all I am praying for a logical work process as is so often the case here people are always going back over finished work eg electricians over plasterwork which is enough to make you cry sometimes. No matter that you have pointed out the wastefullness of it all it still happens all too frequently. So all I want for Xmas is some Logic, please Santa!

Spent a lovely afternoon at Bens with his Mother bringing out trays of Couscous, chicken, lamb and sauteed innards, no thank you, plus fresh fruit, tea and sweetcakes. Ben was scooping leftovers for the cats and would return later to take a haunch of lamb home to cook for our dinner, good boy.

So with no work for a while it could be time for one of my famous road trips and the place that beckons is definitely Chefchaouen, only a three hour drive north through Ouezzane and gorgeous Andalucian style scenery. I want to see what has progressed from my lst visit and do some more scouting around as the potential of the place is definitely on the up and up.

Little by Little

2006-12-27T12:06:00.000Z

Few photos for your delectation the first is is from the Berber Fantasia that was a stunning recreation of warring Berbers just outside the old town, the others are of the fine filigree lamps every home should have one, the arches in the Menzeh room now all cleaned and da capoed and of course the newly tiled lounging pool come patio on top of the skylight, love it!

Little by little as the title says is a literal translation of the Arabic Schwaya Schwaya which is my phonetic intepretation. It generally means take your time, show some patience and everything will come good. This is important now as there are lots of smaller finishing projects underway with the plasterers working their way through the house, zellige man onto tiling the bathrooms and carpenter making new window frames whilst Mernissi bless him cleans a door a day. The electricians are threatening to finish very soon as soon as I part with some more dirhams of course but I now have hallights on a 5 minute timer throughout the house which is nice. Soon will have terrace lights in place and can light it up like a Xmas tree to rival Freds place over the way.

Sina and I have been in the Menzeh room for a few nights and it has been magical with the sunlight filtering through, the scattered wailing seeping in at odd hours and playing cool house music on the Ipod with no neighbours to annoy, parfait. She has been enjoying Fes and amazed at the effort and frustration involved daily to get the work done from point A to point B, as we all know here. then magically it all comes together before your eyes and you wonder what the fuss was all about.

So it has been Xmas, well not that you would know it here of course apart from Hotel Batha digging out their 10 feet of trimming for the ex pats and the expats themselves stuffing chooks and getting in a case or two of stubbies, thats chickens and beers to the non Aussies out there. Spent Xmas morning with Aussie Pete and Sina in the Ville Nouvelle buying sinks and toilets as we are at that stage and then carting them through the Medina of course on handcarts, always a hassle but then again you cannot get 5 toilets on a donkey, or maybe you can I havent tried it....yet.

Quiet Xmas night just chilling in the Menzeh, alcohol free and consequently woke up fresh and raring to go. It was time to take Sina out of the Medina to go exploring after leaving the workers on some sort of schedule although as we approach Aide the big holiday everyone has to take time off to buy a sheep to slaughter on 31st Dec. So you might wonder where the workers are but they are usually in a hunt for the prettiest sheep or the one with the nicest fetlocks or whatever. Sheep are now seen all over the Medina either in handcarts, on mopeds though not driving as they have no sense of direction, or being stuffed into the boot of a Fiat Uno where they probably think they are being taken on a scenic tour. Unfortunately their tour ends up in an oven after having their throat cut and blood spilled within the house for good luck. I might bypass the ritual myself and have a lovely nut roast!!

Anyway drove Sina out on the Ifrane road to yes you have guessed ..Ifrane passing through Immouzer and stopping of at the Golf club to show here the lack of complexes and apartments that normally blight the Costas but it will come of course. Had a Thai lunch in Ifrane that must have been the only thai menu that uses gravy browning so copiously so that was a costly mistake. as a finale I took here to the world famous Hotel Mischliffen, only joking, this is the ski resort that services Ifrane but it was deserted save for one bundled up guardian as the hotel inside was colder by far than outside. Sitting on the terrace staring at the empty and delapidated swimming pool and the little slopes covered by a sprinkling of snow whilst the Carpenters crooned on the hotel stereo had a strangely spooky effect causing Sina to giggle almost constantly at the absurdity of the place in off season. We couldnt even pay for our coffees as the guardian had no change at all but he waved us off cheerfully maybe hoping we would return next year to pay.

Came back after to find the house cleared; it almost felt like a home with doors and windows in situ although needing the Da Capo ladies treatment, who incidentally came round for their Aide bonus even though they have only worked 3 days, Ahh Morocco bless her. Sina and I took a stroll through the Medina finally finding the guy who makes the fine filigree lamps I have been seeing all over as in photo also in the search for at least 7 doors for the house and some beautiful reclaimed ones around but at silly prices must look harder. Met one antique dealer who sells to Europeans some gorgeous pieces who not only knew the Mernissi house but had played in there as a boy with the family so he was very taken with me buying and restoring it to its former glory.

After all this activity we settled in front of the fire at Hotel Batha for a relaxing Vodka and tonic ahhh alcohol admiring the 10 feet of trimmings.

So after all this action in the festive season were we finally infected with the Xmas spirit at long last......................er no.

The thick of it

2006-12-23T21:25:00.000Z

So three weeks away and what had i missed, well a lot of hard work and graft by the looks of it. The new work team consisting of young chantier Moaniss who is foreman and translator had been overseeing the red hot plastering team who were working their sweet way through the house plus new carpenter and zellige specialist and Mernissi, how apt, the clean up man.

