soliloquy

It appears that at some point in the last six months I stopped being angry with myself for failing to match up to my own expectations. Was it a gradual process? If there was a switch that flicked I cannot recall the moment when it happened. All I know is that tonight as I tried to motivate myself to do the numerous tasks that should be done to make life run smoothly and listed the things that had not been done I heard a voice in my head say "You have been busy and you are tired, don't expect to do everything, be kind to yourself". Where did this advice come from? Have I unconsciously absorbed it from something I have read or finally listened to MrM or has the advice that I give other people bounced back to me? Is it a permanent change or just a temporary outbreak of common sense? I don't know the answers to these questions but it feels like a good thing, this letting go. It is never too late to start being kind to yourself.

I dot a toff

I regret to report
that I am ill with
Gallivanters' 'flu.

Principal symptom:
hacking cough
causing sleepless nights,
dysfunctional brain
and dramatic eye bags.

Don't panic!
It will be cured eventually
by a healthy dose of
self pity and chocolate.

*****

Thanks to Hannah, aged 3, for the title.

at the end of the day

We went up on the roof
and watched the sun set
over the Villa Borghese
and then we went out
for a drink in a bar.

If that isn't nice,
I don't know what is.

I hadn't met these people
a week ago and now
I have new friends:
the Director's wife,
the archaeologist,
the librarian,
the assistant.

Warning! Fun times ahead!

Commuting - the Rome version

The British School at Rome
on Via Antonio Gramsci...

I am working/eating/sleeping here this week
so there is NO commuting.

Let's go out for a stroll before breakfast

Admire the sunrise and then
turn left and walk down the hill
to the Viale delle Belle Arti

past our next door neighbour,
Galleria Nazionale D'Arte Moderna,

cross the road carefully,
up the flight of steps
and you are in the Villa Borghese.

What can we see?

Arches, columns,
statuary, lions...

picturesque gates...

random marble reliefs.

Right, that's enough fresh air,
it's almost time for breakfast.

And here we are,
back at the British School
without getting lost.

It's a miracle!

From my desk in Rome

Buongiorno!

1.
Yes.
I am in Rome.
It is sunny.
And dry.
But I am working very, very hard.
No, really, I am.

2.
I thought the taxi driver
was terrifyingly fast.
But my colleagues said
he was slower than usual.

3.
My bedroom overlooks the garden.
There are lemon trees.

4.
The bell rings for meal times.
breakfast, lunch, dinner.
Oh - and tea with shortbread.
We are a little piece of England here

5.
I had a tour of the building
which is not straightforward.
Corridors that end mysteriously
and stairs that go down
when you expect them to go up.
I hope to find my bedroom again
but am not optimistic.

6.
The librarian let me look at the rare books.
There is a whole wall of guide books
for Rome from 1576 onwards.
MrM would be in heaven.

7.
After lunch I went to the Borghese Gardens
Sunshine, views of Rome, ice creams
and beds of Paperwhite narcissi.
Bliss.

8.
I am struggling with computers
which have Italian keyboards
and Italian menu choices.

9.
An artist from Canada gave a presentation
about her project to create
a bright green inflatable bridge
in the classical style.
It seemed a good idea when she described it.

10.
I met a scholar from Washington
who is studying ritual sacrifice of animals
in the Etruscan period.
I will report back.

11.
I had dinner with four students
visiting the churches of Rome.
They were trying to remember
which saint went with which church.
But struggling.

12.
I had to get up at 4.30am
so I am very tired.
The coffee at dinner
had no effect.
Must sleep.

MasterM takes MrsM out for lunch

MrM
Did you enjoy your lunch with MasterM?

MrsM
Yes! It was so smart!
We drank champagne!

MrM
I thought you would.
It is one of my favourite place to eat.

MasterM
But it was very windy
and Mummy forgot her hairbrush
so she borrowed a fork
from the restaurant to comb her hair.

MrM
(aghast)
What??

MrsM
Yes - I thought it was very resourceful.

MrM
(faintly)
Did you ask the maître d’?

MrsM
No - it was the nice lady
who does the dessert trolley.

MrM
Oh no...
I will NEVER be able to dine there again.

MrsM tries to look contrite. And fails.
It is so tempting to tease MrM

*****

MasterM has gone back to South Africa to look for a job.
Keep your fingers crossed for him.

Ladies Who Lunch

Shall we all play hooky today
and go for lunch at Dar Cherifa?

I don't mind where we sit...
you choose.

We could go up to the roof terrace
but it is so divinely cool down here.

We can discuss what we are going to buy
in the souks this afternoon:

Berber jewellery, hand dyed scarves,
a leather bag, soft yellow baboush,
a fabulous carpet from the High Atlas

What are you going to eat?
It is all delicious.
Try the chicken and ginger brochettes.

Another mint tea?
I don't mind if I do.
This is more fun than work.

Dip your toes among the rose petals.
Go on...you know you want to...
We will all pretend not to notice.

*****

Thank you for joining us
on our trip to Marrakech.
It has been fun hearing
about your own visits.

Next stop Rome!

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.