Owner: Près du Puits URL:http://presdupuitsinmorocco.blogspot.com/ Join Date: Sat, 22 Mar 2008 11:23:12 -0500 Rating:0 Site Description: Our blog is about our life in the Moroccan countryside, in an traditional adobe house we've built ourselves. The title "Près du Puits", is French for "Near the Well". We post pictures, recipes, and stories about the traditional wa Site statistics:Click here
A rainy day in Ouled Mgatel 2008-04-18 06:54:00 The big gray clouds were threatening Ouled Mgatel.And then it was pouring with rain. Don't worry, a house made of adobe doesn't melt that easily.Soon animals found refuge under the covered terrace.As for the dog Lisa, she didn't like this at all.
Ifrane 2008-04-18 03:22:24 I needed to get some books in English, and, it was exceptional, Fred didn't work that morning.So we were en route to Ifrane, in the mountains, where apparently you could find a lot of books.Numerous e-mails had been exchanged with a responsible of the library. Passports were left at the entrance of the university. Here, there were only Americans and rich Moroccans. It was nothing like Ouled Mgatel.We were kind of lost. Where were we? In Switzerland...... or somewhere in North America?Oh, a mosque with green tiles. So it was still Morocco.Big houses were buried in the trees.In the library, there were young Americans studying, Moroccan girls laughing in three languages, and beautiful computers.The carpet was very nice and soft, and there were colored Moroccan rugs on the walls.We even saw Ga
A House in the Clouds 2008-04-19 04:40:51 When we came back from Fez we found an immaculate house. The boys had whitewashed every single piece of wall. It looks great.Take a look.Fred's musical instruments, some of them Iranian, Turkish, or Moroccan of course, were more than happy to be hung on that beautiful white wall. Read more:House
, Clouds
A House that Loved Animals 2008-04-23 17:06:58 All at once the house of Ouled Mgatel was invaded by animals.First, we spotted a strange insect in the kitchen.Since we had built the water treatment ponds, a lot of toads -African toads, that cannot live in water - a little depressive maybe, were diving in the tanks. We fished them, and let them dry under the sun.The little turtle had disappeared, and we were waiting for her return. Meanwhile, we had bought a big one at the market in Fez. It had a good appetite - it especially loved the fava beans of our garden - and was accompanied by a friend.Some animals even seemed to be born just to live in our little white house. Read more:House
, Animals
Photo of the house 04/19/08 2008-04-24 16:46:24 From that point of view our house looks like a strange fortress, or a boat - with a clothes line as a sail. Read more:Photo
The Story of the Olive Trees 2008-04-24 16:45:55 The house is surrounded by olives trees. And we are lucky. Because, you see, there has been a massacre. It happened in the 1980s. A terrible drought took place in Morocco. The watermelons, the zucchinis, the wheat that used to grow in the fields couldn’t grow anymore. People began to flee the countryside to live in the cities. Fez, Meknes, and Casablanca, gained tens of thousands of inhabitants. Those who stayed in the country had to find a way to eat. Their fields were dry. No water, no wheat, no watermelons, no zucchinis. So they cut up their trees, to sell the wood. Their nourishing trees, their olives trees. It probably was very sad. The hills, which were covered with trees, became all empty. But the trees continue to feed the people. From breakfast to dinner, the trees are in the Read more:Olive
, Trees
A House that Breathes 2008-04-26 12:33:16 I live in a house made of mud. There is straw in the walls, earth under my feet, reeds above my head. But I’m very lucky. The house is as beautiful as the landscape in which it was born. And my kitchen window opens in the middle of a wheat field.I have to keep an open mind though. Strange things happen. Wheat grows on the roof. Birds make their nests under the beams. In fact, the whole house is a big nest, and the song of the birds wakes us every day, which is very nice. Earthworms, yes it happens, make holes in the soil of the bathroom. Well, it happened once, and it’s happening again, because the floor is too wet. It rained a lot this winter, and it seems that certain parts of the house just can’t get over it. I guess the Moroccan summer should definitely solve the problem of e Read more:House
A House in Ouled Mgatel and No Car 2008-05-03 08:46:12 Why were we deprived of our car? Oh, yes, right, the Customs. It’s been a real problem for us since we moved in Morocco. I’ll spare you the details, as it is very complicated. The bottom line is, we had to leave our car home, and were not authorized to use it. Well, by an amazing stroke of luck the problem was fixed on last Tuesday – a miracle really, since Fred left the day after to play in a festival in Poland, and that he couldn’t have left Morocco if the situation hadn’t been resolved. So now we can keep our car until July Living in Ouled Mgatel without a car can seem difficult. And it was a little. For us. Because here nobody’s got a car. And when people have money, they usually buy tractors, not cars. People here don’t travel that much. Every week, they go to the ma Read more:House
Harvest 2008-05-13 03:47:19 Well, it has been fun to live surrounded by all that wheat. Remember, it was in March.And three weeks ago.But it's over now. On Mohammed's farm and at the top of the hill the piles of haystacks get bigger every day.The animals are finally allowed to eat what is left in the fields.At our house, sunflowers took over and the haystack have been put in the courtyard, maybe waiting for, who knows, be Read more:Harvest
An Oasis in Ouled Mgatel 2008-05-16 14:30:59 When we built the water treatment ponds, we didn’t expect so many visitors. First there were the huge frogs, that dived into the tanks and desperately tried to get out. It wasn’t long before the dogs also found this unexpected spring, them who are always hungry and often very thirsty too. A lot of birds came and enjoyed the water and the insects. There are field larks of course, but also a
Back in France 2008-06-01 15:21:17 Oups, I wrote my last message two weeks ago. Time flies. I spent the last 10 days in France
, because I had some exams at the University.My parents live in a small village in Lorraine, in the North-East of France. It's not much bigger than Ouled Mgatel (well, there are more cars, and less children, unfortunately), but very different.There are a lot more flowers. My mother is very proud of her gard
No title 2008-06-15 07:46:00 I’m so sorry about the delay in the posts. We’ve been very busy this week with the Fez Festival. Fred played at several concerts, and all went fine. Photos for later. In the meantime, a photo of the house to show you that yes, it still exists !
