Hi Finn, this is you at Frans birthday....remember, not everything that glitters is gold! If you promise to remember that, so will I!I'm going to try to keep this short and sweet, tho actually currently I'm particularly bitter. Anyway, you're lying in bed with a temperature having been sick for the last couple of days. Infact during the day you are pretty good, it's just at night you've been struggling with what seems the begining of a chest infection, similar to those you had last year...and the year before that. You've also been sick at school, which it has to be said you arrive at by saying "don't like it".
I took you in for the first time a few weeks back and you were screaming. My legs were weak, I wanted to just go in and haul you out. I felt as if I was abandoning you..is that pathetic? That's how it felt and i couldn't help but thaink of all those countless times in history when parents have had to give up their children, to have heard them wail out, call them back and not been able to do anything. Rwanda, auchwitz, Armenia, Palestine...the list is too long but for a moment their shadows flickered by and a shudder went thro me. I thank what ever has provided us our luck that that hasn't been our history to date and pray it never will be. What horror!
Yes I am a soppy sod..but that's fine!
Just so that you know tho', you're a good sick kid. You don't moan and as with so much you are so positive, so full of life. Yes I love you more. xxxxxxx
Anyway I'm back in Fez having finally had a break to come and see you and beccie. There's alot to say about that trip and I will do, but not now. Now i want to try to keep things focussed on what has been happening here.
I have to start with the chantiers, these builds that we are doing. I start this with a sense of irony given my most recent entries. Just before I left I was going to add an entry that we were just starting a couple of carpenters. I wanted to say that I was going to be interested in how it all went, given my scepticism. Well it's all gone south.
Said and karim of derb Sidi Bni Yahyaa should never be touched with a barge pole. If you or anyone else is reading this and wondering about a set of carpenters...IT'S NOT THEM! with hind sight I made a mistake I had promised not to...I gave an advance...fool me! But I wanted to believe they would be good. said had worked at beccies', I thought I knew their work...I didn't. We planned what they would be doing, how many workers would be provided, the time frame...and no I didn't get them to sign a contract. I was tired, exhausted. I knew it was a mistake, but I didn't have that extra inch. I knew it was a mistake.. it was.
One of shitty Said's workers in a rare moment at work at 813.So between ramadan and now they've barely done any work, have taken several advances and have now delayed us for two months. Last Thursday, I met with Said to review some of his work. It was slow and poor quality, a pattern that had develoiped since day one. he promised that at the end it would be great but I needed patients, so i asked him to complete just a few painted Mshta as well as he could so that I could see the end result, as well as it could be. We've had mshta painted that should be placed in alternate blue, red patterns in your room. I looke sta the work. All reds, all wonky, all wrong!
Pic of Mshta.....sorry lost these!
If you want it better than that you must pay more! said Said, I laughed...it was better than throwing a fist"!
He's held our wood hostage, gone on go slows, refused to work without more advances and finally enough is enough and so I now must look for a next step, which is to say, find another carpenter and see if there is any way to get any money back. I don't want them in the house again, they are low life. Full stop.
It's a shame. We were actually doing well. beccie had taken over the builds whilst I drove the new landie down (see other entry) and in the mean time had decided that Yussef the zeligie was also playing games. True enough he had also started changing his prices and so we decided to look for another zeligie to do the detailed work and I am glad to say, Beccie found one. So far so very good in that case.
The Halka.
The major work that we’ve been able to do at the house has been to start decapping the halka. We’d had several quotes. Mounayem had originally given a quote of 3,000 which moved to 10,000 to I don’t want to do it, to Bye Bye. Then a guy who had worked with Jono to decap his house arrived. He gave a quote of 8,000, started work and then disappeared, returned to say he couldn’t carry on and burst in to tears. It was truly bizarre.
So in the end I decided to develop our own decapping team. Mustapha (right) came over from Dominiques house, another guy Abdelwahid just turned up and abdelillah has been put on a decapping course…we’ll see how it goes. At least its started.
However we still can’t find another carpenter after shitty Said and krazy Kamal. This has really knocked us back, we’ve lost weeks, or months trying to find a replacement and wondering what to do about them. In the end I’ve decided to leave it. They make me feel so angry that I’d rather lose the money than have to hear their drivel any more. Sometimes you have to just appreciate that you’ve been hit by bad luck and that in the end it’ll pass..let’s hope it quickly!
The feronier still can't get the right metal and the baladier has refused further building permission on Tazi, tho we are still building! Welcome back to Fez!
The major work that we’ve been able to do at the house has been to start decapping the halka. We’d had several quotes. Mounayem had originally given a quote of 3,000 which moved to 10,000 to I don’t want to do it, to Bye Bye. Then a guy who had worked with Jono to decap his house arrived. He gave a quote of 8,000, started work and then disappeared, returned to say he couldn’t carry on and burst in to tears. It was truly bizarre.
So in the end I decided to develop our own decapping team. Mustapha (right) came over from Dominiques house, another guy Abdelwahid just turned up and abdelillah has been put on a decapping course…we’ll see how it goes. At least its started.
However we still can’t find another carpenter after shitty Said and krazy Kamal. This has really knocked us back, we’ve lost weeks, or months trying to find a replacement and wondering what to do about them. In the end I’ve decided to leave it. They make me feel so angry that I’d rather lose the money than have to hear their drivel any more. Sometimes you have to just appreciate that you’ve been hit by bad luck and that in the end it’ll pass..let’s hope it quickly!
