Marrakech aesthetics

In all the distraction of travel between Marrakech, Dublin, London, Cambridge and Paris over the last couple of weeks, I have been blogging in quite a random way - more online diary than what I really mean this blog to be doing. I will indulge myself for long enough to confess that today is my 29th birthday, although mortifyingly my father thought that it was my 30th, and this only when he called me for the third time today, having forgotten that it was my birthday the first two times. Today has consisted of Valhrona chocolates, more spa joy, a bit of work this afternoon and in a minute we're going to have some champagne upstairs and then go back to Jardins for dinner at their Indian restaurant.

Anyway. Moroccan decorative art. The Moroccan tendency to excess comes across beautifully in craft, although of course this is hardly a great secret as the roaring craft trade here attests - metalwork, leatherwork, pottery, embroidery and woodwork as well as "fine" crafts like zellij and tadelakt abound in Marrakech. Of course, after spending more than a couple of weeks here, it is impossible not to suffer from a bit of a craft overload, and our intially huge planned shopping list was cut back dramatically. However, one thing that it is impossible to get bored with is the beautiful tiling that you see everywhere. These pictures are from our house (the first two) and our landlord's beautiful home next door alone. The tiles in the third picture are *everywhere* here, but my favourite is the black, green and white pattern, I think. Which is yours?

I also couldn't resist putting in a little picture of the knobs on the window beside the desk here. Aren't they pretty? Little leaves.