Settling in

We've been back in Tahannaout for just over a week now and are settling back into life very quickly. There's been the usual household tasks to do of cleaning, washing, cooking and ironing - and, of course, not forgetting food shopping, all the things that need to be done when you are living in a house - but a fact which people seem surprised to hear that we do - I'm sure lots of people think we are on a permanently holiday and someone else does all the dirty work for us. Well I can tell you that really is not the case. My role here is very much as a housewife - though I do concede I have a husband who is a great cook so I do get out of that one where main meals are concerned!
Of course it would be very remiss of us not to enjoy the beautiful country we have made our temporary home at the same time!

To give us an even nicer view from our lounge, Said has offered to cut the monstrous hedge back - using traditional methods. This evidently means he climbs a ladder, jumps into the middle of the hedge and begins to hack away at the branches using a scythe that has seen better days. Martin holds the ladder :)

Cutting the hedge

Said with his scythe

So far we have spent time wandering around the souks of Marrakech, drinking copious amounts of coffee as we play 'guess the nationality' of tourists passing by. We have stumbled upon a Norwegian student male choir (Pirum) who spontaneously burst into song as we emerge from one of the ornate archways, much to the amusement of local kids and shopkeepers alike. We have enjoyed a scenic drive to Amizmiz, about 50km from Tahannaout, driving along mountainous roads, barely meeting another car en route. And we have just enjoyed the prospect of this being our home for another eleven weeks. Not to mention of course the antics of 'our' pets. 

The Norwegian choir

Bemused onlookers

Our scenic drive

Crossing the Oued N'Fis

Ouirgane reservoir -very atmospheric in the early evening light

The kittens have proved to be a great source of amusement. If they are not chasing each other, rolling over and play fighting, they are being played with as a toy by Scruffy, the youngest dog here. He picks them up carefully in his mouth and delivers them to the middle of the courtyard where he proceeds to 'paw' them, roll them over and playfully gnaw at them. They try to escape but he's too quick for their little legs and soon he ensnares them again, showing them who's boss. At other times, as I mentioned before, he acts as mother to them, allowing them to cuddle up to him and suckle the pimples on his belly, obviously a great comfort to them. It really is a delight to see such tenderness shown by a dog to two tiny kittens. The other dogs tend to ignore them - though will put up with these tiny, squeaking things that get in their way and try to eat their dog biscuits!

Cat in a hat

Double trouble - Cat tagine anyone?

As we drive along the 500m track to our house on the way back from Amizmiz, I suddenly spy movement out of the corner of my eye - not unusual as there is always an array of birds, sheep and donkeys moving about in the fields. But this is different. Animals, bigger than cats but smaller than sheep or donkeys are walking through the field right beside us. My husband is convinced they are just wild cats, but equally I'm convinced they're not as I've caught a glimpse of their cute, grey rounded faces. I pass him the camera as quickly as possible to try to capture an image of these creatures which I'm sure I've never laid eyes on before. He manages to take a picture as they disappear over the brow of the hill. We ponder what they could be, searching the internet for any clues. Finally a friend confirms that they are mongooses. How amazing to spot these elusive animals right beside our house!

Mongooses

Our eyes will definitely be more alert from now on as we walk or drive around the area - who would've thought we'd casually stumble across such amazing creatures.  Apparently, mongooses are good at killing snakes - a skill that might come in handy!

This morning, after yesterday's rain, we awake to see a fresh dusting of snow on Toubkal, the highest peak of North Africa...can't wait to see more - as long as it remains in the mountains and makes them look so spectacular!

First glimpse of snow in the mountains