Finally making a bit more headway on the new website for Tasty Old Chooks; because we need a shopping cart and facilities for retailers to order wholesale as well as customer's to buy reatil we needed to use a different platform....I can tell you -there is some strain for an old brain getting my head around all that, but yesterday the penny seemed to drop and the pressure does not seem as bad....so another day at the computer should see me more easily able to map out what lays in front of me.
During the week it was Amarwash or New Moon, new moon and full moon are the 2 days our workshop is closed...but we did not realise the day until I was all dressed, 2 coffees under my belt so totally wired and we get a phone call with the information casually noted!!!!
Ahhhh- too wired to slow down and have a poke around by then, so went and got my old sewing machine out.
I had heard a few friends mentioning their books and my mate Dawn makes excellent little arty books and thought I need a book as well…..I decided I would make A grown-up gropable book for the textily addicted. [ and yes add words to the English language.... didn't mind explaining graphically to Praveen the translation either...ohhh he would go so pink if he knew I said that!!! shhh.]
It will be a swatch book of what we make, a story book of us and the people we work with. Good bedtime stories for textile people.
I have stitched the first copy and sent it off to my machine embroidery man Gopal to copy, my ladies will colour via hand stitch some details and then I will do some laminated cards to fit in pockets with more info and tack samples in.
Should be good....very pleasing to have an opportunity to play.
Lots of running aorund with our Stitching Ladies, some nice stuff coming in....just needs to be finished off by the workshop guys before show and tell, working on more block print with Nandu.
As you know Nandu lost her husband 18 months ago and she became a widow, not easy anywhere, especially with 5 day old baby in her lap. She is a strong soul and has kept going, little Radhi is a true delight and her bigger 2 boys are children to be proud of. As you can imagine a lot of stress for Nandu...she has had some type of digestion problem for a while- the other day I was there and joking around and gave her a hug- she is down to all bones!!
I don't like to interfere and Praveen and I have suggested a few times she sees a doctor but I thought that's it- jump in the car lady "we are taking you to the doctor". There is a guy in town we have seen a few times Dr Gupta, he is thorough and knows his stuff so we went there.
I took Nandu and held her hand as she was nervous, he gave her a through examination, asked her many questions and has suggested a course of treatment. You could feel her relief...I was also sitting there as Praveen and I would pay for treatment, and then Dr Gupta says- No for poor local people our clinic will look after them free of charge. Is that not fantastic?? He had me sitting there, he could have asked for foreigner's rates from us and was very clear how he would do it.
Dr Gupta you are a very good man.
Nandu is picking up already and will soon be back to full strength, most of the problem is she is run down and stressed, she needs a nutritional boost and a few other things but will be fine.
That kindness and her relief has been a treasure this week, the world is full of good people.
On the other hand we have had a week of fine old turning ourselves inside out to meet the requirements on Indian paperwork.
I have lived here 3 and a half years, for 3 and a half years less one week we have been trying to set up a business and all the official paperwork needed. It was only a year ago we finally found out what structure we could actually use... we are now registered as a limited company, got an import/export licence, signed up for VAT taxes....blah. blah, blah.
We attempted the first direct funds transfer for goods exprted last week.
Theoretically they could transfer straight into our Indian account….we have just managed our first direct payment from an Australian client for stitching work….once the money left Australia it only took a week of us running around and doing paper work and getting extra validation from them for the government to allow it to fall into our account. Bank and accountant had said it would be no troubles but they had never dome it before and did not know what would happen until we started getting hit with more requirements.
8 individual letters had to be written -a whole forest of trees cut down to accomodate the paperwork for one transaction!!!
Yes now we know what to do- it won't be so painful next time but ohhh really it is so over the top...it does encourage all the under-the-table transactions and bribery that are rife in this country.
I ssoooo appreciate the Australian Governemnt tax department. All info is easily available to set up a business, most things can be done on line, free accounting software is available that meshes with their system [here you have to pay an ENORMOUS amount for the govenment designated software and it unbeleiveably cumbersome]- help is only a phone call away.
I looovvveee India but really guys you could get your act together to facillitate people doing things properly and paying their taxes, running a good business - it will benefit the whole country.
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