The octagonal skylight roof is now fully tiled on the top with all the representative zellige colours of Morocco and though shallow, when filled with water in summer it might just cover your naughty bits if you lie on your back. Always wanted a dip pool but this is more of lounging puddle oh well at least you can get wet!

The terrace bedroom is all done with new plaster, stripped wood doors and shutters and oh deep joy electricity so I consequently rushed over to Adels house with Ben and moved my various Moroccan belongings over in about an hour flat. Managed to barter a gas heater from Adel as the nights are getting chilly and so with incense stick lit, Ipod on shuffle and Keith Richards autobiography at hand i awaited Bens delivery of a double mattress. And so there I was at home on the terrace menzeh with views out to the starry Medina, the odd howling dog and lounging with Silk cut in hand on the leopardskin throw. At that point I could not have been happier but it was not to last.

Woken up at 8am to the sounds of ALL the workers with Mernissi scraping the grime from the terrace windows coloured glass outside to its previous glory, while the plastering team set up right outside my door and the electrician banging on it to come and finish the electricity hook up in the room. A rude awakening to say the least and it got worse. Driss the old builder who had laid the new ceramic tiles in the apartment and first floor bedroom had come looking for cash. although his work was not bad it was not up to a great standard and we all told him so. Also whilst laying the tiles and hosing it all done as they do, water had leaked to the shop below and caused the shopowner to close for a few days.

Of course You must not annoy the neighbours is rule number one so off we went to settle the problem. This scenario is so typical Morocco as shopowner demanded recompense I told Driss he must pay out of his wages which I was docking anyway and so as a starting point we haggled away. The store owner got some of which he felt was owed, Driss got half of what he wanted and situation solved with me growing a few more grey hairs, bearing in mind this was my first morning back I cant say I was too happy. Strolling round the house I was generally impressed the main salon now looks stunning just need to get a decent fireplace builder in finish where the space shuttle fireplace stood before being ceremoniously demolished hurrah.

Spent a nice afternoon with Aussie Peter and Karen after the mornings debacle looking at Jacob Delafon baths and toilets ended up with two baths for 60 euros each must have been a missprint, but the toilets were only 85 euros each as well for stylish modern design will come back for five of those I think. I realise this is truly scintillating stuff and you must be feeling my rapture so lets call a halt before we all wet ourselves en masse.

Hopefully get some photos up soon to show the progress inshallah.

Hop Skip Jump

2006-12-21T20:12:00.000Z

The title tells you everything about my progress over the last few weeks, hopping over to Spain first to establish a signing date for the house sale there and squeezed in a fantastic birthday with Sina and friends. First she took me into the campo to the bottom of a dingley dell garden and there was a special birhtday treat of a swedish sauna that had been fired up for me, lovely, then onto a new Japanese and Thai restaurant in Chiclana where she had assembled a motley batch of old friends, the food was incredible with dumplings to die for.

It was then a skip over to England which wasnt too much fun consisting of one drunken night with two days to recover; looking out for a wayward brother and putting my dear old Gran in a care home; well she is 98 bless her.

So then it was jum^ping back over to Spain to deal with the hassle of house clearing. Spent a considerable amount of time stressing over the house sale in Spain as they are so laid back about the actual date whilst hitting you with all manner of new charges. For instance i hadnt paid my Basura or rubbish collection fee for two years because it was in the old owners name so was suddenly hit for 300 euros. This is just one of many odd fees to pay that you were not aware of till you come to sell as anyone will tell you you cannot sell with an outstanding debt on the house.
Anyway a date was set and two days frantic moving of furniture and records ensued with all the choice pieces ending up in Sinas apartment so it almost felt like a home from home which I guess was the general idea.

The day of signing was fraught with confusion for all concerned, the young Madrid couple who were buying their first house, the agent with all his figures wrong plus the bank rep with a cheque for the wrong amount and slack paperwork. I was convinced at any moment the whole deal would fall flat on its face which would have been a shame as I had already spent the deposit in Fes, whoops!!

Miraculously it all came together and I found myself mortgage free with a nice bundle leftover and we all know where that is going to be spent , dont we children yes in the good old Medina. After a few days thumbtwiddling in Vejer as to all intents and purposes I dont have a home there although my old home has been magically transported to Sinas as a Vejer base it was time to get my head around popping back to Africa.

At this stage my brain was full of scenarios including having my car turned back at customs, irate builders waiting for money and wondering how I would feel seeing the old house again. Breezed through Tangiers after a two hour wait, how unusual, and then the 5 hour drive to Fes with my brain on numb mode for most of the time.

Soon i was back on familiar noisy, bustling turf and straight into the house with my bundles of Vejer leftover lights, furnishings, a Buddha and pots and pans for the future kitchen. My first impressions were Wow but thats all for now as the footie has started.

Back and forth

2006-11-27T12:10:00.000Z

Had a hectic day ,what a change, in Fes as i tried to finalise the last work with the architect and buiding firm as per estimate while almost simultaneously setting up work list for Ben for while i am away. I cannot pretend all of this was at all easy but its all part of the fun and games. Conversely my friend Micheals property which is now in the start process of renovation seems to be going relatively smoothly, mind you they all do at the start, but he has a very good chantier so should be OK.

The local ex pat community met up for Sandys last night at the fantastic LaRoussa next door almost to Mernissi and we shared stories, wine and anecdotes as well as future projects till quite late. What an interesting bunch we are with Kiwis, English, Capetowners and French and Americans all represented around Freds kitchen table sharing a common view about Fes, we love it now how can we in our small way make it better?

