The forecast was (partially) wrong

Here is a photo of our last lunch in the Kasbah. The food this week has been interesting. We have all eaten large quantities of vegetables and bread.

The food has often been inventive: note the use of rosemary stems in today’s kebabs!

The forecast was of wall to wall rain. It was pouring at breakfast time, but it cleared and all but 3 of us went out for a walk up the goat track.

We had done this last Sunday when there were hardly any plants. The rain had encouraged early shoots and we were excited with each new find.

After lunch, we heard about the building of the Kasbah. Helene and Hasan Aboutayeb are the owners. Helene, who is French, told us that after her degree she was at a loose end and had not found work. Her mother booked tickets for a visit to Morocco and she reluctantly went on the holiday.

On a day trip she met Hasan and fell in love with him. She stayed on in Morocco!

Hasan was a tourism advisor but he had the vision of building their own tiny hotel. They bought a piece of agricultural land, fought to change it to residential land and then to land for tourism. Various grants helped them.

Their present hotel, with 12 rooms, was built using as many traditional techniques as possible and looks authentic. It is an eco hotel and has a grey water system that takes all the used water through a series of pools where plants purify it.

My extra shows the team. Our wonderful waiter, Hussain, is missing. He was on duty all week. Last week his wife had their first baby. She had gone to stay with his parents while he came to work.

The others left at 2.30 and I was on my own until 5 when a taxi took me to the airport. It was a bit of a white knuckle ride!

I already knew that my flight was delayed. Storms over Europe had disrupted the timetables. The flight was smooth. I was in bed in my hotel by 0200. That is not the best end to a holiday but it’s just how it goes sometimes.

I have loved it, despite the trickling shower and dodgy plumbing! The people have been very friendly and caring.