Of daydreams and memories

Valentine's Day

2012-02-15T12:06:00.000+10:30

Happy Valentine's Day...I hope yours was lovely....we worked together as usual. Had the odd melt down but generally a smooth and busy day getting things packed, counted, new stitch ideas played with and etc. Another big day at the workshop. Big excitment was sending off the first parcel of Zac's watts wright designs to a shop in Melbourne Australia. Yippee!! fingers crossed for us all.
Next plan for us is to start getting more items photographed and up on websites.

Our stuff is now relaibley good, Stitching Ladies are doing well....new skirts for Tasty Old Chooks just been given onto the ladies of Banseli village to work on....a bit of a sneak priview.
Nothing too challenging to stitch but important to follow the sample colour scheme. Focus needed. I know the Ladies can do it but here people need some encouragement to maintain focus and some jsut freak out at something new.

Comfortable a line skirt in heavy handloom. The great thing about the handloom is it breathes so this skirt will work well in summer with sandles or with a pair of leggings and boots be fabulous for winter.
Length is just below the knee...usually even if you have a big bum like me the calves are good....so I think this skirt will be flattering to women and set off with the right outfit a sharp looker.

Oh cooking....flattering thing happened yesterday- don't know what will come of it but I take it as a compliment. A TV company based in Mombai contacted us- they are working on a new show about travel and cooking and wondered if we might like to be featured. Sounds good need to find out more info of course.
So sat on the steps peeling peas last night day dreaming. Peeling peas always reminds me of my grandmother Charlton, the person I most like to emulate, my Nan. She always cooked with love and I learnt so much from her.
I have been doing a real big bout of research into dals or legume dishes of late. We eat mostly vegetarian becuase it tastes good, is easier- buying meat entails driving for more than an hour and it is also much healthier. In India the variety of driend legumes is astounding and each has quite a distinct flavour and texture so you are never bored thinking same old, same old.
Last night though it was fresh peas in the spot light, being winter time they are readily available [and much cheaper than last year by some miracle] and so delicious. At a pinch you could use frozen but nothing beats the 15 minutes peace and daydreaming of podding peas and nothing beats the sweet texture they have.
Here is a simple recipe to set them off. This is an Indian Andhra style recipe
Peas in a Yoghurt Sauce.
1. sizzle in a little oil

1 t cumin seeds
1 cm cinnamon stick
4 cloves
1 t husked urad dal [if you have it or red lentils]
1 t mustard seeds
5 black peppercorns

2. throw in pounded and gently fry off

3 or 4 garlic cloves
few green chillies [to taste]
1 " ginger
2 finelyy chooped onions

3. add and let cook a little to soften everything

1 t red chilli powder
1/2 t tumeric
2 finely chopped tomaotes

4. add and gently cook until ready

1 and 1/2 cups fresh peas
1/2 cup yoghurt
1 t gir/sugar cake or palm sugar or brown sugar or white sugar
perhaps a little water
salt as needed

5. serve scattered with fresh corriander leaves.

a big yum to you :)!

2012-02-14T12:59:00.001+10:30

The guys from the workshop have been hatching something for a few days....and spilled the beans yesterday.

Dasrath and Sagir- two of our younger guys have recently bought themselves a motorbike- a big day here. Regular employment with us has certainly contributed to help that along....then Papu-ji [our production manager who is quite a charchater] was saying something at lunch a few days ago [I only catch half of what's said most of the time but I knew it was leading up to something] ...oh yes and no celebration for Ranjit's motorbike or Papu's motoerbike....

what to do?

Ranjit and Papu's bikes we supply as part of the workshop deal....but they certainly add to their status and convenience having them.

Anyway the long and short of it was a celebration was needed. Usually when we have a works dinner [every month or so] we supply everything but this time the guys were incistant they bring all along. We have a strick rule nothing like a party at the workshop itself [it is in a residential area and we like to know exactly what happens there] so we use our farm house.

Everyone trooped in after work and worked togather as a good tema slicing and dicing to Papu's direction.
A fantastic fish fry - fish rolled in a powered spice mix and then rolled in semolina and fried off- stunning and a fish curry, many chapatis and a little whiskey.
All in all the many 'new' motorbikes were well celebrated with a good team effort.

