After a week or two of blustery, wet and wild weather, we’ve been having some hot sunny days so I’ve been doing mundane things like airing out the house and actually managing to get towels dry. Houses here are so damp! Other than that, we’ve been enjoying the vacation; sleeping in and staying up late, eating way too much, having friends over, playing with trains and new presents.
We had a lovely, quiet Christmas. On Christmas Eve, we went to a service at the local protestant church. The pastor invited everyone who wanted to up to sing in an impromptu choir. Abel was first out of his seat. I had to follow because they handed him a mike, which he held right next to his mouth as he croaked along. In our family, the females can sing and the males can’t, and Donn and I, dissolving into giggles, agreed that something must be done to spare the ears of the congregation.
Afterwards, everyone was tremendously hyper and stayed chatting, and running and wrestling, for a very long time. (You can decide who was doing what) Then we came home to make tartiflette with Spanish bacon and real reblochon cheese, which they had at a store here. It was sooo good. It’s years since we’ve had it.
We stayed up far too late, and as a result started Christmas morning quite late. We had to actually get Elliot out of bed about 9:30. I jumped on him and heard a loud, ominous crack. Sure enough—the long piece of wood down the side of his bed was broken, and inspection showed that it had been made of two pieces glued together. I have to say this is typical of stuff here. It looks good and you pay European prices, but more often than not it is shoddily made and doesn’t hold up.
Elliot got a sword. The twins got roller blades. This is actually what we were looking for in Ceuta, but apparently kids there who want them come to Morocco to get them. I got some lovely pottery things and a new scarf and a tin of Quality Street, which reminds me so much of my childhood that I’m having a hard time sharing. Donn got a photo book of Morocco, and a lot of chocolate from the children. A couple of days earlier, we got a parcel from friends with Starbucks’ Winter Blend. I love good coffee.
The twins modeling the new cap and scarf we got them in Chefchouen.
Since Ismail and his mother are always sending up food, we sent them down a plate of Christmas cookies and pies and a large platter of our Christmas dinner, roasted herbed leg of lamb, roast potatoes with garlic and rosemary, mint sauce, glazed carrots, fresh peas. I suspect they didn’t like it but it was a nice thing to do. On Saturday they sent my platter up with couscous, cinnamon, powdered sugar and crushed almonds. Mmm.
A friend gave us two boxes of Lindor truffle balls. I put them out in a decorative blue bowl. Ismail dropped by to bring us our mail, and I offered him one and watched in bemusement as he took the entire bowl, obviously thinking I was sending them to his family! Sigh.
So what about you? How was your Christmas? Hope you were this happy…
11 comments
December 29, 2009 at 5:27 pm
shannon
Can’t stop laughing at the loss of your truffles. I am sorry but I think it is funny! i hope your friend reads this and sends you some more.
December 29, 2009 at 6:47 pm
snacks from the cruise buffet
sorry about the truffles!
but reblochon? where oh where…? I’ve been hankering after some tartiflette.
December 29, 2009 at 6:54 pm
planetnomad
Snacks, at LaBelVie in Soussi. I hope they still have some.
December 29, 2009 at 7:25 pm
meredith
Oh no, the truffles. We bought just four today at a chocolate shop, Emma is crazy for them.
December 29, 2009 at 7:42 pm
MaryWitzl
That truffle thing happened to me once too, but oddly enough, with a dictionary. I offered it to someone to look something up and he thought I was giving it to him. I think I’d cry if it happened with truffles — especially if I thought they wouldn’t appreciate them!
December 30, 2009 at 1:31 am
gretchen from lifenut
I hope they liked the truffles.
Maybe they’ll send the bowl back loaded with a different, but equally delicious, goodie?
December 30, 2009 at 3:26 am
Hali Anderson
I love tartiflette! I just made some last week! I was a little short in the cheese department, so I mixed some leftover chevre with mozzarella, not half bad! Your Christmas sounds beautiful! Happy New Years!!
December 30, 2009 at 8:37 am
Linda
I had a happy Christmas as family was here. Usually I get out of Dodge and try to escape it all but it was nice to be here this year. Yours sounded great. Too bad about the candy. I think I would have grabbed it back.
December 30, 2009 at 4:45 pm
Mary Mimouna
Is this your house? It looks beautiful. But I bet roller skating on marble floors was quite noisy for the neighbors downstairs! Looks like fun, though.
Mary in Marrakesh, at Expat Abroad
expat21.wordpress.com
December 31, 2009 at 7:41 pm
The Cowgirl
A tin of Quality Street – fabulous!
A very merry and belated Christmas to you and yours…and happy new year!
January 5, 2010 at 4:38 pm
abercrombie0202
Where they play the right music, getting in the swing
You come in to look for a king Abercrombie and Fitch