Update on the building work

Sorry I have not been saying much on this lately - or posting many pictures.

Our efforts are going on getting the ground floor guest bedroom complete with en-suite ready for my Dad's visit - next weekend now. After many hours walking round Dcheira looking at wall tiles I have ended up buying something very similar to our downstairs bathroom.... and the tiler is coming on Friday to start work on that. The builder has to come back to fit the window and door frames (haven't actually got doors yet)and then we have to get some tiles for the floor and the wc, sink, taps etc, It will be nice to have one complete room - though I am not convinced it will be 100% ready before dad arrives.

Miluda is finally getting married this weekend - this is the wedding that was supposed to take place at the beginning of September. So I have been dusting off my takshita and generally getting myself ready for a party.

Thanks to everyone who sent me birthday wishes. For my birthday this year I want to take the females in my little dog walking crew to get neutered.. I guess we will have to ask Snitch's nominal owners if they are OK about that. I can't see them objecting as they take very little to do with her. I also have to wait till Trot has finished rearing her puppies first - though I am not sure how many she has and if they are still alive.... She went away to a little hidey hole to have them and although I have visited a few times I have only heard a little bit of puppy squeaking and not actually seen one so I don't know how many she has had or if they are boys or girls. She spends a fair bit of time at our back door but does not like it if the other dogs go any where near her den so I haven't been able to get a good look. The pups should be getting more mobile now so I will try and visit again this week.

Mohamed's university term has finally started. This term he has to read The Old Man and the Sea, Animal Farm and Jude the Obscure. What a strange set of books!!

Well back to work

Saying goodbye to Little Rag

I have some very sad news. Little Rag was asleep under our car yesterday and Mohamed did not see her when he got in to drive into town. We took her to the vet but she died just as we got into the surgery. She lost a lot of blood and didn't seem conscious so I hope she wasn't in any pain.

Mohamed is really upset.

We buried her in the garden last night.

October Catch Up

Sorry so much time has passed again without an update.

Life goes on. My friend Kate came out a couple of weeks ago and we had a lovely time, swimming in the sea, eating late breakfasts and lunches and driving through the mountains in search of saffron, caves and waterfalls (well I didn't need to search for the waterfall) and talking....



We drove all the way out to Talouine in the Anti-Atlas mountains to see the saffron harvest but were a month too early (so much for the website I looked up). Still it was a good day out and we saw some amazing countryside and had a lovely lunch - and it will be harvest time in late October and November so will be worth another trip in that direction when my next visitors arrive.

We also did the trip to Immouzzer but I could see from the hillside that there was no water in the falls so it didn't seem worth while driving all the way down just to be hassled by the local guides and souvenir sellers. We had previously gone on quite a detour looking for the Ouitinedoume (?) caves which I have seen signposted (everytime I drive along that road) but never visited. We followed a road up into the mountains but it just stopped in a carpark. There was a rough track heading off round the edge of the mountain but no signs of life and it was too hot to trek miles up the side of a mountain so we got back in the car and carried on to Immouzzer.

Back at the house we have the wiring and most of the plumbing done on Dad's room and should get a window next week. The builder is due to come next week to install the window and render the walls, then we need to get the tiling done and the bathroom fitted out... painting.. door - almost there! but less than 3 weeks to do it!

Dad is coming out for a month on 29th October and will be here for the Eid. I think Aicha and Said and the kids are coming over as well... so it will be almost like Christmas!

Ruby and the cats are well. Trot has had her puppies... not sure how many as she has them hidden away. Snitch did have puppies but I think something must have happened to them as she doesn't seem to spend much time with them - but maybe she just has them hidden away as well.



Mohamed is still waiting to hear when the new university term will start... they have started posting timetables so it looks like it might be soon but then again it might not be till after the Eid.

I think that is all the news... now to try and post some pictures (if you have already seen them you will know this has worked!)