Up the Workers

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.......

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.