Architect husband Chris and I were on Expat Radio (WTBQ 1110 AM in New York) today talking about Peacock Pavilions and the highs and lows of being expats, hotel-builders and olive farmers in Marrakech.
Very fun. Many thanks to sweet and funny Expat Radio host, Tai Aguirre for having us:)
They looked to be taking a nap.
She tapped each on the shoulder. "Excuse me," she said. "Sorry to bother you," she said ( in a voice that showed that she wasn't terribly sorry at all).
They gazed up at her from their slumber. They had heard that tone of voice before.
"We need to talk. You see, we seem to be behind schedule, far behind schedule," she said briskly, her finger tapping the clipboard. "I need to ask for your full cooperation in getting things back on track. "
Her eyes unwavering, she continued: "Now all things considered, I believe I have been rather patient. But frankly, my patience is wearing thin. I don't know how to put this politely, but I am going to have to ask you to speed it along. Yes, to hurry it up. I hope I am making myself quite clear."
The two bedroom pavilion, which had a tendency to be insolent, retorted in a phony British accent, "No need to get your knickers in a tangle. We're doing the best we can. " And then he yawned.
The girl flushed. It was precisely this kind of attitude that worried her. With her hand gesturing vigorously she replied, "Well, I'm afraid your best simply isn't good enough. While your outsides are done, your insides remain in a state of disarray. The plasterwork needs to be finished and the painting must commence this week. Yes, this week. And as for the pool tiles.....very disappointing. They need to be identified and installed immediately."
"No more excuses please." And with that, she turned on her heel and walked away. The 3 bedroom pavilion called after her shrilly, A stitch in time saves nine! Good things come to those who wait!
But the blogging girl didn't even bother to turn around.
The details were important to her. She thought about the small things...about the soap dishes, the trash bins, the key chains. She wished that everything could be just so at Peacock Pavilions. She sometimes grew frustrated when she couldn't find the things she wanted - not the right forks, not the right faucets, not the right fabrics. She begged people traveling to Marrakech to courier special items for her that she ordered online and shipped to them.
When it came to dishes, she knew she would have to find a local source.......because, after all, dishes are fragile...they break. A trip of the foot, a stub of the toe, and replacements are needed. While Moroccan pottery might be tempting -- so colorful, so hand-crafted -- also soon shabby......the telltale chips, the flaking paint. Oh no, that wouldn't do........
Then there was white porcelain.....Porcelain..... so elegant and the white so pristine, so restaurant-like. And easily replaced. But Moroccan? Not particularly. And memorable? Not at all.........
Moroccan porcelain was called for. Finally, after contemplation, she decided on a pattern from Porcelain de Fes........ Classic, in good taste, and so Moroccan with its intricate mosaic designs, reminiscent of Moroccan tile work or zelij. And the blue...so lovely -- why, even Swedes couldn't complain.
So bright and early one morning.......she marched off with her checkbook...... She returned with dinner, salad and desert plates, as well as fruit bowls, platters, and the sweetest tiny dishes for butter, jams, and honey. She stacked them up, she packed them in tissue, she marked the large box with Peacock Pavilions in black permanent ink.
One step closer............ (Pssst.....doors opening October 15, 2008)
She loved breakfast, you see, especially outside on her Moroccan tiled table.
She had her breakfast routine: first a cup of coffee with plenty of hot milk and a dash of cinnamon. No sugar. Then toast with blue cheese or organic honey and a glass of freshly squeezed tangerine juice. Then a little fruit, preferably with strawberries or pineapple or grapes.
She liked to linger.......she liked her second cup of coffee......she liked to imagine the amazing and wonderful and incredibly productive things that she just might do that day..... Anything was still possible in the morning; the day dangled ahead, shimmering in long stretches. Why perhaps it would be the day when she made it through her entire in-box in the morning .......leaving time to uncover treasures in the Marrakech souks all afternoon long..... People had walked on the moon, after all. Anything, anything, was still possible at breakfast.....
Perhaps you have ideas for breakfast at Peacock Pavilions? Especially you and you and you and you and why you (no looking over your shoulder, I am talking to you). Please........won't you share one of your breakfast secrets here? Perhaps a recipe for delicious muffins or scones or coffee cakes? Or a recipe for home made granola or yummy yogurt made from scratch. Nothing elaborate -- no blueberry soup with violets floating in the middle. Just simple and fresh and well, feasible. Do email your breakfast secrets to [maryam at mtds dot com] or leave a little link or a little idea behind in a comment. Because, after all, there's breakfast tomorrow to think of and the one the day after that and the week after that....and the month after that....and....
Once upon a time, in a real kingdom far, far away, there was a blogging girl named Maryam who was fond of plants. Indeed, so enchanted was she by the silvery branches of olive trees, that she bought a small olive grove in Marrakech. Imagine that.