I hit the high road or more exactly the motorway west of Fes to get to Asilah unfortunately in the dark and driving rain but i needed to get going. It was strange to leave Fes for Europe as its become my new reality but needs must, I have a house selling transaction to finish in Spain to release renovation cash so its a priority.

Will probably not be hitting the blog for a couple of weeks as I then leave for England but fear not i will return with more tales of intrepid adventures, cock ups and candour when I return.

Phase two

2006-11-23T10:57:00.000Z

Its been busy here what a surprise as people come and go at a rate of knots, theres no rest for the wicked. For instance as I dropped Jenny at the airport I hung around to pick up Tony my co conspirator in the Mernissi project. He has a part share but as he is working full time as a chef for Roger Taylor from Queen in Surrey his input at this stage is limited. Tony is an ideas man and walking round the house could visualise the top terraces as a restaurant well we will see on that front but also was trying in his head to maximise the space we have here with an apartment, basement and main salon to be utilised fully.

Its a transitional period at the house as I have very gratefully taken Mouaniss the chantier from Sandys house Riad Zany on board. He has brought with him the the plastering team a zellige expert and a carpenter. Between them while I am away next week for two weeks they can crack on with finishing all the plasterwork in the rooms and stairwell while zellige man repairs throughout the house. The carpenter is making the outside shutters in cedarwood for the octagonal skylight as well as stripping the huge front door and renvating the canopy over it. So little by little we are putting the old girl back together, as the plumber is finishing and the electricians put in junction boxes and actual light fittings we could soon have light and a working toilet!!

Also this week with Driss and Ben took some of the old tiles from a bedroom and apartment and went to a ceramics factory to get the requisite amount made up so Driss can start repairing and replacing all damaged tiles or laying new ones. Hopefully i have left a busy work list for Mouaniss to oversee and i must admit it will be good to take a little break from proceedings, step back from it and then come back recharged for the next phase.

The other good news this week is my house in Spain has sold with a handsome profit so I now have the funds or will have soon to inject some capital into the house, it was getting tight at one phase so my creative accounting skills had to come into play.

At the rented house its like the Three Stooges as Dominic and Tony are there at the moment sprawled out wherever and the conversation as ever with Dom is the various projects he has his eyes on, at least four at the last count. Hes a lively character as are most of the people I have met here and if we all put our brains and knowledge into a big melting pot we would be truly dangerous in a good way regarding getting things on the move.

I can feel myself getting excited and frustrated at the same time as we come into the finishing phase as in my head I can see the finished house, but realistically it could take 3 months to gently and accurately finish it so i must remember patience is a virtue.

THE VIEW FROM FEZ: A new face in the Fez Medina.

2006-11-21T22:30:00.000Z

THE VIEW FROM FEZ: A new face in the Fez Medina.

THE VIEW FROM FEZ: Eating out in Fez - Update #2

2006-11-21T22:14:00.000Z

THE VIEW FROM FEZ: Eating out in Fez - Update #2

When you are smiling the whole world smiles with u

2006-11-17T13:19:00.000Z

After several semi unflattering pictures of me on a certain website, Hello Sandy, where I seem to be gorging on chocolates, carousing or generally looking a bit too serious I thought it time to post one of myself in smiling mode. After a slightly stressful week of builders, bombshells and bombastic behaviour things have settled down nicely and I can see the wood from the trees. My friend Michael from Norwich mentioned I looked a bit serious in the photo in Sandys piece in the View from Fes so hopefully this will correct the stony faced bugger impression; I am normally a happy chappy especially when estimates are accurate!!!

Lots of friends around at the moment all on their various missions seeking advice, solace or just a quick vodka tonic, just the one of course, and trying my best to help. I definitely have not got all the answers you need David Amster for that one but a lot of personal experience, contacts and general feel for how things work here. I am still learning daily and its all part of the wonderful process of living in Fes, you have to be a full time Fassi to appreciate it fully.

At the house we are at the finishing stage for electics and plumbing with quotes to come in to finish the Berber Basement, plastering and zellige restoration while the gorgeous octagon skylight is being sympathetically restored to a good standard. The plastic sheeting and protective covering for the zellige floors is being removed as we speak revealing the detail that i first fell in love with all those many months ago. Its like I have my house back now from building site mode although there is still some way to go of course as finishing can take as long as the construction phase. However you just have to move now at the correct pace as you cannot hurry to finish properly this is where care and attention to fine detail is important. This is when I will bring in friends and artisans to go over all options for the finished product. I never assume I have all the answers there are a lot cleverer people than me out there who have been there and done that, yes Fred that means you for one.

Hopefully see most of them at the terrace soiree this evening then we will all pop off to see a bit off Jazz in Riads later on.

All Change

2006-11-15T22:54:00.001Z

Its in with the new and out with the old here as I reschedule the renovation process. The contract with the building firm has been brought to a halt at the halfway stage with just some plumbing and electricity and some plastering to finish off as well as a glass brick floor. After that I will be overseeing the finishing process myself with local artisans with a proven track record. Ben rushed out this morning to get hired scaffolding for the plasterer who will be working on the octagonal sylight to repair the detailed but damaged plasterwork. At the same time the workers are removing all the plaster and plastic covering the zellige floors so I am now seeing my beautiful floors for the first time in 14 weeks.

