The View from The Top

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!!