of dreams

I think that this post
is about the power of love.

Love confounding expectations.

A tropical garden created by an artist
and restored by a designer and his partner.

High walls surrounding silence
in a city of noise and movement.

Vibrant colours
that melt in sunlight
to become soft.

Cacti creating mysterious shapes
and sculptural shadows.

Paths following water
to private spaces.

I did not think to fall in love
but sometimes you are caught off guard.

It is a garden
to linger in,

to discover a world
you did not know,

and to return to
in dreams.

*****

Jardin Majorelle, Marrakech
created by Jacques Majorelle
and restored by
Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé

Jamaa el Fna at night

Jamaa el Fna is a huge square
at the entrance to the souks
in the centre of the medina or old town of Marrakech.

You can sit high above the square
watching the crowds, listening to the noise,
but eventually you must be brave
and dive into the seething mass of people.

Come with me - it is noisy and chaotic
but there is so much to see.

There are stalls where you can eat cheap food.
Stall holders will greet you in rhyming slang
"How are you, me old china?
Are you Starvin' Marvin?'"

You have to step outside your comfort zone.
Mustapha's snail broth at Stall 1
is reputed to be delicious.
Next time, maybe.

You might prefer fresh orange juice,
dates, nuts or tiny Turkish pastries.
Or salted popcorn, sliced pineapple
hulled corn cobs or flat breads.

You will be inveigled to buy with promises
"Cheaper than Harrods,
More expensive than Asda,
Just same as John Lewis!"

If you are not hungry there are fortune tellers,
henna artists, story tellers, musicians,
exotic water carriers, tests of skill,
magicians, belly dancers, snake charmers.

And there are sellers of hats, shoes, coats,
balloons, toys, and lamps.

The world and his wife and his children
and his motor bike and his donkey
pass through Jamaa el Fna every night.

The noise and lights and steam enfold you
as long as you can bear it
and when you begin to feel claustrophobic
you can step back into the darkness
and let the life swirl on without you.

It is a truly magical place.

*****

Jamaa el Fna is a UNESCO World Heritage site:

a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.

Extract from the first proclamation, 15 May 2001

"The spectacle of Jamaa el Fna is repeated daily and each day it is different. Everything changes — voices, sounds, gestures, the public which sees, listens, smells, tastes, touches. The oral tradition is framed by one much vaster — that we can call intangible. The Square, as a physical space, shelters a rich oral and intangible tradition."

Welcome to 'Bloody Freezing'

Did you think we were just in Morocco
for the souks, hammams and sunshine?
Well - you were so wrong.

These are the foothills of the Atlas Mountains...
Or, as they refer to it locally,
"Bloody Freezing"

We set off from Marrakech,
modelling a variety of hat options
for extreme weather conditions

and were soon surrounded
by geographical features
and no-one to tell us about them.
The shame of it.

We walked through several villages
and over a gorge by a rickety bridge
on our way to a charming waterfall.
It was not arduous,
we were overtaken en route
by elderly ladies wearing slippers
and enough children for a small school.

According to our local guide, Hassan,
the trees will be beautiful in the spring
with cherry, apple and quince blossom.

Hassan speaks five languages, has eight brothers,
and lives in a nearby village on the snow line.

The tour included lunch in a guest house:
a bright salad of tomatoes, rough bread,
lamb tagine and fresh mandarins.

It was rather odd to find
this high altitude juice bar.
There was nobody around
but if we had stopped for a drink
somebody would have materialised
to propose an appropriate price.

On the path I met an elderly Berber man
selling small bags of mountain thyme.
He was wearing a white hooded coat
and it was like negotiating with Gandalf.
The thyme smells of wild places and sunshine.

And finally...

here we are on our camels:
Godfrey, Humphrey, Michelle and Claude.

Enjoy the view...
it is probably the only time
you will see me on a camel.

bright and shiny

Happy New Year!

May 2014 bring good things :
health, happiness and prosperity - if that is what you want
or thinness and wisdom if you would prefer them.
This is the year I am going to conquer my fear of ironing.
Oh yes!

We have just got back from five days in Marrakech
and there is so much to tell you about
that I am not sure where to start.

It is a place of overwhelming industry and hustle.
Everywhere you look there is movement,
a swirling energy of bicycles, donkey carts, motor bikes,
horse drawn caleches, large taxis, small taxis,
barrows of extraordinary ingenuity.
You can stand on the outside, looking nervous,
or you can plunge in with your fingers crossed.