The kitchen units brickbuilt are being rendered ready for marble tops and zellige and finally the fireplace chimney has been demolished and carted away; it was a radically wrong build as the builder admitted he had never built one before. Well they could have told me that before they started but of course it was the oh well we will have a go approach. Now i will employ a fireplace expert to do a proper job.

The influx of people in the Medina continues to astound with today involved in seeing houses in the area with Dominic; meeting Andy newly arrived from Essaouria with ready riad cash; Jenny from England still on a furtive house hunt; bumping into Helen Ranger of Fez Riads talking about the Sacred Music Festival; meeting Mike and Amanda from East Anglia on a quick scouting mission of Fes; Michael from London setting up a restaurant in the Medina and then Andrew from up north still getting his guest house together after needing to replace his roof halfway through laying the zellige oh dear. Just realised that has been the longest sentence on record maybe I am going through my Kerouac phase without the copious amounts of benzedrine and jazz cigarettes.

its just a small taster of the frenetic air here at the moment and the whole place is buzzing with entrepreneurs entrepreneuring all over the place. Could be a messy business but the ideas floating around all make sense to me and the people seem to have the gumption and spirit as well as the savvy and financial backing to make their individual dream come true. Its similar to a frontier town Wild West atmosphere where you grab your chance with both hands and run with it Yeehay!!

Looks like with so many hard working ex pats in the area at this moment I should organise a little terrace party to welcome old and new friends to our neck of the woods in the medina. I will round them up, as Rowdy Yates would say for all those very old Rawhide fans, and we can talk about decappage, zellige and other obscure renovation terms till our heads fall off. I am sure we can compare notes, swap tradesman and generally work together to ensure each of our projects proceeds as smoothly ha ha as possible. Maybe a renovation site where members could offer advice and tips online would be an idea, how about it Sandy, as a technophobe myself to some extent I could not set it up properly!!

Lets be honest

2006-11-13T12:49:00.000Z

Lets be honest now I have made a few mistakes in my decision making over the last few months so hopefully others can learn from it. As regards the house well it is still as beautiful as ever but at what cost. The cost has been a certain amount of stress as the estimate crept up unknowingly; this was never fully explained till late in the process so consequently some of the works are still to be done. However as lots of renovators know here costs do go up for a multitude of reasons eg rotten hidden wood so you have to be prepared mentally and financially to deal with it.

In the early stages of the restoration I had sat down with the architect and gone over everything floor by floor and the estimate seemed to be in keeping with what we had discussed. Its the things that are not in the estimate that I should have been aware of eg tarmaccing the terrace; but to tell the truth if you are not aware that it is necessary how can you tell if an item is missing on the estimate. Just something to bear in mind when these add ons occur.

On a lighter note as we dont want to get bogged down in these details too long, after long discussions with all concerned plus friends I have decided to finish the project using handpicked artisans and therefore have better control of the schedule of works, payments and standards. So thats the good news folks and I feel very enervated and excited at taking on the next stage armed with the knowledge I have gained and mistakes I have made. How can I put this, you WILL MAKE MISTAKES its how you deal or circumvent them that will determine whether your project makes or breaks you. After everything I am loving the process and I measure myself by the depths of the challenges I face and the mental picture of the house finished with the sunlight streaming through the Monet style windows onto the intricate patterns of the zellige floor.

There is no need to feel daunted here as there is always someone close at hand either ex pats like Sandy to the local carpet seller to offer sage advice or recommend artisans for any part of your project. Talking of Sandy from www.viewfromfes.com Fes website, which is incidentally the finest English based site about Fes and Morocco, I spent a very enjoyable morning with him and Suzannah a few days ago. We did an interview about my life in general and the renovation with a few photos taken and I was pleased to read it later on the same day with a good review of my blog and a link to it so Thanks again Sandy and Suzannah for that and the sage advice.

Am planning a trip back to Spain in a few weeks and then England for a quick visit which I know will be strange after the Medina lifestyle all those books, movies to see and all those alcoholic teenagers to avoid. I think I have an offer on my place in Spain which would be good as it has made enough to buy the Mernissi House outright so now it can help pay for the next half of the renovation. I must say it is nice to be mortgage free at last as millions in Britain struggle to pay bills, credit cards, mortgages and the evil council tax to keep their head above water. Here the main large bill is electricity but to live daily is so cheap its ridiculous and long may it continue.

Guesstimates

2006-11-11T10:05:00.000Z

It has been a frustrating week this week as the builders gave an update on work so far to announce the estimate or guesstimate had gone up. This was due in no small part to the extensive work on the terrace or terraces and as they are rather large 160 sqm, it soaked up a lot of money. The factor to be aware of when renovating is generally work from the terrace down especially if you have a leaking roof. My house had been sadly neglected for 10 years, not lived in, and water had been seeping in for a while. Therefore from the underside all the ceilings were stripped and re rendered and plastered, whilst on the terrace there was total decappage.

Now this is the important bit as it was recommended that a double layer of tar or bitumen was laid over the whole terrace one layer at right angles to the next layer for double protection. This made perfect sense to totally seal the terrace. However I was then told this was not in the estimate and I questioned why if they knew they were going to do it this way. We went ahead and laid the tar and the zellige and the terrace looked fantastic it was only when I saw the bill that I got the shock as the cost for the bitumen was exhorbitant to say the least!! So beware, as I was told the amount verbally would maybe be half the actual cost, which as it is a dirty and difficult job and seals the terrace I could have dealt with. Therefore the verbal quote was not worth a jot; I should have got it in writing of course.