I know they are all grown men, but they are rather sweet sometimes, it felt like having a bunch of excited boys in last night. I crashed out before everyone left and got up to find the kitchen a bit of a disaster but attempts had been made on the washing up and sorting out- a blackout hampered the finishing of that Praveen explained. Nice boys :)

Otherwise I am in a little tizz wizz, yes I can hear you say so what's new? I am sorting and packing for Australia and my incarnation as a textile trader.
I have sorted in my mind where we are going with our Pukka Components block print fabic and have some ready to go to the printer to-day....wondering if people would use the heavy weight hand loom as well?
It softens up very nicely- ohh I should ask Dijanne she has been using some in her traveller's blankets....dahhh??

As you can see chasing my tail- another question- I have a couple of these coal fired irons- probably more for deorative use than as a working item [I have considered them for black outs here and decided to go crumpled. Praveen, clever man took one look at the weight of it and never suggested I use it- even though he hates un-ironed with a vengence. Could call them huband tamers?]

Anyway due to postage they would need to sell for around $40 what do you think?
Off to play in the workshop, send parcels off and trials and tribulations -office work.
Have a good day :)

Why are somethings difficult?

2012-02-10T15:28:00.000+10:30

We love our blockprint, and our block print lady Nandu, and have been developing a range of block print fabrics under our Pukka Components label...great idea and easy you would think....well this is India, things don't always go to plan.

We started out with some lovely poplin I found in a local shop- they said if they ran out of a colour they could re-order in just a few days....when I went to re-order a colour it did not turn up for a few weeks- I had explained we were devleoping a business, would be a regular customer, it was worth their while to chase it for me etc, etc,etc....so being clever we discovered the name of the mill.

Rang the mill and said we would like to order 300-400 m monthly [nothing wrong with a little hopeful exageration] - well they don't deal direct, there are 2 distributers who cover our area- here is their phone numbers.

One never picks up the phone, I have checked it is the right number, the other answers and promises to send a sample card via courier tomorrow. Do you know tomorrow never comes. We would have asked 6 times in the last 2 months and still nothing. Praveen is rather proud of himeself -saying he has aplied Australian squeaky wheel techiniques and still no result!

What to do?

A week or so ago Kerry from Hong Kong visited, and was asking lots of questions about our ideals, our emphasis etc...as I mentioned it was really helpful to us as talking about what we are doing confirmed things for Praveen and I when we discussed it later.
Yesterday an English woman turned up - Gillian Travis apart from the fun of meeting her, I could hear myself talking again of what we want to acheive with our business.

1. a fair income for us [India is a barter society...so some people do gouge prices] we want to be fair with the people who work for us and fair with the people who buy from us, so we have a formula to cost what we sell....it makes us feel comfortable in prices we offer. Yes this was a very new idea to Praveen at first, but an incident the other day when some visitors were saying they would happily pay twice what we were asking confirmed for him he was happy with our system. He said he could see he could have inflated the price but it felt good to him to say "This is a fair price for what we have made"

2. fairly paid income for those who work with us. ..and we do sometimes act as an impromtu bank helping out with no interest short term loans for emergecies, a bit of health care etc

3.we want to create as much work as we can for people in our local community

4. we love the work of the hand and the story of the work- who made it, how was it made, does it have a positive impact on their life having this work?
We are so pleased to know the guy who spins and weaves our cotton fabrics, the guy who dyes it for us, the woman who block prints it, the ladies who stitch it and our little group of dedicated tailors here at our workshop who carefully finish it all off into well made and carefully items; all made with love, care and laughter along the way.

Anyway Gillian was here yesterday- much chatting, lovely meeting a kindred spirit, day dreams starting....how does Budapest to Bucharest sound? A bit mysterious - I am going to leave that story there for the minute and go back to where I started.

Oh and Gillian was accompanying her daughter and 2 mates on 2 weeks of the Indian part of their around the world trip- all 3 girls work in the fashion industry in London so where great for a huge chat yesterday evening.

My mind was bursting most happily by the time I went to sleep.

I always find it interesting to hear what is going on in it when I wake up.....well today it was block print, we like to be able to tell as much of the story of what we sell as we can, creating work locally blah, blah, blah....is the Universe /Gods [call it what you like ] saying something? so hard to sort out the fabric to print...yet the light hand loom comes along easily, dyes well, prints well, is lovely to stitch, is unique, ages beautifully as a fabric and easy to sort out.
Why oh why has it been so hard....perhaps because we were a little off direction??

happy, happy thoughts....I finally feel a real buzz for where we can go with these babies- yippee.
I love having visiotrs- thank you all :)

Saturday Night

2012-02-05T12:55:00.000+10:30

What did you do on your Saturday Night?

We had 12 people arrive on camel and a troup of gypsy dancers in to perform, and a fire eater to round it off.

