I had been following the development of my cacti which were pretty sad when we bought them but have been coming along well with lots of branches. Reading Tom Stuart-Smith's guide to the Secret Garden I was surprised to learn that they aren't cacti at all. In fact they are a type of Euphorbia, Euphorbia ingens. All euphorbia have an irritant sap so I won't have them in my garden in Wales. The latex of E ingens is particularly toxic and can cause not just skin irritation but Blindness and severe illness. I certainly wouldn't have bought them had I realised but they seem a bit dangerous to get rid of.
I was also surprised to learn that Agaves and Aloes aren't closely related at all their similarities being a result of paralell evolution. I think I have both but can't tell which is which.
The electric saga continues. Someone from the Electric Board came on the sixth and installed a meter and then Sparks came in the afternoon and fixed the sockets and connected up so the kitchen is now served by a separate consumer unit and I can have the chip pan and oven on and don't have to turn one off to boil a kettle and we don't have to turn any heating or air-conditioning off to use the kitchen appliances. A vast improvement! But the works have to be inspected and I am a bit confused because I thought we were told they would be coming on 18th March. That is tomorrow and a Sunday. One thing I'm sure of is the Electric Board doesn't work Sundays.
Tagazhout north of Agadir has long been a surfer's paradise.The area to the south of the village was planned for development more than a decade ago and hoarding went up along the Essaouira road and heavy machinery moved in. Then came "la Crise" and all work stopped. Nothing had changed much last time we took that road with the Quaker in 2016. However some work must have progressed because when Sweetheart wanted to stay at a luxury hotel for a couple of nights and go horse-riding on the beach the Tagazhout Hyatt seemed to fit and that apparently opened at the end of 2015.
Everything certainly has changed now. The Essaouira has been diverted inland and the old road now leads only to the new bay tourist development. There are lots of apartments being built, some finished, and a couple of large american luxury hotels.
The Hyatt is not on the beach where the building work continues but on a buff overlooking the bay and is wrapped round by a golf course.It has a humungous swimming pool and a smaller one which is kept at 28C all year.
This latter was the attraction for sweetheart but in the event the larger pool was 19.8C and she preferred that. It's certainly a place for a luxury holiday with activities because as well as the golf there is horse and camel riding locally,quad bikes and of course the surf beach. There is a spa with treatments, sauna and jacuzzi and table tennis pool and table football.
Unfortunately we were unlucky with the weather which was more Rhyl off-season and the sunset ride was more of a soaking with any hope of a sunset being completely obscured by sea level cloud. It gave sweetheart and beloved an excuse to sample the sauna and jacuzzi and fortunately the weather then cleared and normal service was resumed so we could sunbathe by the pool with cocktails and a book.
Sweetheart arrived yesterday. She escaped snowdrifts in Buxton which had been cut off but the road to the airport is the road to the hospital so it was cleared just in time. She is finding 20C very satisfactory.
I had managed to get some Havana Club in the Victoria Drinks Shop in Marrakesh and on Thursday following a "snow day" spent largely in the pub she had given me clear instructions for a Mojito. Unfortunately she had omitted limes from the ingredient list. I don't suppose it would have made much difference as limes are not common here but possibly Marjane would have had some if I;d searched. However it is the height of the orange season. So, if life gives you oranges make Mojitos.
We went to the Jnane Soussia for lunch.
The usual Sunday lunch moroccan crowd were absent , presumably too cold and windy, but Sweetheart thought the breeze just pleasant. I have never worked out why the Jnane Soussia's kefta are so much better than everyone else's but they are.
The smaller courtyard has been restored as an "exotic" garden. It is the courtyard nearest to the entrance and would have been used for entertaining visitors whilst a dog-legged entrance to the Islamic garden would have allowed the family to retain their privacy. The garden is filled with plants from similar climates from all over the world and partly reflects the concept of an "Eden Garden" wherein "the Lord God caused to grow every tree that is pleasing to the sight and good for food".Excavations showed that the original garden level was 80cm below the paths but it has been restored with a minimal height difference to make it more accessible.
Planting includes Date Palms
and Jacaranda, Yucca and Kalanchoe but a considerable reliance on Agaves,Aloes and Bromeliads. There are fountains
with resident terrapins
and seating areas.
The emphasis is still on the authenticity of the buildings an the planting. when compared tho the Marjorelle, created by an artist, I think the have passed on an opportunity to add colour.
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I had quite fancied one of this Kalanchoe beharensis when we bought the banana plant but the pepinieresaid it did nothing -just had big leaves. Not true! Look at the flowers on it.