When using a building firm their prices of course will not be the keenest as they have more overheads than an individual but as they oversee the project there is a measure of safety in the finished product. This is because the work is checked for standards by outside inspectors as well as the architect. It is up to the individual buyer to choose the route they go down. May I suggest that for the making it strong phase which involves structural and building work and also plumbing and electricity a reputable firm could be used and then for detailed finishing you could use individual recommended artisans.

As with any renovations there will be deviations from the original specifications sometimes in your favour and some in the builders favour but it is an area that can be very grey and not in glorious technocolour. Generally as I go along I ask if everything is within the estimate as even with an English translation of the very detailed French estimate it is not always easy to be totally au fait with the minute details. When things are costed by the sq m or cubic m it can be difficult to cost exactly at the beginning for instance the cubic m of rubble to be carted away. If you just had a fixed cost for say carting away the rubble then the price would be exact whether it turned out to be less or more than anticipated. These are things to be aware of when using a building firm using these methods as opposed to a local contractor.

The plus side of using a reputable firm is they use very good artisans I have found the plumber, electricians; builders and plastering team to be top notch plus you are not having to pay out daily or weekly for the work. Also as David Amster points out you may try to go for the cheapest option and you will get a cheap job. Itis worth weighing up paying the bit extra as you will be living with that finished product or someone will for many years to come. With these beautiful houses that we all fall in love with it is like restoring an antique. For instance you would not finish a restored antique table with cheap modern varnish it is not in keeping with the style.

Consequently when approaching a renovation decide on your preferred method but be assured as the work progresses you will learn very fast about standards, patience, estimates, attention to detail or not, shortcuts and the unique scaffolding methods of Moroccan builders. Also if a worker has done a particularly good job it is not unheard of to reward him with a bonus of a few Dirhams then you are guaranteed a good job and they will go that extra yard for you. On a six month or one year renovation you will probably see more of the workers than your family so they will become an alternative family so treat them as such. For instance when the Radeef workers were fixing the drains through an arduous night shift my neighbours and I kept them fed and watered trough the whole project. You can be assured if there are any future problems with drainage they will remember who we are and make sure any problem is sorted promptly.

If when walking through the medina you see an example of great workmanship then inquire who did it; get a cost per sq m; take a photo for reference and you will soon have a roster of artisans to work with.

Budget day

2006-11-06T14:18:00.000Z

The budget airlines are bringing in vast amounts of Engish and French visitors this week and its really noticeable around the Medina; hearing Mancunian accents for instance. Quite a few of them are back to try and snap up that elusive Riad at a bargain price and quite a few are getting frustrated and restless. There is a real buzz in the air and you see the same faces scurrying back and forth in the Medina with a local simsaar or agent in tow.

Have had an official terrace and spiral staircase soiree with soft drinks,goat cheese and black olives with a host of old and new friends. As it was a full moon it was quite magical and though a tight squeeze on the staircase going up and down; a few refinements are necessary, the view makes it worth it. Everyone impressed which was nice as this week has been slightly stressful on the work front. Trying to hurry things up on the electric and plumbing front as well as clearing the basement has been a drag, then suddenly they all show up and things start to get moving. Also after paying the latest installment to the building firm i was told that the estimate has now gone up and another cheque was required; uh oh. A meeting was scheduled with the architect and head man on Wednesday to discuss this latest developement, could be tricky we will see.

At present I have Chris Chang and his girlfriend here to check out the house and Fes in general, he loved it but on taking him to Freds place at Laroussa he was totally blown away as I knew he would be. Tomorrow Michael arrives from Norwich to get things moving on his renovation and then some friends from Cambridge are coming followed by Tony my old mate of 40years standing. Tony has got a 25 percent stake in house so important he can see the progress at this stage now its 50 percent done and talk through our plans for next year.

It really is all go at the mo and the French budget airline and Ryanair between them are going to have an enormous impact on day to day life here. I cansee already on a daily basis that something is in the air it could be enchantment and fascination on one hand but the flipside on the business front eg property is escalating prices, greed and some frustration. I am so glad I bought and got sorted last year.

Pots, Plants and Goat Dung

2006-11-03T21:22:00.000Z

Big clear up time at the Mernissi House as we work from the terrace down clearing excess rubbish, while the builders work around us doing a fine job of touch up throughout the house, you know those little bits that niggle you for ages are suddenly put right. Been out and about as usual meeting, greeting old and new compadres. Trying to get Steven, a near neighbour, to meet Thierry, Fred and Isobelle also near neighbours has been trying, as through unforeseen circumstances i can never get them all in one place at the same time. I think we will leave that one for the time being and let fate and nature decide when we should all meet.

Having lots of visitors over this month so priority the last few days has been pots and plants to tart up the terrace. What a performance to get the pots filled, went to a garden centre with Ben and a local barrow boy who had commandered a Honda van. They insisted i needed 10 sacks of the premium goat dung black soil for plants at 25 dirhams a bag mixed with 7 sacks of low grade waste at 10 dirhams a bag. I ended up with tons of soil and a few plants to get started which all got stacked onto the van and ferried to the medina, transferred onto barrows and wheeled to the house and finally humped up 5 flights of stairs to the terrace. After all that couldn,t face filling the pots for two days.