For a time, it seemed like Maryam and her olive trees might live happily ever after. But, like all fairy tales, it soon became evident that things were not as they should be. Because although the trees had the family's love, as well sun and water, they had few other plants with which to share their leafy feelings. Lonely and depressed, olives began dropping from their branches for no reason at all.
Now Maryam wanted her trees to be happy. So she timidly bought cypres, agave, bougainvillea, and roses......but they felt lost in the vast expanse of 8.5 acres of land. It soon became evident that the family required help of the expert variety. A fairy god landscaper was needed. Maryam tried numerous tricks to evoke a fairy god landscaper. She rubbed random lanterns with genie potential in the Marrakech souks. But......nothing happened. She clicked her heels and tried spells purchased from magicians on the Jemaa el-Fna square. But....the spells appeared to be broken. In sheer desperation, she even sent a polite email to the fancy American landscaper who had done the plan for the American School of Marrakech. But he didn't bother to reply to her - it appeared she wasn't important enough to even merit politeness. Sigh, where were she and she and she when Maryam needed them most?
All seemed lost.....It was then that a Moroccan landscaper showed up on the land, unannounced. He drove a pumpkin coach, err, a pickup truck and called plants by their Latin names. Impressed, Maryam invited him to walk the property. And - as in all fairy tales - she also told him her three wishes: 1) an Andalusian garden with drought-loving plants; 2) clipped rosemary hedges with their heady scent; and 3) an organic vegetable patch with seeds carefully sourced. Much to her surprise, the landscaper told her that she could have more than just three wishes (Oh my!). Maryam hired him on the spot, of course. He asked for an advance (even fairy god landscapers get paid these days) and she said......... yes.
The months passed, and the would-be fairy god landscaper was behind schedule, waaaaaay behind schedule. Maryam began to grow worried. She knocked on his office door and called him on the phone, first weekly, then daily, seemingly to no avail. Finally, when her fingernails had been bitten down to the quick, she received a message that the landscaping plan was done. She crossed herself, made a namaste, and did a left sided and a right sided cartwheel. She alerted the Peacock Pavilion olive trees, who alerted the sparrows, who alerted the ladybugs. And everyone felt, well, happy, in the sparkliest way possible.
However..... it appeared their happiness was premature...... The landscaping plan turned out to be a measly set of stapled-together pages of nothing at all. And after fruitless discussions to try to rectify the situation, the architect husband -- normally so kind -- threw the "landscaping plan" straight into the trash..........
Oh dear. They had been swindled.
This fairytale does not have a happy ending.......but perhaps.... it is still a tale-in-the-making. For the time being, however, sad Maryam and her sad olive trees are scanning the horizon, hoping that someone will show up soon to apply for the vacant fairy god landscaping position at Peacock Pavilions. Oh please, let it be this week or next.
(Warning to all charlatan landscapers: the dungeons at Peacock Pavilion are rumored to be a very scary place, indeed, absent of all light and populated only by man-eating cacti. Don't make me take you there....)
To be continued......
PS Take a peek at this pretty, pretty vintage Moroccan wedding blanket I sent darling Jeanine at one of my fave blogs, AphroChic. This lovely blanket has dark embroidered strips among the fringe and the sequins. Yowza! I have new stock of vintage Moroccan wedding blankets - so please let me know if you would like one (maryam at mtds.com) . I also have some delectable vintage Moroccan Beni Ourain and other carpets - I will be posting on those soon.
Ah magic….don’t you think there should be more of it in our lives?
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There is a history of interest in numerology and magic in the Arab world. The number 5 has always had special significance and powers because it is linked to the hand of Fatima and the 5 fingers. The numbers 3, 7, 9 and their multiples are also believed to have magical properties. (The magic square – a set of numbers placed so that the sum is the same, no matter if numbers are added horizontally, vertically or diagonally – is sometimes used to heal the sick or protect wearers from the evil eye. I often see silver rings with magic squares in the Marrakech souks.)
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So I was thinking….that there should be magic room numbers at Peacock Pavilions. In addition to our own pavilion, there will be 2 guest pavilions with a total of 5 guestrooms. I thought it might be charming (and magical!) to dispense with room numbers 1, 2 and 4 altogether…….and only have rooms 3, 5, 7, 9, and 35. Or rooms 5, 7, 15, 21, and 27… It seems to me that on a magical holiday, magical room numbers are only appropriate.
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Hmm…What do you think?
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(oh, eeek, I better cut this out before you become convinced that I am going to greet you at the gate of Peacock Pavilions wearing a star covered cape, a tall pointy hat, and waving a sequin-covered wand…)
Jayme Barrett was the mind/body editor of a magazine.
She had been featured on television and radio.
Her book had been on the best seller list.
She lived in Los Angeles.
She was visiting Marrakech.
She was leaving the following day.
The blogging girl sat at a long narrow table with 15 others. They were there to learn from Jayme how to feng shui themselves, their homes, their lives.