The feronier still can't get the right metal and the baladier has refused further building permission on Tazi, tho we are still building! Welcome back to Fez!
I have to say that Beccie has come in to her own. Got back and got sick and she took over the chantiers, what a star (I'm a lucky man, thatnks Beccie x), but we need contracts with everyone. We need to have everything in black and white. Everything. I know it sounds like a trust thing again. But I have none...apart from you and your mum...it's a jungle out there, fill
ed with snakes!
ed with snakes! Time out of the chantiers.
Pic of you with Lisa and Gordon
Outside of that it's been an excellent time socialising. We've had visitors. Jane and Monica came out for a few days, swiftly followed by Jules, Gordon and Lisa. That was great, a sense of normality, another life. I'm glad we're doing this. Despite the challenges, and it's challenging, it's good and will, could, should, be better.
There's lots to enjoy about being here, but we're in the mire of contsruction and constant interface with prices, quality, egos, working out nishan from zig zag, and that within a diminishing well of trust and burgeoning scepticism in human kind. There is something I'm not getting, I know I'm close.
Anyway it was good to go about and do things, and pop off to places like Chaouen and good for you to spend time with other people who are part of our lives...by god we need them at times.
My Birthday.
And I also had my birthday, which was a wonderful affair. We've been here two years now. Two years of building an idea. It's good...or at least it will be. We can do it and it will be great when we arrive. The journey? ... it's a long and winding road that one....watch this space. Thanks my love.Music. Other news is that I've finally re organised my CDs in to genre. It's great. I know this is nurdish but I'd had my music in alphabetical order and it just wasn't working. There's 500 + cds there...to much memory.or lack of. But now it's in genres...much better. What do I want to listen to...genre...yeah that works.
Anyway, it's the little things.
And the point of that was to say, if you haven't listened to this yet, try out Alice Russel: Under The Munka Moon 2. Brilliant.
Pic of Finn at Mikes, Cafe Clock
Oh and on that, you've also started getting in to Mike Sunday gigs. we've been to a couple now and you love it...there's lots of great music out there.You’ve discovered the wonders of Gnawa music at café clock, which has you running around and whirling like a dervish to the beat. You now come home pointing at drums, trumpets and guitars souting music, music, I like music. Infact your quite a fan of heavy dub, which also has you thrusting your hands forward and thumbing the air to the beat. Good boy!
Jen’s party at Dar Roumana.Jen also had a rocking party at dar Romana. What a night, heavy Gnawa, old house music and a distinct 80s pop flavour. Your mum even strutted her stuff. Hope this pic gives some idea of the evening..these houses need a good party!
Tazi.
We’re having to do some quite big work on the stairs. Of course this is exactly the sort of thing that the baladier want us to stop, but then how would we fix the place..I’m sure it’ll catch up with us in the end, but until then..chocks away!
The zelig continues, but we’ve been in the neighbours to make it look as much like a ruin as possible
This means working in there on sat/Sundays when the baladier and the Mkadam aren’t working. We go in, break a few walls, take out gyzers, that are going in to dbala at 813, and swoosh, out we are before anyone can complain. The place looks a real mess…a ruin infact. Of course we don’t have permission, but the idea is to make it lok so bad it’ll be certified a ruin and we can knock it down to make our garden/pool in. Thus the subterfuge…it could be working, as long as it doesn’t fall down, bringing our neighbours walls with it!
Around/Outside of Fez.
Eid
Howlie at Marjan…you don’t get any fresher!
Of course it’s Eid and so all conversations turn to “howlie” or goats. Your loving it because the streets are packed with “goaties”. At marjan, the local supermarket, they even have a whole area dedicated to packs of the poor critters. Hundreds of people watch as selections are made, to fatten up for the glorious day.
We decided to use the fact that everything stopped to take a few days in the Rif during eid. We booked to stay at local peoples houses with Chaouen Rural, a local initiative in which people can stay locally and get an idea of local life in te Rif. At each village there’s a specific skill or expertise. You loved the lady who made clay animals..but we could have seen essential oils or honey being made.
Howlie at Marjan…you don’t get any fresher!
Of course it’s Eid and so all conversations turn to “howlie” or goats. Your loving it because the streets are packed with “goaties”. At marjan, the local supermarket, they even have a whole area dedicated to packs of the poor critters. Hundreds of people watch as selections are made, to fatten up for the glorious day.
We decided to use the fact that everything stopped to take a few days in the Rif during eid. We booked to stay at local peoples houses with Chaouen Rural, a local initiative in which people can stay locally and get an idea of local life in te Rif. At each village there’s a specific skill or expertise. You loved the lady who made clay animals..but we could have seen essential oils or honey being made.
However what we did experience was a very local and rural Eid, the killing of the goat and the use of every part of it for food. I was surprised how delicious the intestines were…I’ think your mum found it pretty interesting to.B looks on and the ram is gutted.
Nontheless, despite days and days of meat for breakfast, lunch and dinner, I think your mum managed to relax…which is nice! It was a great way to experience the Rif and with good weather it really makes for a good holiday. Chaouen Rural have a number of locations and our experience was that this was quite a well thought out, responsible tourism project, with excellent hospitality and the potential to really get a taste of rural life in the Rif.
It must be said that at both the places we stayed at, the locals said that their Kif crop had either been sprayed to destruction by spray plnes swooping down the river valley, or by their being offered money to sign an agreement to cut cropping. It would seem that the future of Kif/hash production will be limited to areas contractually agreed upon by Mohammed 5.
