October 2008; We start 813 and go partying...

Well Finn, a new return to Fez and a new start. It would seem, having already said so frequently that we were stressing ourselves out by trying to do too much on our own, we've ignored our own sympathies and have decided to start building "813", a house that we bought in an area called Bab El Guiza.

The original idea of this place was that we were going to build it for ourselves as our home in Fez.

However we've procratinated re starting it for over a year now, and have frequently considered trying to sel it. However it would seem that along with the economic crash in Europe, there's no longer a market for houses here in Fez, so what to do? If we leave it, it just sits there and we end up trying to sell it in competition with many others, probably bought cheaper, when there's no market and we've no idea when there may be one.

Alternatively we can re build it which will obviously cost us in terms of further investment in Fez and further stretching our own personal resources, but hopefully ending up with another finished house that we can live in, and when the time is right, hopefully sell.

I think there's more chance of us selling a finished house for a profit, than trying to do so as it stands. And apart from that not only do I really like the house itself and we completed the purchase on 18th August 2007, your birthday, but we decided that it was probably healthier for our relationship if we tried to work seperately on two different projects.

It's been really quite difficult trying to work together on Tazi. This is not to criticise either of us, rather to acknowledge the need for space within a relationship now engulfed by the pressures of living, working and socialising together. There simply isn't the individual space that would normally be the case if we were in another location, doing different jobs, having different friends, doing different things.

Here we have been simply too involved in each others decisions. We needed some space and my moving over to work on 813 provides this. I'm quite excited really, so let's build it and see what happens.

Oh why 813? Well that's the number the estate agent gave to the house when we bought it and some how it's stuck. We'll have to think of another when we can, but for now 813 sort of rolls off the tongue.

As with any build, the first stage is to grat. There's little or no zelig beldi (old tiles) to cover so we could just get stuck in to it. Again this is great if really messy, the dust and noise is incredible. However so far there's been no real problems with the neighbours, unlike the nightmares at Tazi. we've hauled off part of the team we've used at Tazi, and are able to reuse tools etc, which makes us feel that we're making savings. But, having a team to start with, and not having to bother with the jokers that passed thro' Tazi, is a result...chocks away!

I have no idea how long it'll take to finish, hopefully no more than a year, but then who knows. Also we've decided that we've got a limited budget of E30,000 to complete the work, so let's see how we do...wish me good luck!

Bex and Twatty...what's in a name?

Back at Tazi, we returned to find that some work had been completed whilst we were away and Alamy had done a decent job for us. However, our supplier had made the most of our being away and suddenly our material costs had soared. It's always the same when you go away and leave anyone to manage your project here, as we saw earlier in the year.

Unfinished plumbing.

TBH I don't see the point in leaving work in the hands of anyone other than us...I'm sorry to say, I just don't trust anyone enough.

Then there's the opportunity for mis interpretation of what we want, in concept and language, from badly formulated half baked ideas on our parts in to English, to french and Deriga and back again. From the outset there was something fishy about our supplier and I was glad to decide to leave him and look for another. I've since heard that he totally ripped of another Gaurie working here, and thus my suspicions have been proved right.

This was the guy whom I bought my first 100 bags of sand from and where, seeing that the top few bags delivered were full, I decided to check the lower levels of sacks, only to find that those out of sight were at best half full....I'm telling you, it's shark infested out there!

Exhausted Bex, talking in tongues does you in!

It hasn't stopped raining since we've been back and as such we're desperate to get the plumbing finished at Tazi. Our plumber, who's called Twatty, would seem to be living up to his name. We really need things finished but he's begining to be less than dependable, sometimes comming to work or not and then doing no where near enough to stem the water begining to pour in to the house. This is bound to cause damage to Tazi, and god what will happen if we damage Shameless!

Rain damage to Fez.

Certainly there's already been quite alot of damage to Fez. Streets are thick with refuse washed down them and drains are begining to burst their covers. Many people put down what is called "harira", like the soup they drink here, but actually a lime water mix, which seals the terraces each year. We've yet to test our ceilings, let's hope they're strong enough to cope.