In the last few days we have been blessed with visitors, and a lot of fun has been had by all.

First a woman Kerry turned up interested in our textile business- she works in the textile and fashion industry and is based in Hong Kong- I really enjoyed picking her brains about how it all works on a bigger scale than we do....seems pretty much the same story as here. You think you have covered all the bases and then someone does something wierd and you have to have a melt down and back track and sort it all out....but on a much larger scale.

Talking to her was so stimulating, and she asked many, many questions about what we do, how it impacts on the women we work with, the people we get supplies frrom etc. Good questions which was good for us to think about- when you step out of your nose to the grindstone mode you can have a second to evaluate what impact your work has on the lives of others....and I must admit I have been feeling this as a bit of a responsibility some days....good to realise it is also a help to people as well.

and a different person asking questions- fires off different connections in your brain and little quandaries i have been having about a direction for a print range shifted just a little sideways from a totally unrelated question and I can now see clearly where to head. Thank you Kerry, and one day you guys will no doubt be seeing blocks about to be carved by the block print guy, after art work is perfected and print samples coming from Nandu and yummy clothes being made- all in the fullness of time.

This is Bunty, he arrived from our first hatch of chickens and Praveen could not bare that he become chicken curry so he lives in the first courtyard as a guard rooster. He has become very naughty of late...if the door to the house is left open he is straight in to see what he can see....don't know what he is after because he is totally flustered when he gets caught and shhooooed out again. Brainless but amusing.

One of our group from Ghana found this picture in the newspaper in England just recently...isn't it amazing when you have a new interest all these things you notice that point to it. A Ghanaian designer Kiki Clothing
stunning, fun clothes using the fantastic cloth made in West Africa- luscious batik and rich wax prints. Really exciting designs to see, can't wait for a chance to check them out on my next visit.

Lots of little highlights...and we have had a wonderful group from Denmark visiting. A group of final year student teachers in India to see a range of educational facities here as well as experience the culture for their cultural studies. They came for a cooking class- and we all had a lot of fun. I really appreciate the chance to hang out with a bunch of westerners sometimes [which is the biggest reason we run cooking classes really- it is not as if we need something else to do!!].
then they decided they would like the camel experinece.
The dancers had them all up dancing and playing around and they were brilliant. I laughed so hard my stomach hurt! Great people. A good Saturday night was had and Praveen is still in bed sleeping -about time to go and nudge him to start the day.
I hope you have a pleasant Sunday.

The Stitching Project

2012-02-03T11:45:00.001+10:30

It is all systems go here, tweaking, trying to get things finished and packed....step by step re-fining procedures for the workshop....trying, trying, trying to drum itinto people's heads this is how it is done. Today, tomorrow and every day there after, even the days I am not here!!!
Did you get that? Even the days I am not here!
The people we work with are good, much better than many we have struggled with in the past but sometimes it is harder than parenthood and trying to train up kids to be nice human beings open, honest and easy for otheres to live with whilst being strong and decisive themselves, able to think ahead.
When you start a new business everything is a decision- where will we set up, now we have a place, where will things go?
And golly we would like a place to put things that is a sensible place, a place easy for someone else to find them as well, a place that is quite obvious to any observers and things grouped together with other like things....
It is all happening and like the actual birth of a new child, that immediate intensity will soon pass from memory but at the moment a lot of grunting is happening!! Daylight can be seen but work is still hard.
At the same as our own workshop is eveloveling, being the gluttons for punishment we seem to be we are evelving Zac's graffitti hoodies and Tshirts [notice the back of a hoodie above- it got a big thumbs up from our boy] Follow us on Facebook by becoming a fan at this link
Tasty Old Chooks Clothes [ Mandie at Ewe Give me the Knits is our Australian Distributer and now has stock on her shelf looking for new owners, by the way]
I am working on a website, we are sorting how to keep inventory...still have to catch up with our Stitching Ladies and keep them busy whilst we focus on trying to open up chanels to markets to keep all of this progressing.
Also sorting out an itinerary for Australia in April - we will be trading at Fibre Arts Ballarat 8-11 April, 2012 and TAFTA Context in the Blue MountainsSaturday 14 –Wed 18 April amongst other things. A big preview of our Tasty Old Chooks Range will happen as well.

"Ohh and...." is a very long list at the moment.
Our office guy Sagir is slowly coming online sorting out invoices and paperwork for us, which is a big help but I am still twaeking systems for all that and so have to keep a very close constant eye on what is happening there.