Finally spent an afternoon with Ben doing all the pots after we had taken a trip out on the Ifrane road to a highly recommended pepiniere or garden centre where I picked up a palm, 3 bougainvillias, lavender, rosemary, jasmine and some other variagated leafy bush type thingies, cuddly toy, no scratch the last one . Finally we potted everything and looked great so went up to top terrace to look down on them and had a very tranquil hour watching the sun go down in an amazing pillowed cloud sky, before the call to prayer and the terrace lights twinkled on. It really is so special and at one point I stood stock still and looked up and I could almost feel and definitely see with the clouds so prominent the earth slowly moving on its axis around me.

I was brought back to earth with a bump as Ben had brought up a visitor to the terrace another new neighbour, Dominic who had bought a Riad just off Derb el Horra, my street. Turns out he was a Suffolk lad so just down road from Norwich and he is looking to do renovation, get into property etc so we had a few things in common. I must say all my neighbours to date have been fascinating as it does take a certain spirit to base yourself here i believe.

The other day spent a very good half day with Sandy of view from fes website met him in Recif and went to see Riad Zany, his lovely house in the medina still undergoing renovation a looking great, a real character place, loads of charm. We chatted for ages about my various plans for the house and Sandys suggestion of real Sahara sand in my Berber Basement could be a winner. Also chatted about the new rules and regulations that are coming into effect now for house owners wanting to rent out their places its something to seriously look into and get local specialist knowledge without baksheeshing your backside off. Also talked of Sandys fine new novel and the one he is now working on of which he gave me a brief synopsis that sounded absolutely brilliant being based in Fes, I will say no more.

2006-11-01T17:44:00.000Z

I was just settling down to a lovely tagine with Jenny the happy Riad hunter up at the Boujloud gate when a strangulated cry emanated from the nearby bar. The cry sounded strangely familiar but I could not place it in my memory.

Heading over to said bar it was instantly familiar as the baying of the lesser spotted football supporter. I had forgotten it was the Champions League grudge match between Chelsea (hurrah) and Barcelona (booooo) and immediately abandoned my dinner to sit amidst Barcelona supporting Moroccans who taunted me mercilessly until Chelsea scored. Then the bar went slightly ballistic as a couple of Moroccan Chelsea fans knocked into the 50 or so Moroccan Barcelona fans and off it went into the usual nose to nose screeching; shouting and gesticulating stand off. Although trying not to laugh in case it incited more riotous behaviour it was so reminiscent of an English boozer at that point but of course minus the copious amounts of alcohol and foul language and headbutts.

Took Jenny round to see Steven at the cool Riad 9 and we sat on the terrace for a few hours discussing what else but houses; riads and dars. Its almost like the mantra from the Wizard of Oz " Lions and Tigers and Bears; oh my" as Dorothy sets off into the forest; whereas here the mantra would be "Houses and riads and dars" as you venture into the Medina. Either way its a jungle out there; so beware.

Just a few workers at the house at the moment as Baccali gets his act together after Ramadan; but at least the ceiling is nearly done and the builder Driss is patching up bits and bobs and bricking in exposed pipework in the bathrooms. Told Baccali I would appreciate all rubbish especially in basemant to be cleared out by Saturday as its the start of a steady stream of visitors from England over the next few weeks. Also to demolish the chimney that is half built as it is not in keeping with the salon;it was one of my wackier ideas that looked good on paper till I saw it in the flesh or brick so to speak and then it resembled a space shuttle nose cone; demolish now and start again.

Spent a good morning with Aloumi today at the Centre for Regional Investment a non governmental advice centre for investors which was very informative. I need to register the house name Dar Mernissi or something similar if that is not available also checking on various options for the house; guest house; restaurant or training kitchen which would give it a governmental status although lots of places no names mentioned do not bother at all. Also need a carte sejour or semi residency so i am here in some official capacity. Called John and Jenny to pick their brains on all this and also Sandy at View from Fes and will meet them all tomorrow as I need advice on all of it before making a wrong move. Alouimi has been designated as the man to do all the chasing and paperwork for me being an eloquent; multi lingual respected local.

Its all a case of you scratch my back and I will scratch yours here; favours for favours here helps lifes merry go round go round; just how it should be in the real world out there; so welcome aboard Aloumi.

Back to Work

2006-10-31T10:52:00.000Z

Couple of pictures to show the ceiling getting the sealing and a shot of one of the slightly splattered by plaster iraqui glass and cedar arches in the main salon. This looks truly gorgeous when the light filters through.

Finally got the workers back after their long Ramadan break and they were straight into plastering the ceiling in the main salon and also plastering the walls. So we are at last hiding the snaking electricity cables within the walls and it will soon start to look more of a house than a building site. The next major project should be clearing the basement where all the rubble has accrued and the floor has been dug up for the drainage pipes. After that we can lay a new floor and build a bar counter and i can start to visualise the Berber Basement idea I have.

We are now nearly three months in and should be another three months I would say at the longest to knock it into shape, cant wait to see the beautiful zellige floors again when they are uncovered from their plaster wrap.

Sometimes its hard whilst within the project to remember all those facets of the house that you love as you are surrounded by rubble, dust and cement and cables and then bit by bit she reveals herself like a teasing stripper, as the work progresses, to remind you of the beauty within.

Over the next few days I will check on the airwell awning we are having made as inclement weather is soon on the way and also the metal spiral staircase to top terrace should soon be done which is exciting as the view from the top is a great 360 degree panoramic sweep of the Medina perfect for sunset.

