just Pushkar days

 We had a day of showers a few days ago...second set since Monsoon ended so this is proving to be a really good year....and boy is our garden happy- it is really rocking along, many small birds are discovering it and doing a great job eating insects. The tortoise has woken up and wanders around munching on things and then sleeping under which ever big leaves he can find.
He 'prunes' things a little- likes grazing the lettuce but so far there is plenty for all of us.

 Baba went off tothe barbers, not really an impressed camel, his lip wasinclined to have a wobble.

 It has been an interesting few days, we have had an old friend from Gresford, Australia visiting. Amorelle is not a really close friend, but the type you see up the road and are happy to have a pleasant chat, we have volunteered on many local events and have the occasional dinner together, always a pleasure when you get time to socialise together. It has been really good to hang out together as part of her travels in India with her daughter....but every so often I would get a little shock as the background came into focus and I was 'here'- not 'there' chatting!

 We headed out to visit the shoe maker in Govindgarh, I am noticing this is almost a ritual for our visitors.....it is such a pleasant drive acorss country, to a lovely village and the old guy Om-ji is an interesting chap....this time there was an added treat of passing through a Gujjar festival...what a site for the eyes, ladies were resplendent in their finery and it was turban central for the guys.....great loacl scene

 Couldn't find our shoe makers but hit the turban shop instead which was very satidfying.....

Got home to a much happier Baba, away from those beastly shears.....he is a funny boy and the lip is so expressive.

 And once again it is Friday!! the weeks fly by so fast....I have had about 15 Stitching ladies visit the house this morning, the tried and true ladies bringing some beautiful stitched shawls [some of which I will have for sale in Australia, myself] some to a lady in NZ and some for a special client in Melbourne....alll diiferent ideas based on lots of  lovely stitching! many new ladies, so we have to go through a training period with small squares to stitch,  Praveen and I being very picky over quality to re-inforce the idea of what we want then onto trialling larger pieces of work....now the momentum is developing I have new samples and ideas I can get happening. Yippee!
I would have thought setting up a business like this, where you are paying fairly and being very careful to look after people, would have been easier, but with some people they have the attitude of doing as little as possible while nagging for more money. We have worked out an approach to use and if people don't want to come to the party, then we just never seem to have work for them when they visit.....seems to be having a benificial result on attitudes across the board.

 Finally finshing off mountains of skirts for a client in Sydeny, it so pleasing when you get to the stage of putting them in plastic bags because departure time os close!!

 House is in general devastation mode again, fabric and stitching everywhere....that is Thursday getting ready for Friday and Saturday Stitching ladies, takes half the week to get it all away again....then need to start again!!

Shopping in Ajmer we showed Amorlle the pickle shop, having Praveen there as well he got all keen so we have a yummy selection to work our way through- bitter melon, lotus root and Asia olive this time- rather  nice!