Kind of un-imaginable all the anal little details you need to consider, they are getting discovered and ticked off and we are happy todo them but boy will I be happy when this baby is safely settled in our arms and girgling away!
happy happy..... to you! Jst fill in the blank

2 huge days

2012-01-28T12:38:00.000+10:30

We have just celebrated the opening of our new workshop- yes we have owned it for nearly 2 months but what with this that and the other, this is the first chance we have had to do all the right things- Indian style.
Now Indian style is quite different to what I would have thought of but lovely all the same.
First day start with the priests and a blessing- we had organized to meet them at 10o'clock to get going, then a 7 o'clock we get a phone call- come now the time is more auspicious oh and have you got wood from a mango tree and a jaman tree for the fire?
What!! that was not mentioned yesterday and how do we find it in 10mins???
Anyway after a mad, mad scramble we got there and they set up, lots of mandalas made out of grains and pulses, lots of flowers and fruit and incenese and hours of chanting later we were thoroughly blessed.

Important to have your head covered....I had a lovely scarf given to me by a friend with Australian gum leaves printed on it, Praveen in his hanky. Apparently that is what men always wear???

Some of our workshop boys, waiting whilst it all goes on and on and on... :)

Central was the Holy Fire at the back 3 altars left to right
1. prayers were said to align the planets for a successful venture and happy space,
2. To balance the Vatsu [same idea as Feng Shui- the earth energies] of the place. Important for harmony, honesty and prosperity.
3. for the Goddess of the space. The Female energy brings a sense of warmth, fertility- many new ideas brought to fruition and protection.
The yellow altar near right was for Brahma who signifys the creative spirit that initiates things.

This was a lovely experience, the priests chanting touched off a deep resonance in my chest, it felt good and seemed to give an opportunity to ponder what is important to bring a new business to fruition.
In the evening we had musicians and singers in to sing Kirtans- songs for the Gods.

Then the next day was the time to feed people, much, much food was prepared [ and realy delicious] and many, many of our Stitching Ladies and their families visited as well as everyone in our new neighbourhood, people from around our farm house and anyone we knew locally- all in all a huge crowd drifted through throughout the day.

Papu-ji our production manager and his lovely family.

The head caterer....notice his bare feet standing next to a vat of boiling oil? Everything went very well, Indian style we had to supply absolultly all the ingrdeienst [so we could be sure of their quality and freshness] and he brings the pots etc and works under Praveen's supervsion.

Mountains of food, our staff stepped in as workshop family to help speed up preparations and then serve all the guests as they drifted in throughout the day and evening.

A lot of the ladies we work with are just lovely and good fun- I have little Hindi, they have less English but we are able to have a good chat and laugh- when we get stuck for words Praveen is always around to supply details. Much baby holding for me as well when I get a chance.

Vey much a busy few days and very satisfying, our OWN workshop is off to a lovely start and feels most hopeful of good things to come for all of us.

A little incident the day before we got started did remind me though of the responsibility Praveen and I carry. We are creating work for ourselves and others...the others really rely on us for this to continue.

A small incident; Praveen and I had a bit of a spat at the workshop not with each other, just a frustration over something in the kitchen but every one heard us.

Next day Papu-ji and the guys were checking on me- was I happy? What upset me? They know I work very hard and worry it is a lot of work. In broken English it was pointed out to me "When Madam is happy the workshop is happy and all is well....when Madame is upset, every body is upset and worried"

It was said kindly and softly but did hit home...what a responsibility we [ Madam means Praveen and I as we are very much a team but I am most un-Indian in that I do wear my emotions a lot more on my sleeve - so am seen as the indicator- I think] have created for ourselves.

We did start wanting to create interesting work for ourselves and as much work as we could locally and we are doing that but,.... no not but as that does negate it- rather AND it does carry responsibilities to have a dream and try and put it in action.

Ohh we are off toa bright new future this Year of the Dragon when all good things can come true!

Waiting for priests to be ready I finally got a few Ghana pictures sorted- was it only a week ago I was wandering around in traveller'smode? Here is a link- what fine travels :)

2012-01-25T12:00:00.001+10:30

I am home, which is wonderful, busy, relaxing, busy ohhh and did I mention busy???

Really a bit over whelming with the amount we want to get done in the next few months....like daydreaming of the trip for this little minute.

Finally got pictures downloaded from the camera and had a brief sqizz at them all- such good experiences.

Ghana is glorious for the amount of hans-on experiences you can have...I really relish experiencing a place where the crafts are so lively and sssooo much a feature of everyday culture.

