Pushkar and Khadhi Cloth

Shakti Project is closed at the moment, as are all the schools locally as swine flu is in the neighbourhood...mother pig was enjoying the peace and quite as she waddled over to her favourite drain for a little relaxing bathing. She is often round, her belly is now almost touching the ground waiting for her new batch of babies...she grunts pleasantly as you pass and looking at her it is quiet enlightening as to the true meaning of the phrase "as happy as a pig in mud" [that last word could be something more colourful...and would still be appropriate for where she bathes...]

I wished her a cheery hello then off to Hindi class and then over the mountain to Ajmer...where I raided the khadhi shop...
It had been one of those rare mornings where things actually fell into place....

• I started to feel I was getting it with the things I am working on for exhibition....
• things for my Stitching Project- I could really define my approach to materials and work....yet to write that up but it is rocking around in my head now!!! yippee
• The clothes I am designing and getting made for a friend in Australia- the direction started to make sense- more on that as she is ready to launch things
• the cleaning lady issue...Praveen has thoughtfully insisted we need someone, it is Ok to have some one- you are creating a job and so organized someone...she is a very sweet young lady but having never cleaned someone's house before- every single detail needs to be gone over and if I am not there along side everything stops....what a stress i feel locked to the house....I did like the clean floors and lack of dust...but at this stage might as well be doing it myself....no hindi on my part and no english on hers does not help...we will tray agin in a few days- perhaps she can come every second day and help me prepare things for the stitching project as well....This is the most difficult thing I have had to deal with in India!

Still things will work out- just need to set the programme in order,
and onto more exciting things like the khadhi shop in Ajmer [here is an interesting article] ...bigger than the one in Pushkar, I collected a lovely batch of fabrics to work with...

Started stitching on the first sample to go to our Stitching Ladies...this is all taking ages but we are making the right links, ladies locally are starting to get over being shy and come to us.

As I said, I had a break through in my studio- It is so strange looking at Australia from far away...I don't want to be one to look over the fence and find fault..but we are a Lucky Country why are we doing so little to look after it...Enviromental issues are huge and the willingness to put one's hand in one's pocket to do something about it is just not around as far as I can see....Go anywhere now and the writing is on the wall things must change ...all as clear as in black and white...come on guys!!a corner of our office...lots of pics on the wall to keep me close to loved ones and the now ever present computer sceen...what did I do before?

I have a new toy a Wacom Drawing Pad to start to learn...I know I am going to really appreciate this when I get through the learning curve of operating it....so must stop chatting and get back to work

cheers

Fi

PS re-reading this to correct typos and I can see how much is going on at the moment...the list is long but I try to keep my focus on the project I am into at the moment...to keep myself sane