A Crowded Garden 2008-06-27 06:13:45 It's been a few months since we begun our garden, and it's beginning to get crowded.
The majestic sunflowers are in charge of welcoming our visitors.
But if you look at the ground you'll see other treasures...Like the gold of the zucchini flower...
Cucumbers, with little thorns, but delicious !
... and the cantaloupe, that has all the sun it needs, but demands more water every day.
And if y Read more:Crowded
, Garden
A Week in Fez 2008-06-22 11:11:53 As I promised, here are a few photos of the concerts Fred gave during the Fez festival. Fred joined a Sufi brotherhood, the Hamadchas – although he isn’t a Muslim, which shows the tolerance of this brotherhood.
Storytelling show with the Hamadchas
Fred also gave a concert with his band Shahinaz. They played some Mediterranean music, and although the turnout wasn't great, the few people
Ten things that would make our life in Ouled Mgatel easier 2008-07-26 12:09:58 I love my house, and I love to live here. I'm amazed that we managed to build it, and to actually live in it, since all seemed at first a crazy adventure. We made it, with very little money, without an architect, a plumber or an electrician. And it works. There are a few things
though that would make our house a better place. 1. A bigger solar panel. And maybe a small wind turbine. Beca
A Stork in Ouled Mgatel 2008-07-24 18:09:46 Seen on a dried out field near Ouled Mgatel : a stork, looking lonely. It’s more usual to see those birds in the cities. But I’ve been told that storks eat frogs – is that true ? In this case, there are plenty of frogs to eat in Ouled Mgatel – and especially in my garden. So, storks, if you’re hungry… Read more:Stork
Caper season 2008-07-23 16:19:14 For than 10 days now, it’s been more than 40° c. in the countryside. From time to time the Chergui, the hot wind coming from the Sahara desert, blows and makes all attempt of leaving the house very difficult. Fortunately, the straw and the earth of our house are very insulating. It’s easier to fall asleep in our house than in an appartment in Fez, because it keeps us cool. Our garden suffer Read more:Caper
Inspiration on the road to the north 2008-08-12 12:52:28 A mudbrick house, it sounds simple. At least here, in the north of Fez, where peasants build small whitewashed houses. In general, they are made of several rectangular rooms, that don’t directly communicate, but through the patio around which they are laid out. Life in a Moroccan house – at least in the countryside – is very different from life in a European house.The same room is used Read more:Inspiration
Summer in Ouled Mgatel 2008-08-07 11:16:33 It's hot..................................hot............................................................hot.......................................................................................................... Read more:Summer
Photos of the House 08/01/08 2008-08-02 13:18:46 I finally overcame my vertigo and climbed on the rooftop of our house. It was worth it ! And, hum, it wasn’t that high after all. When we whitewashed the house in April we didn’t paint the second floor… I guess you noticed ? Read more:House
Aziz's violin 2008-08-26 02:48:00 Yes. A violin
. Made with a can of weedkiller - so Ouled Emgatel. Look at the details – the bridge. Its bow was lost years ago. But the violin stayed.
Recipe : Moroccan eggs 2008-08-24 12:31:01 That’s an everyday dish, that can be found in Moroccan
homes as well as in many small restaurants. And, as are often very simple things, it’s delicious. The important thing is to use a lot of olive oil. It’s a Moroccan thing. On the photo I took, there is obviously to little of it... shame on me ! The other important thing is to eat those eggs with good Moroccan bread. But you could use
So brave 2008-08-23 05:17:01 The cat Mioche watching the dog Lisa – and he should be careful with her. If you don’t know why, read this.
Two kids, twelve cows, and a swing 2008-08-22 10:01:34 Watching the herd all morning can get boring. So, they made this. For a few months, since the end of the harvest, and that the fields are no longer off-limits to the animals, Smain and Houria have been spending their morning on our land, with their herds. They come early, at 7AM – which, given the, huh, jet-lag, are really 6AM for them -, and leave before the sun gets too hot, at around 11 Read more:swing
The time in Ouled Mgatel 2008-08-22 09:49:43 Recently I discovered that our house is in a different time-zone than the rest of Ouled Mgatel. Yes. When it’s 9 in our house (and I think it works for the garden as well…), it’s actually 8 at our neighbors’, and probably in the whole area of Ouled Jamaa. Now, that explains a lot…. I thought everybody was just late. But no, they didn’t switch to daylight-saving time, as did the res
A Moroccan "Grand Taxi" 2008-08-19 13:00:01 Fur by the windshield ? Check. Funky steering wheel ? Check. Muslim rosary ? Check. 4 passengers squeezed in the rear, and two that will have to sit on the passenger seat (us, obviously). Check. Now… what’s missing in this picturesque but standard Moroccan
“grand taxi”? Ah yes, the crazy driver. Well, not this time – the guy obviously loved his car and didn’t want it to get into Read more:Grand
Praying 2008-08-17 04:43:01 Just more cat food, or a mysterious, magical creature haunting the garden ?
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