I mean you know I do look for such things and really here would be one of the most integrated places to see caft on the people, in the market place all around.

The ladies and I spent a lot of time eying off passing batik on people in the street, at the airport, in the villages, everywhere.

A quick little range of phots from the first half of the trip, Ewe kente weaving, batik, Sirigu women's co-operative in the far north, basket weaving and crossing the White Volta River in a dug out canoue [I can't spell canue at the moment- forgive me????] Somehow I found that sort of thrilling.
Just a taste, I will take time to daydream more in the next week or so but at the moment my present real world of workshops, Stitching Ladies, blockprint and organizing an opening party and blessing for our workshop is calling [actually Praveen has the opening party, blessing and feeding many all organized...I need to catch up on events at the workshop side of things]
bye, have a great day :)

home again

2012-01-23T14:29:00.003+10:30

Ghana was great. lots of pics to sort....the new to do list seems endless.
Arrived home last night and did a Gourmet Indian Cooking Class for a group of 10...lot of fun
now officially exhausted and being lazy today....
it all starts in earnest tomorrow.
book, sun lounge and that is it today.

yippee Ghana

2012-01-07T21:04:00.005+10:30

Sorry no pictures today...travelling with out a computer is wierd, much easier on the back as it gets heavy lugging one around....but strange not being able to tap my notes and emails and etc at a moments notice- it is such an extension of my thinking and memeory in many ways these days.
Woke up at 4.00 am last night- time warp from home and nothing much to do but potter around, read a book, stitch the design on the skirt I brought with me- it is a new sample for Tasty old Chooks- I got the lads to make it up before I left and figure I can wear it and add stitch to it the days it is off.
Stitching is soothing, when I take a moment to enjoy it...love Dijanne Cevaal's idea of story blankes...might see if I can scrounge some off cuts from Esther our Batik Queen here in Accra and try being inspired by Dijanne in a Ghana banket- would love to take part in one of her on-line classes but fear I might be a slack student once I hit my real world back in India and there are so many other textile things to play at....

Perhaps I will stick to a traveller's pillow cover. I managed that during our first jaunt to Syria and was very pleased.
Lots of Syria in the news here- boy ! am I trying to send postive thoughts to them, let great changes happen for the benefit of the people, please. Dictator and army I thought you were better than your father and would allow change to develop. It is such a beautiful place full of good people who deserve to have a voice in the direction of their country. Please let change coma and people be safe- every human being deserves that.
Internet money running out, bye for today :)

Happy New Year

2012-01-02T12:19:00.000+10:30

OOOhhh Happy New Year, the last one seemed to go extra fast and the way this one is starting I wonder how much will happen this year!

Plotting and planning is well under way with my mate Anne from UK - we are working on Pukka Components Bag Kits, here are some samples of our thoughts for the moment...it all started at the suggestion from another mate Terri in Alaska.

Isn't it amazing how like minded souls can touch, talk and dream together across the world so easily?

Anne is coming to visit soon and we will be able to finalize everything along with a huge programme I have to show her and her husband all our favourite spots here in Pushkar and introduce her to some of the ladies we stitch with.

Tomorrow I am out the door for a bit of warmth and fun in Ghana....so looking forward to more wonderful batik and learning more about beads. I conciously said learning about beads as I am trying to keep myself in check and not bring heaps home....the bead market made me go a little crazy last time.... have to wait and see what happens....
I kind of feel weird as I am going without my laptop....I could not get much use out of it last time, and with its new long life battery it is so heavy to carry I am leaving it at home. I can still check emails, everything is up to date and under control but I will also feel a little naked without it for so long.
Hmmm all part of tryting to slow down a little, we now have workshop full of all things stitching and home empty, just home, I do do emails in the morning [what else do you so when you wake up at 5.00am?] but other stitching stuff has to wait for the workshop.....more time to read [Praveen is a bit worried by the pile of books I have ordered over the internet] and play in the garden- yeh!
Good changes for us here in Chawandia Village
a very happy and exciting year opening up in front of us....
I hope you have one as well.
love and light
Fiona

team building

2011-12-28T12:40:00.001+10:30

We don't have fancy seminars here on team building, instead we haul 400kg pieces of machinery about the place.
We have a brand new generator- indepenece from black outs- yeh!! but oh what fun trying to get it into place.....first lots of contemplation

Then a blessing- swatchstika for good luck, long life and prosperity, a dab of sweets to the Gods first to share the sweetness of life and the red bow to bind prosperity to us - yes please!!

Baba thankful he does not have to help....

much tean effort grunting and communicating to get it in place- and we did finally!!

