mosaic road

Cheese and Clogs, part five

At this time of year, many of the canals and dykes in the Netherlands are thickly covered with a bright green algae. When I stood by the dyke at the bottom of the Captains Cottage garden,  the algae is so mossy and dense that I wondered at first if it was a fake velvety lawn.The ducks love paddling through the green carpet as mosquitoes abound ( the cottage provides a mosquito net to sleep under ). I noticed no smell whatsoever although these waterways can be very still. I think it would be pretty horrible if you fell in !!!

The Big Pineapple

It seemed so huge when I first visited but over the many years I have been coming this way, the Big Pineapple has shrunk a little each time or maybe the  palms around it have got bigger !! It seems quite dwarfed now. Come what may this icon holds lots of family holiday memories. No one visits Noosa without a trip to the Big Pineapple and a ride for the children on the nut mobile before eating a fruit salad sundae in the cafe. The souvenirs were were just as tacky as ever which is very reassuring in this rapidly changing world !!

The Tiger Who Came to Tea

This is a fabulous children's book about a tiger who visits a family daily and consumes everything in sight including all the water in the tap. Well, I have a daily visitor , related to a tiger,  who appears every afternoon. A fluffy grey cat has been dropping by off and on for quite a while. She enters the apartment quite nonchalantly and heads straight to 'her' water bowl. After a very big drink there is a long session of 'roly polies' on the cold tile flooring ( forgive the poor action photos) then a cool corner near the fan is found for a catnap. I am wondering how long before my little tiger decides to extend this afternoon tea visit and adopt me.

 

Cindy

Moving to a foreign country alone certainly is not for the fainthearted. You need to be happy with your own company as it can be a slow process meeting people and making true friends. I had been in Morocco for maybe a month when I met Cindy and we have been close ever since. Our love for our far away families and a shared passion for travel, photography and writing meant an instant and lasting friendship. As we both have had time consuming jobs , on average once a fortnight we have met up for dinner or a shopping trip . We have talked and laughed and consoled, cementing our sisterhood. Now a new teaching contract and adventure awaits but not till after she spends some vital and precious time with her beloved children in the US. I will miss her dearness and sweetness but VPN permitting, she will always only be a Skype call away. Being an expat is a lot about moving out of your comfort zone, facing challenges , conquering them and then wanting some new ones and this has been possible for me as I made a bestie . Thank you Cindy for such a steadfast and lasting camaraderie that I know exists forever. No question, I see Cuba and more in our future. xx

Kasbah Kismet

At the little Cafe a L'Anglaise in Tangier near the Kasbah, there is a visitors book. It is just a small unprepossessing exercise book for guests to sign and add comments. The lovely owner showed it to me and it was open on a recent page with signage from The Selby. She could have shown me a page signed by a John or a Betty or a Mohamed or a Fatima but she showed me a Selby. Selby is the family name all my children have, carried on through generations on their father's side . Totally random, what are the chances ?????? The Selby that did visit and did sign (Todd Selby) is a well known NY blogger, photographer, director and author.

 

"I Need a Cardigan "

This is not the first thought you want to have when you get out of the car for a day at the beach but this came into my mind last week when we arrived in Essaouira. It was a grey overcast day and the wind was almost gale force. This Moroccan seaside town on a swathe of Atlantic coast is famed for its gusty wind but hope springs eternal and I was wishing for a calm day. So to warm up or at least fortify a little we headed to a lovely rooftop cafe, Taros with its wonderful views and Mediterranean colours. Although the weather was ordinary we had a great day meandering the cobbled lanes and shopping in the souks for baskets and the local argan oil products. The pace is far less frenetic here than Marrakech and it is an easy three hour drive plus you get to see the goats in the trees on the way !!  Post on that coming soon. 

 

Saying Goodbye

 

 

My youngest child caught the train this morning as part of her marathon return trip to Australia. Saying goodbye is never easy but I know in ten short (but searingly hot) Moroccan weeks I will be back in Australia for a short visit. But this sort of poignant moment does make you second guess your life path choices. Should I stay or should I go type of questions are eddying around in my head. I am mentally writing lists of pros and cons. I am lucky in that I have a job I enjoy and have many travel opportunities. I am not lonely as I meet fabulous guests and have a small but lovely group of friends. But like other single expats I live alone and  that plays on my mind a bit, not just for me but for others too, as no one knows if we make it home okay at night or if we fall really ill in the wee small hours. Anyway, c'est la vie, for now !!!

Visiting Richard

A little way out of Imlil is a resort hotel owned by Richard Branson, of Virgin fame. It is called Kasbah Tamadot which, but don't quote me,  I think means Kasbah Crazy in Berber. It has sweeping valley views and astronomically priced hotel rooms. We just dropped in to have a cool drink and a snoop. The grounds are magnificent and manicured and the public areas very lovely but not over the top in any way. We sat in the peaceful surrounds in the late afternoon happily celebrating one birthday but also acknowledging the wonderful day we had spent in the mountains and the charm and generosity of all the Moroccans we had encountered. 

Atlas Magic, part nine

 

As the afternoon progressed a beautiful platter of fruit salad was served as dessert but we could only admire it as we sat on that wonderful terrace talking with Lahcen, who has created this haven. He told us he was born in that house. How fitting that he is still living there and has had such a view to the future , working so hard and having such well deserved success . We then had a tour of the homestay and peeped into the guest rooms, admiring the cosy woolly pom pom blankets on the beds and the warm, cedar floors in the shower recesses. Then it was time to say goodbye and mount our trusty steeds for a tour through the villages and our downhill return to the car parking area. The trail was quite narrow and rocky (even hair raising in spots)  but theses mules are very sure footed and traipse these paths each day. Our muleteers had our safety in hand and we could enjoy the fabulous views without a care in the world.

Atlas Magic, part four

 

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We were joined by a lovely Berber lady (aka my daughter) for lunch. She was put in charge of the tea making and did a wonderful job. It was the best mint tea I have had in nearly two years !!