My Marrakesh

Bamako: and a webbed tale

While she was sleeping in the thick, warm Malian night, he crept over the cool, white sheets….until he found what he wanted.  The sight of her made him hungry, very hungry.  As for her, she was still, busy dreaming dreams of an olive grove somewhere in Africa.  Her stillness made it easy for him, and he took his fill of her.  She never startled, she never cried out.  She just lay quietly…… obliging.  The very best sort of prey.

It was only the next day that she learned of his visit.  He had left his mark, you see.  Her skin raged in protest, firey, sensitive.  As the day wore on, she thought of him.  She couldn’t help it, the signs of his plunder increasingly evident.  Soon phone calls were made, appointments arranged, and she found herself in a white room, with another set of cool white sheets.  The doctor surveyed the intruder’s handiwork.  Strange, not often seen in Bamako.  Pill after pill prescribed, handfuls to be taken in tandem.  His affect on her blood, his poison, would be banished.  It was just a matter of time. 

Nonetheless, she took preventative measures, drawing the bed clothes tightly around her at night.  Just in case he came back to find her…hungry, still hungry.

Image by flash750

Mali: and the Maryam capers

I am back to my nomadic ways and I'm off to........Mali in West Africa.  Yes, for my day job.  I will be landing in the capital, Bamako.  According to Wikipedia,  Bamako comes from the Bambara word meaning "crocodile swamp."  Oh dear, I had best bring my tall, polka-dotted wading boots.   

Crocodiles aside, Mali is a fascinating place.  Home to Timbuktu.  (Timbuktu......doesn't that sound so very mysterious?  So Agatha Christie.)   And the shopping in Mali is just amazing.  You would not believe the fantastic loot that I got on my last trip there.  I am bringing my huge red Samsonite, in hopes of purchasing the curious, the exotic, the tribal for the Peacock Pavilions Shop. 

I thought I would leave you with an image of the stunning mosque in Djenne.  Incredible looking, isn't it?

So let the Maryam Mali capers begin!          (Note to self:  find capers at all cost.  No, no, not the kind in the bottle, silly.)

   

Image by tluca.

Marrakech: and the elusive Feather Hunters

The Feather Hunters ~a stealthy breed of tiny Peacock Pavilion pacifists ~ leave no tracks.    Birds are not harmed in their pursuit.  But make no mistake...the Feather Hunters are a highly skilled sub-species, their senses fine tuned to perfection.  Known to be volatile when hungry or tired, it’s best to give into demands if accidentally confronted with one.   Some say they even have night vision. (I am unable to confirm or deny these reports.)

My wits about me, I captured a few precious photos of an alleged leader of the Feather Hunters.  With a sly look in her eye, she showed me her bounty.  But then quick as a flash………she was gone………

 

Marrakech: and a Thanksgiving tale of clementines

It's Thanksgiving in the US today, and this year I am giving thanks not just for the big things, but for the little ones, too.  For the banana pancakes, the impromptu magic shows, the phone calls from best friends, the perfect lipstick, the crayoned drawings, the olive oil soap, the finely woven sheets, the bedtime stories......

And the freshly picked clementines.  Because so much of what makes life special lies in the details.  And with that, let me share a freshly squeezed tale .

************************************

 

They took a walk in their garden.  They held hands because it made them feel happy. 

Their cat, Blinky, came too.

It was sunny in Marrakech.  The bougainvillea matched a certain little girl's skirt.

They picked clementines from their own trees.

And they stored them in their specially designed clementine-catching hat.

   

They tasted delicious.

They sat on the grass.  The little girl's skirt bloomed around her.  Her mother thought she was quite possibly the prettiest flower in the garden.

The dog, Rocky, agreed with the mother's thinking.  He was quite possibly the cleverest dog in the garden.....

******************

Happy Thanksgiving from me to you.  May your days be filled with freshly picked clementines, just poured hot coffee and brand new magazines....