Baba in camel dream land....far removed form our earthly struggles....

Christmas day was spent very productively visiting some of our stitching ladies, paying for work and sharing prosperity around- lovely day.

One of our ladies Setan, is not a good stitcher but she does need work- as a widow she is quiet desperately. Luckily we discovered her ability with funda [or camel flowers as I call them] and so she made us these ropes of flowers to go on our moon bag....unfortuneatley she went a bit rogue and did not get the spacing right so they won't fit and they were very late.....oh well they are lovely, lovely and I want to string them all over the house.....

We will just have to add flowers to the bags by one, by one.
We will try Setan again with a new slant on getting the spacing right- who knows what might happen?
Happy New Year to everyone, may the coming year be full of learning and realizations, happiness and adventures.
love and best wishes from Fiona and Praveen

treasures have been arriving

2011-12-18T11:33:00.000+10:30

I was enjoying all this treasure the other day, imges people have sent me of things they have been making....ooohhso nice to see and admire

Beautiful silk, collected from the forest of Bihar, hand spun , hand loomed aquired and hand painted by Caryl Plant- what a combination. It along with much treasure will be part of an upcoming exhibition she and her sister Rhyll are producing called ‘Beyond the Nightingale Floor’ and will be at the Bundaberg Regional Art Gallery June 2012

A departing image collected by Cas, the day after Diwali as she was departing Delhi has been transformed into this work in progress- it will be wonderful to see the full results of these women's hearts and imaginations when they are all ready to show.

This next lot was an equal pleasure for Praveen and I to receieve. Our student Kylie [I know that sounds so grand and really she was here for a short period of time but she is the first student to visit us as part of her studies with an Australian University] and it was very exciting and stimulating to show her around and discuss ideas.
This is her final exhibtion basedon Kylie's block designs, carved to her request carved by our connection in Bagru, hand spun, handloomed cottons and Kylie's block designs, and then printed by Mrs Nandu. Some of the stitching was undertaken by some of our women and much was completed by Kylie [ we realised the time factor in these new undertakings can be longer than expected].

This is the work of her final project for her Bachelor of Design based on interaction with developing world artisans and techniques.

We learnt a lot about what is involved being facilitotors in such a process and found it very stimulating because it forces to you do things the way you always do them. It also sparkled off many thoughts on where we could go with some of the work we are producing- nothing like Kylie's work but certainly inspried to think out of our square...creative energy is so positive it always leads to more new ideas and positive growth.

Good on you Kylie, may your future be bright :)

Our long awaited new workshop [ I know not really that long but it sure feels it!]
I arrived home all excited to get at it and sort everything out to my satisfaction when I got some weird belly thing and have spent about 15 hours a day sleeping for the last 5 days and the rest groaning with a sore belly- not fun...not fun but the sleeping was quite nice.
I usually find it hard to sleep anywhere near enough- too much excitment in life.

Well now I am perky and loving it....we still have electric supply problems but our brand new generator arrived last night and by tonight that will all be something of the past, that is why the guys are sitting in the sun cleaning garments- no power. You can see where one day we will set up my painiting table.
Above is the entrance to the cutting room on the right and the stitching room on the laft, to the left side is the entrance to the office....my domain :)

This view shows the entrance to the office directly in front, the door to the left side is the kitchen and across to the right at the bottom of the steps is the entrance to the store room.
Space, beautiful space to be able to keep things sorted out, clean and organized. Almost everything has been cleared from home so all will be in one spot and days can be so much more productive, before this I was always bouncing back and forth trying to find things.
Sagir my office guy is slowly getting a handle of much of the paperwork soon I will actually have leisure time at home because all thinsg will be at the workshop.....Praveen has never really known my like that and I know he will get a surprise with how much I like to read. I have found an Indian website like Book Depository [I do love them but they do not deliver to India no matter how much you beg....and I have tested this out many times]
Exciting future in 2012.

Our car is off the road and so I have had to rely on Baba support...this is me being ferried home from work yesterday.....good thing about a camel cart is you can lie down, watch the world go by and take business calls all at once. Just after this picture I receieved a business call, plotting and planning with a prospective new client laying in a camel cart....what would she have thought if she could see the pace of life here?

I did give her a clue when another camle cart overtook us along the way....what fun :)

Christmas greetings to all who celebrate this event may yours be truely happy .

almost home again...

2011-12-14T11:12:00.000+10:30

My lovely Dawn....so nice to hang out, we speak all the time on the phone but hanging around together is such a heart warming pleasure....here she is modelling one of the Tasty Old Chooks numbers....great to look and see how the dress takes to a body.

