Cats of Course!/ Morocco

Of course there are vast numbers of cats in New York, but most of them don't spend most of the day lying in the road....

unlike their Moroccan cousins who lie around anywhere.

I think this pretty young Mimi is about to have babies.

This nice fluffy one is a little older and was supervising her kittens.

Nice to sit in the sun in February especially in the fish market

but woe betide anyone who tries to steal this guy's dinner!

Better just put on a metaphorical "Do Not Disturb" sign

or curl up.

Too laid back even to open his eyes.

Note: I'm so sorry not to have been visiting your blogs --which I will do when I get somewhere where the Internet isn't so impossibly slow. Thank you for your kind comments.

More Moroccan photos on my old Marrakesh blog here.

Hi I'm 'zwina'  --dirigia (local dialect) for super-pretty!

The Road to Essouira

Rather different from New York...

About a hundred miles directly west from Marrakesh one comes upon an almost lunar landscape.

The sky is so wide and high

and there are sheep and goats beside the road

with shepherds to look after them.

There are goats up argan trees eating the nuts

rather popular sights for tourists!

The Atlantic is wild and has jagged rocks

fishing boats set out to catch rather astounding fish.

See below.

My Other World

Before I started the New York blog, we lived in Morocco which is where I started blogging as a way to keep in touch with my family. (See The House in Marrakesh). Anyway it sort of blossomed.

But we go back to Morocco pretty often. First place we went to was Cafe France

where we watched the world go by on foot

on bikes and mopeds and even caleches.

 We walked through the souks, past the olive sellers

Saw our first charming pussy cat (pregnant of course!)

glanced into an antique shop

tried to avoid the carpet sellers

wondered if my granddaughter would like little princess shoes

and admired the patina of old shutters.

Then we walked through our old neighborhood

in search of old friends. More of that good stuff later.

Here derb djedid our old street.

Food, Bright Skies and Up!

Have been a hopeless blogger lately. The late February blahs!

Yesterday we had a nice dessert after lunch --mini fruit tarts from Bergamot. YUM.

Food can always cheer you up.

This is a very batty croque monseiur from Prommenade.

The skies are brightening a bit....

which is exciting.

We are on the UP at the subway station

and the Apple store.

Haunted Huntington

Long Island was far harder hit by the blizzard than NewYork city.

Here is the cemetery in  Huntington in a thick fog with a spectral snow plow. 

Three in the afternoon, no color tweaking, no filters --just fog.

Suitably gloomy and mysterious.

Power lines galore --all above ground.

Leaving town on the train.

Am hoping pretty soon to post cheery pictures of spring. Well.......

Snow Day

Well it did snow --there was a regular sort of a storm --not the blizzard we were warned of. Some parts of Long Island and New England had it far worse.

Even at the height of the storm, food delivery men were wobbling on bicycles down icy streets. Pizza and sandwiches......Hmmmm

I'm a sucker for large trucks and the driver of this one was very chatty.....

For some reason snow on vehicles invites photo taking.

Maybe it's the contrasts of color or something.

Ah, the mystery of unswept steps. Is the house abandoned?

Who will be first to mark a path?

The newspaper delivery girl whose arm is amazingly accurate.

Terrible photo of the dog looking cheerful.

Dog licking snow off nose.

The park between the buildings shot from our apartment. The little playground in front and the slope behind.

I'm always reminded of Pieter Breughel --little figures against snow in the distance.

Looking out of our window past the builders' debris. One of the bikers having a close call with a cab. Sun now out. Storm officially over --at least for us.