Meet and greet

2006-10-30T18:42:00.000Z

This weekend was a crucial meeting in the house as Kaddiri the architect came round followed by Abdelloui and Baccali from the building firm Tourate Fes plus Ben and myself. The main topics were where is the next cheque plus some minor problems regarding the work and the procedure from here on in. I dated the cheque for two weeks time to allow ample time for funds to flow in from abroad, and was assured by Ben this is a very Morroccan thing to do.

The minor problems relate to Ben and I casting critical eyes over the work and estimates but this was resolved I believe to everyones satisfaction its good to run a happy ship after all. I find the longer I am involved the more I am learning of course regarding estimates for work and prices per sq m and the good workmen stand out especially the plumbers and electricians we have here. Of course I am paying a commission on each of them to Tourate Fes which is to be expected but armed with this knowledge I am sure on another project I could successfully manage myself with a strong right hand man.

Today went out and met some old and new faces, a young girl Jenny who is looking to buy a house here as an investment so gave her the benefit of my experience, next time i saw here she was chatting to Sandy from View from Fes who was giving her the benefit of his considerable experience. She had the expression of someone who was now slightly confused and maybe intimadated with all this knowledge, ideas, opinions rules etc involved in the buying process. As we all know in Fes it, i mean general proceedings dont necessarily follow a straight path but you seem to get there in the end even if you are still not quite sure exactly how it happened ie getting planning permission.

Arranged to meet Jenny later to see how her house hunting had gone and then bumped into John and Jenny just back from England and recently featured on Channel 5 property programme about the renovation of their Dar here just up the road from mine. They have been following my blog so had a quick chat about our different experiences as they did their renovation themselves hiring workers as and when needed. I didnt feel I had the necessary experience at the time to do this as I wanted the comfort of an architect, engineer and building firm so well done to them for a brave move it could have had nasty pitfalls but in their case I think it went smoothly.

With the third installment cheque paid it puts me in the driving seat now as there will be no more money paid until the job is finished which could be 2-3 months as per arrangement where 75 per cent of the money is paid halfway through the work. I think this is an agreable arrangement as long as the estimate is adhered to as close as possible. I am always querying the work in the estimate and if not in the spec I will source other suppliers eg spiral staircase because it was not in the original plan. At the end of the job I anticipate some lively discussion over the prices which is to be expected hope it doesnt get too heated but of course this is Morocco and they do like to let off steam quite spectactularly before coming back down to Earth.

This evening was supposed to be a neighbour meeting as I was going to take Fred, Thierry and Isobel from the Riad LaRoussa next to me and introduce them to Steven and his very cool house still on the market for a very cool 300,000 euros. Fred was busy with their first clients after a two year renovation so we rescheduled for tomorrow, should be an interesting meet up Habitat designer meets Casablanca playboy, sorry Fred didnt mean it!!

Halfway House

2006-10-27T14:41:00.000+01:00

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.

Upmarket Neighbours

2006-10-23T15:52:00.000+01:00

Well we are nearing the end of Ramadan and consequently the workers have been given a week off, so hopefully they will come back at full strength. Aloui the plumber has been in working alone to put in his systems. He is really switched on and is putting in auxillary piping for if I go to solar panels in the futire, nice one.

Had a late invite to Moniques at Riad Norma for dinner the other night, just eight of us and all French. Chatting away to Thierry, Isobelle and her brother Fred till we all realised we are next door neighbours. I can literally look down to their immaculate salmon coloured tadelkt terrace from my terrace and they in turn have been watching the progress on my place. Fred says he bought it for 250,000 euros two years ago and brought in his sister and brother-in-law to help him out sounds like a huge project, they invited me round tommorow.

We all agreed that we need to organise more social interaction between the Europeans moving here which sounds good to me thats an area I excel in, putting people with people. Anyway next day I wandered round to their riad which was all of one minute away its literally the next left turn from my house and through two unpreposessing large doors to a stunning massive riad, immaculately restored. Thierry took me on a tour of the five suites all with tadelakt bathrooms and incredible fittings such as hand beaten silver light switches and sinks; hand made iron four poster beds and moderne italian style sofas. This was the template for my place if I could afford it on a smaller scale and they promised to give phone numbers of the companies and workmen they used.

I was blown away by this place as the tour unfurled and even more so when I went onto the terrace which was the same terrace i had been wondering who owned when up on my terrace. My first view was of my house standing alone and proud in the medina which you can see on the photo and of course I had never seen it from this angle it was fantastic. Also on their terrace was the beautiful hand made iron chill out bed, I want one !!

It made my day to not only meet such cool people in these three young French entrepreneurs but the fact they were my neighbours and had created such a stunning restoration project with love, passion and massive ingenuity was a massive bonus. They told me they had also toured my house while I was away and had wondered who the mad Englishman was, so now they know.

As the terrce is now tiled Adil sent round 23 old Fes pots, in photo lined up in a row, as we should start the planting now so the plants can start maturing plus it gives Ben a job he loves to do, making the terrace a roof garden. Ben and I also went to a manufacturer to chose an awning to go above the glass floor patio area so you can crank it out when it rains which will be anyday soon as we near November.

Drains and holes and planes

2006-10-19T16:45:00.000+01:00

Well it seems like we are digging up the neighbourhood here disrupting pedestrians, shopkeepers, schoolkids, carts, donkeys and whatever. As i keep explaining as everyone considers me the instigator, soon we will have the most efficient and sweetest smelling drainage system in the Medina, that seems to work.