We were delivering work to the local gallery where I used to live, blossoming under the care of Donna Cavanaugh with lots of interesting stuff. Let me know if you want more details and I can pass her email onto you...website for them is hoped for one day....

Con Detterer delivering one of his sculptures; lovingly crafted from junk.

Had a big pow-wow with Zac- got the thumbs up on our interpretations of his artwork transfered to Tshirts and Hoodies...stay tuned Watts Wright Designs are all go. I need to tweak a few details he and everyone else noted but generally heading in the right direction.
It was rather wonderful having design session with Zac, Dawn and the gang; when the boys and I were down at my biggest boy David's place....bodies scattered all over the room, samples everywhere and patterns being measured....that is almost how they grew up- when they were all very small I supported us through making clothes...everything was all around and the boys had to paly around it....now we were all hanging together confering over where to go with Zac'd designs Praveen and I are making......such a winderful loop and such a long way we have all come from those days.

Dawn's grand daughter fishing around in bag for a present I bought for her- a camel bell, she is msot interested to meet my camel Baba and is waiting for Nana Dawn to bring her to visit one day- what a wonderful idea.....little children bought back many memories for Dawn and I ...our kids are around the same age...so we always had a gagle of her girls and my boys around...we were always making clothes for them...now they are all growing up or grown up and starting to come back with their kids in tow....so lovely to see. and here we were at Dawn's doing the first inspection of one of the kids designs....last year Cait one of Dawn's girls had her first fashion parades.....good to have things in common with your kids and see them prepared to have a go with their creative sides

My big boy David and his lovely fiance Naimh put on the most wonderful Christams spread and had the younger boys and I down to hang with them in Sydney for a few days- ssssooooo good for an old Mummy.
We dined [ yes it sounds fancy and it was!!] at Dave's workplace Toko- a rather flash Japeanes restaurant in Surry Hills- delicious and a huge over-indulgence....what fun....

and now I am stuck in Delhi for a few days.....half way between my lovely Aussies and my man....I have to get a visa for Ghana in January and so using the opportunity to do a little more textile research, try and catch up on emails, dwell on all the wonderful things that happened in a few short days and work on ideas that were generated.....life is full of such wonderuful experiences, if you let them in.....

I believe in an open arms policy :)

in the garden

2011-12-03T12:26:00.001+10:30

William the rooster [of William and Kate fame] out defending our territory from passing peacocks.

Good boy....whilst peacocks may look lovely they can also eat everything in your garden in no time flat.

Thereis now 7 boys in this group and they check our place out morning and evening to see what they can steal....this afternoon a group of 4 peahens went by and distracted them....

My favourite place in the whole wide world to sit as the sun sets...out on the steps to my vegie garden watching the light change and things grow....shanti, shanti peaceful.
Dashing out the door for a week in Oz- see the kiddies, sit on my mate's veandah and take it easy.....life is lovely.
Praveen is staying home to finish the moving of workshops- it will all be ready for me when I get back....yeh!

2011-11-27T11:33:00.001+10:30

Caught peaking at the property next door- only small but it has some charm and would be good as a base for The Stitching Ladies.....just dreaming at the moment but if you don't have dreams new realities can't come into being can they??

Yes caught! Do you like the vest- a trail number for Tasty Old Chooks Clothes. Don't mind trailing the samples...never seem to get around to making new clothes for myself and I know I look a bit old and tatty some days when I turn up in my work clothes- I am only at work but local ladies always look fine enough to go to a party. All my poor guys are stuck with me- an Ozzie and not so sparkly but they are all proud of how hard working and inventive I am.

Here we are working on re-cycled sari silk turning it into some luscious kimino inspired coats/ dressing gowns for Pukka Desirables. Papu-ji is on the right. He will be Workshop Production Foreman in our new place and we are so lucky to have him.
He is a nice guy, good sense of humor, good work ethic, hard working dedicated to quality work and wiling to think and work with us making our designs as best possible.
He is happy to be very clear and straight with us.
The other gentleman KL is our pattern cutter and whilst he is skilled at what he does half the time he is unconcerned with thinking things through and so hands up rubbish and another part of the time he is trying to manipute people to his own advantage....not sure he is going to be working for us much longer.....actually I know he won't be but we have to find a way to slip away with out people loosing face. ....aahhhhh local customs I do perfer the loud Aussie way of "you are fired- bugger off" but am not allowed to use it here. Would offend too many in the community even though all know our problems.