The riad that we stayed in was being renovated.
Work started at 8am and went on until 11pm.
It was all around us: plastering, painting,
scaffolding, soldering, gilding, electrical wires.
It could have been an inconvenience of noise and dust
but it felt like a privilege to watch the craftsmen
absorbed in their trades, transforming the space,
creating beauty.

I will tell you all about it
but now I must dash...
I have to find my keys
which I put in a safe place
just before we left.

Aaaargh.

Storm Wind

Storm

Sybil Andrews (1935)

Wrenching wind and black rain
fracture my sleep.
I wait for silence,
afraid of the chaotic darkness.

Above the storm roar a bird sings
thin cascades, bright notes
piercing the wind wall.

How does a bird sing jubilant
into the ferocity?
What obedience brings forth
these fearless carols?

I am absorbed by the endless night
but the bird sings on,
impatient for dawn.

Alice Christie
23.xii.13

Notes to Self

1.

I am the only person who likes red cabbage.

2.

Ditto sprouts.

3.

Get to the raspberry jam first in future.

4.

Weird fruit look pretty but do not expect them to be eaten.

5.

MasterM likes bread sauce. Did I blink?

6.

Idea stolen from Pinterest.

7.

365 days before I have to cook Christmas lunch again.

Hurray!

all of this music

It was dark and wet all day and I scurried around the shops with the list that did not get any shorter. I heard the music before I saw her, a slight girl sitting in the bus shelter playing a harp, and I stood in the shop doorway to listen. I tried not to worry about the harp being damaged by the rain and to let go of the multiple anxieties that seem to be as integral to Christmas as presents and pudding. It was a few precious moments of peace to remember in the hurry of last minute preparations and the music drifted after me as I walked away.

I wish you all a peaceful Christmas and your own chance to let go of the busyness of everyday life. Thank you for reading this year; it has been a year of change for me and I have been very grateful for your kind comments and messages.

This is the first camellia from my garden, a little battered by the rain, but a reminder that after Christmas it will be New Year and then spring. Bring it on!

MasterM helps decorate the tree

MrsM and MissM are decorating the tree
and MrM is doing manly things with bricks
to make the tree stand up straight.

MasterM is helping by lying on the sofa,
wearing felt reindeer antlers,
and giving a running commentary
on the World Darts Championship.

1.
That man is a seriously big human.
How big even is his neck?

2.
Did they just say "Beguiling and Mystifing"?
Those words should not be used to describe darts.

3.
They just called him Big John.
I concur.

4.
We should have a family outing to the darts.
What shall we dress up as?
Bananas?

5.
That man has a chicken round his head.
I've seen it all now.

6.
How do they add up so quickly?
What even is treble nineteen?

7.
Look!
That family is dressed up as crayons.
We could do that.

8.
Guess how many 180s have there have been this year.
Go on, MissM, guess.
No, I am not going to tell you,
you have got to guess.

9.
Big John is pushing out some beads.
He is going to overthrow.
There, what did I tell you!

10.
This is an awesome game of darts.
Real human drama.
His wife is even crying.

11.
Right. That's over.
I am going to watch the film
about the sperm whale which goes mad
and attacks a boat of whalers.
Daddy, would you resort to cannibalism?

12.
Meanwhile MrsM and MissM
untangle the tree lights,
drape the silver beads,
hang the silver baubles,
unwrap the decorations,
find the wibbly-wobbly people,
and wake up the sleeping Christmas fairy

It's a typical family evening
and we all feel very festive.

what the commuter saw

It is my last day at work before Christmas
so I thought I would share my December photos.

DECEMBER

I set off in the dark
but I arrive at sunrise.

9 December
Royal Festival Hall from the Jubilee Bridge

5 December
Westminster Bridge

12 December
London Eye from the Embankment

I am becoming familiar with my route,
aware of the light, the people who walk,
presence and absence of the normal.

11 December
Waterloo Bridge in the fog.

16 December
Nelson's Column, Trafalgar Square

9 December
Hawk Patrol, Trafalgar Square

9 December
St. Martin-in-the-Fields, landmark church, centre for the homeless

London is ready for Christmas:
decorated, sparkling and busy.

2 December
Christmas Tree - a gift of the people of Norway, Trafalgar Square

2 December
Southbank Centre

It is dark as I walk home
and the great buildings lining the river are lit up.
I wonder sometimes if I will ever tire of the sight.
I hope not.

17 December

Nerja Redux

MrM
Well, that's done then.
Flight booked.
Accommodation booked.
You will be in Nerja in January.

MrsM can't help herself.
She squeaks with excitement
and does a teeny weeny jump of joy.

Four days with Geographers...
what could be nicer?