Jayme spoke to them in a way that was reassuring, telling them they wouldn't need to throw out all their things, they wouldn't need to buy expensive props, they wouldn't need to start over. She spoke and they listened. Questions were asked and answered. Heads nodded around the room.
There wasn't enough time. (Wasn't that always the way these things were?) And so during the break, the blogging girl asked, Please, before you leave Marrakech, would you have time to come for a consultation at Peacock Pavilions? It needs some help, you see. It needs some care, you see. It needs an added insurance policy. It needs feng shui.
Amazingly, Jayme said yes.
So, the next morning, the two of them set off for Peacock Pavilions. They walked through the olive grove. They walked through the three pavilions. It seemed...........(Could it be?) that Peacock Pavilions was already quite feng shui. The entrances were where they should be, the rooms were oriented in the right ways, the beds could be placed correctly, the bathrooms were just as prescribed. There were things that could be done to make things better, to improve things, to keep the chi in the rooms, to counter the fast flowing straight hallways, to adapt the exuberant windows. But overall, overall, it seemed that the feng shui stars had aligned themselves positively over Peacock Pavilions.
So thank you, clever architect Chris. And thank you, sweet feng shui Jayme. And perhaps most of all, thank you....Oh, thank you, kind universe.
P.S. Anyone coming to Marrakech from the US? Kind courriers desperately needed. Thank you.The list for Peacock Pavilions was long, very long.
It went something like this: 1) 10 beds; 2) 10 mattresses; 3) 30 sets of twin sheets; 4) 15 sets of queen sheets; 5) 10 nightstands; 6) 814, 436 bath towels (approximate figure); 7) a gazillion dishes; 8) poufs, more poufs 9) 2 whole kitchens; and 10) several miles of swimming pool tile.
Right, she said to herself, with a tone of brisk efficiency. This is not a problem, she chirped with enthusiasm. I am 100% on top of this, she stated with confidence as she walked out the door.
She returned with this.
It was bisque. It was fragile. It was useless.
Sigh.
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P.S. Many thanks to Design DNA for this lovely post on my husband and Peacock Pavilions. He was tickled pink.
Back in September or October, a strange and wonderful thing happened. I received an email, which started off a conversation, which went something like this:
Her: Hello, hello. My name is Melanie. I am a professional painter and decorative artist. I have been reading your blog. And I have a blog, too.
Me: You’re not by chance the Melanie of Modello Designs, are you?
Her: Well, yes I am actually. I was writing you to see…
Me: (interrupting her) Oh, I love your work…so intricate, so feminine, so fresh.
Her: Oh thank you. I was writing you to see if a group of decorative artists and I could come and help custom stencil and paint some beautiful designs on your walls or ceilings at Peacock Pavilions.
Me: What?
Her: We would do it for free.
Me: What?
Her: Yes, you see, every year for the last few years, we have been picking a house -- a palazzo in Italy, for example -- that we make the subject of a painting and stenciling trip. This year I thought it would be fun if we could come help paint Peacock Pavilions.
Me: What? 
Her: We could help pay our way, too, to stay at your place. So it would be some extra cash for you.
Me: What?!
Her: We could paint/stencil just about whatever designs you wish. You would be our pro bono client. What do you think?
Me: Is this some kind of trick question?
Her: What?
Me: Did my rascal-y brother put you up to this?
Her: What?
Me: Am I on one of those hidden camera shows?
Her: Ummm....No, no.
Me: Well, in that case…… all I can say is……..yes, yes.
And so dear friends, they are coming. In May. Peacock Pavilions won’t be quite ready yet but Melanie says that if there are beds to sleep in, electricity, plumbing and good food…….that that might be quite enough. And Melanie is flying out for a consultation next month. Next month. Imagine......Peacock Pavilion guests sleeping under a gorgeous hand stenciled ceiling or two....... And you won't believe what we are painting.........?! Click here to see the inspiration. So, so lovely. Am I or am I not, the luckiest girl in the world?
Melanie's other beautiful projects and stencils in images above and below. The stencils she develops for Peacock Pavilions will also be available to the public. eeeek, I am so excited that I could just about pee in my pants except, ahem, that wouldn't be polite:) 
Oh my. Why it's enough to make a blogging girl blush.... the amorous glances, the whispered nothings, the romantic interludes....
During the day and, ahem, during the night.....
It's all taking place here at Peacock Pavilions. In fact, umm, rather regularly these days.
I am not really sure whether you want to hear about such, cough, racy escapades. This is a family blog, after all. But I'm throwing caution to the wind. Because surely after all this time together (I mean you and me, of course), I can confide in you matters of the more......shall we say, intimate kind.
And let's face it, a little action, is good for the soul. (Now don't get all puritanical on me. It's perfectly natural.)
I still remember when Karim first looked at me in that way....sigh.
And you must admit, he is very attractive.........
Yes, it's mating season here at Peacock Pavilions, and the peacocks are really strutting their stuff.
No wonder the peahens are feeling a little weak in the scaly knees.....
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