The Radeef sewage guys worked round the clock to 6am this morning then another shift took over, to date it would have cost 10,000 dirhams without my neighbours timely threat to report situation to the papers. As its election time they want to keep everyone as happy as possible.

In the house the electricians have worked their way down 5 levels creating a snaking, spaghetti junction of wiring and they have finally reached the Berber Basement to finish that and we have been promised full electricity poxer in a couple of weeks. At the same time the plumber is linking up all his systems followed by the brickies who brick up the exposed pipework so all is hidden, a very European thing.

Have been looking at prospective fireplaces and fountains for the salon we have decided Hassans design for the fireplace does not really work and have got a professional in who showed some photos and one he had done was in Yves St Laurents house in Marrekech. So I guess he won,t be cheap then!! The fountain in the picture can be made for about 700 euros which is quite good.

Good news this week more budget airlines from Orly flying in, plus Morocco a candidate to be accepted as an EU partner getting stronger by the minute. On a personal note Abby Aron, the writer, has finished a piece for BA inflight magazine featuring yours truly and has said she will be in contact for another piece in the Telegraph soon.

Love thy neighbour or Trench warfare

2006-10-17T22:15:00.000+01:00

A wonderful day in the neighbourhood today, let me explain further as this is a slightly complicated issue. For several days the builders have been digging up the basement to put in new drainage and inspection tanks but when they checked outside the drains to the main street were either non existant or broken or inadequate.

This became a major problem as it involved several close neighbours and we were all unanamously agreed the problem of fixing the drains lay with Radeef the government body. They came quite promptly looked at said drains and sent all the materials necessary for the work but said we would have to provide the workers. I suggested to the neighbours if this was the case even though I did not agree with the proposal then we should all chip in to get the bloody thing done, approx 5000 dirhams.

Not so said next door who works in the Planning Dept and he promptly took some photos of the holes in the alleyway where the drains should be, marched up to Radeef and threatened to show said photos to the local paper. Within one hour 5 workman were digging up the street at about 5pm and as they were working through the night requested harira soup to break the fast at 6pm.

Before I knew it Ben had set up a table and chairs in the apartment and all the neighbours came round with soup, bread, dates, tea and coffe and a fish tagine and we all sat down to a feast. The first meal proper in the apartment and some very happy workers who went back to their trench digging with renewed vigour.

Meanwhile Mr Snailman who each night plies his trade selling snails in broth on that patch was having a fit as he had invested in a huge bucket of snails for that evenings sales. We let him blow himself out, Moroccans are remarkably quick to high temper hissy fits, and when he had appraised the situation he was back to his usual jovial self. He contented himself selling his other great idea which was cones of crisps from a giant sack of potato chips about 4 feet long that had been open for two days at my estimation, soggy crisps anyone.

As a bonding exercise this was a good day as all my near neighbours helped solve a tricky problem at no cost to ourselves and Radeef workers got some Mernissi hospitality. I seem to be the talk of the neighbourhood at the moment as everyone can see my problems and how they are dealt with as they involve everyone around to some extent.

As Ramadan enters its final few days its a good time to do business as most of the shops are hurting for ready cash so I am stocking up on wall lights and few more cushions etc. On the 23rd everything should be back to normalcy if you could ever apply that word to life in the Medina but by that I mean no tired and irritable people and the work rate goes up and the nights entertainment stops at 10pm not midnight.

Kitchen cracks on

2006-10-15T11:58:00.000+01:00

At the moment we have both the apartment and the salon kitchen under construction and very fine they look too. The open plan American style one in the apartment salon with the low level dining counter is exactly as I pictured it while upstairs the kitchen is more compactly built a lot like a galley in a yacht. Can,t wait to get the appliances in and start having fun with all this stunning produce we have here.

Just had a great 3 days with a friend Ingo a property developer and girlfriend Rosa, as they stayed at Riad Norma on my recommendation and loved it. We ate there on two nights and it was very memorable especially the smooth pea and fresh ginger soup,works on the tastebuds real well and then a lamb and roasted pear tagine was incredible all washed down with a few bottles of Meknes red wine. As i dont drink really whilst living here it all went straight to my head; the next day a gentle thumping was going round my brain.

Took Ingo and Rosa around the house he was into every detail including the laying and cutting of the terrace tiles and the cement and plaster type being used in the house. The interior of the house is a real building site right now but I can see it all coming together in my head even if visitors cannot. Ingo visited a few houses with Fes Properties and grasped very quickly the type style and location of what he was looking for, i was impressed. Hassan has finished the outline of my Berber style fireplace and the builders have started to strip the main salon ceiling but while doing this they chipped a piece of the fancy plasterwork off and we saw a classic Baccali hissy fit. Of course he knows this will have to be replaced so he was furious.

I drove Ingo and Rosa to my favourite spots Hotel Merenides for the view of the medina, Hotel Palais Jamais for sunset cocktails and in the countryside to look down on Fes at dusk. Now i must get back to my budget ha ha.

I guess we are over the halfway stage now with deconstruction and reconstruction, plumbing and electricity, terrace finishing off and drainage being dug in the basement to the street. Sometimes the work in progress is overwhelming, exciting, daunting, serious, fun, expensive and whole other bunch of objectives but would recommend it to anyone who hasnt got a weak heart or empty pockets and likes a challenge. Sounds like you Michael, who will be starting his own renovation in a few weeks just up the road when he flies in from good old Norwich, England.