Another great thing about being so involved with your own build is that you get a chance to source your own materials, thus saving money (hopefully) but also giving a much greater insight in to quality, location and the politics involved. It would be a lie to ignore the ever present issue of child labour which is all pervasive in the building industry here. I wouldn't decry it totally as many of these children clearly learn trades that will sustain them and their families now and in the future.

But there is no doubt significant abuse of children. We went to one wood planer where there were only two adults and a multitude of children working. This can be a really dangerous area of work with huge rotating saws and spits of wood and chips flying all over the place. I questioned the owner who told me that children were cheaper to employ and if they had accidents would cost less to reimburse! Such blatent expolitation and yet with high levels of unemployment, limited educational opportunities and massive urban and rural poverty, such opportunities at exploitation are all pervasive. It's a matter for us, to try to find places that more ethical than others...you can imagine we didn't use his services!

That'll be a bit of ceder forest then?

But the same goes for the wood that is being cut. There is a ministry of forests and rivers, who has responsibility to ensure forests are well managed and wood cutting is undertaken responsibility. However wood is expensive and poverty rife. Thus all over the country you cann see the effects of deforestation. I've been to parts of the Rif that have been simply denuded and you can see the land degrading before you. In the middle atlas again the huge ceder forests are in constant threat, thus further putting pressure of rural economies and local eco systems.

Wood cutters in Azrou.

I visited some of the logging stations in Azrou and tried to find any system of classification for wood being cut in a managed local economy, but it was impossible.

We've decided to buy as little new wood as possible. Many of the houses that I've seen of foreigners being managed by "entrepreneurs", have had huge ceilings all completely removed and replaced by new Gyzers (beams) and walka (planks). Certainly this is necessary in some cases, but in many it's a great scam. Not only do the house owners pay a premium for new wood, that may well be cited as being "1st quality" but which rarely is, but there is then the opportunity for financial cuts to be made in the purchasing of wood (especially if it is claimed to be 1st quality but 2nd or 3rd is used) and again in the sale of gyzers to second hand wood merchants, that are taken from houses and are perfectly useable.

As such we never throw any wood out as it is either replaced on other ceilings or put in to walls as support. Whenever we need to buy gyzers, we buy them second hand. If they are good, this also avoids the problem of the wood warping and cracking as it ages, which is a real problem with new wood, which normally needs to sit for at least 6 months after being cut.

Daddys' birthday, a quiet one as always!...And yes all that cake was for me.

Away from work, it's been something of a party month. When we first came here we really found it difficult to find people to socialise with. We'd throw a dinner party and noone would recipricate. I mean we love throwing dinners and don't do so merely in the hope of gaining a recipricol invite...but once in a while would be nice. That's changed now. Fez is pretty social now.

Partying at Cafe Clock.

But we managed to find like minded souls here. Mike had a party celebrating the opening of Cafe Clock, which was a real hoot. I think what made it was the mix of Moroccans and Europeans, as a previous experimental dinner that only included Gaouries, was a really sombre affair.

TBH those Moroccans really went wild, lots of dancing, whooping and dancing, and you were just taken off by men, woman and children, all absolute strangers, in a way that I couldn't conceive of at home.

Dominique goes incognito Kleos' birthday at Fez Lounge.

However now we've met alot more people and it would seem that there's clearly a group of people doing the same as us, who also need to let their hair down once (or twice) in a while. Thank god is all I can say, Jesus you need it.

As for Fez, well apart from the persistant rain that I hope will let up soon, it's been great to take time out from chantiers to just get to know it a bit better, to wander round, peek in a few doors and get to know it a bit better.

You never know what's behind a door in Fez.

It's wonderful popping in to different chantiers, which you can do, generally without even an invite, or in to different buildings, and find jewels hidden behind the most innocuous of doors.

It's good to be back, just wish it would stop raining.

Umm, looks like I'm not the only one nosying around!