Look, look, look and idea coming to frution....heavy hand spun, handloomed cotton, dyed locally and then silk strips stitched on to add a layer and texture dimension and then over printed with discharge paste. This will become cuddly winter jackets for Tasty Old Chooks Clothes, my biggest disappoiuntment is that I will never be able to wear one as it is just not cold enough here. Lost more pictures here of the day.

The lovely Baba making a delivery, guided by the equally lovely Saun. Do not Baba's lovely red ankle bells, they were gifted to him by Cas and Rhyll and now we know when he is coming as between the bells and his particular gate all camels sound distinctive.

The big room in the property next door- make a fantastic ladies space.....

The front courtyard-there isa tree to the right....has a great feel ...we are putting feeler out.....fingers crossed and beseachiung Ganesha to remove any obstacles in our path.....

feeling a bit tired....

2011-11-24T12:11:00.001+10:30

Feel a bit like these shoes at the moment....little bit worn out with all the running about but still good enough to last a while longer yet....poised and ready to go.
The painter at the workshop had met me before, nice guy and very helpful knows i like to take photographs but must wonder what I do with them becuase some of the angles I take, such as these shoes you an see him scratching his head at to what could be interesting there?

So excited with these grafitti inspired hoodies....hope Zac likes them...I have an armful to to take to Oz in 2 weeks and show my sons for feed back....
off running again....more hoodie pics here

unexpected visitors and ...

2011-11-20T16:23:00.001+10:30

We have been blessed with unexpected visitors of late....John and Jane from England found us through an ex-student of mine in the UK and dropped in for chai when they were in Pushkar....they tagged along with us on a village visit and then we went out to see our shoes' guy .We really had a lovely time meeting them.
Here they are modeeling some of our jackets- I think John epitamises the conecpt of a dapper English gentleman in the one above. He has a handloom khadi shirt on underneath and one of our stitched Diamond jackets on top- reaaly cool.

Not to be out done his wife Jane looks just as nice. It is so good to see our clothes on people to get an idea of how they fit, what effect they produce and we are greatful to be able to nab passing people as models and appreciate the oppotunity.

We had a long awaited finishing party for our staff last Sunday....we just finished a big order for Blackwattle Designs of Canberra Australia and this year our new workshop brought a wonderful quality to the work. It is so great now we have our own workshop- we can control quality, know what is happening with production and so get the results we want. Our guys really derserve the treat of mutton curry and a drink.

Yoga Mary has swirled into town with a group of beautiful girlies on a yoga retreat. I say girlies because everyone got along so nicely and there was such a good atmosphere when hanging out with everyone it reminded me of my students on school camp....lots of good fun.
In betweeen their yoga we had time to take some of the ladies out for shoes at Om-ji's, everyone printed their own scarves at Nandu's our block print lady and they all came to our place for cooking class and camel meeting. And we played dress ups with Tasty Old Chooks range of clothes- great to see them on people.

Chapiti king Praveen with our visitors

Look what was sitting on my desk at work this morning- absoluetly yummy silks, patchworked together and soon to be hand stitched and then assembled into kimonos.

Here is the sample, I have snatched it and am wearing it before it even gets handstitch....never mind it feels fabulous....production numbers will be 2" longer otherwise about the same. should they have a pocket on them? Useful isn't it? Pukka Desirables will have another lovely item in their range.

And finally after a lot of fiddling around, me staying hidden so the price does not go up and Praveen having to run this way and that greasing palms we have finally been able to buy our own workshop space and it is FANTASTIC!!. a big yard with lovely neem tree, 4 big rooms and a small kitchen....needs a spot of work but not too much and we will be able to start working from here in a week or so.
Will ease a lot of the problems we have had at the present place with lack of space and difficult neighbours.

Isn't the gate fabulous- Praveen will be itching to get rid of it I am sure but i hope we can some how use the saw blades in the new gate.

Big yard, lovely tree to set painting tables under....

Door to my new office.....it will be so nice to have everything in one space....at the moment I carry things from home to workshop daily and one us is always forgetting something and our house is submerged under stuff and, and , and.... a million reasons having everything in one place.
big new beginnings to expand on where we have got ot so far.

gentle anarchy

2011-11-14T00:29:00.001+10:30

Life has been flowing along at warp speed even though most things seem to happen here in SSSSSLLLOOoooWW motion.....hard to get your head around- you should try living here!!

We have just had the Pushkar Camel Fair- truley amazing and so welcome to have our peaceful home just 3 km away.

Early morning and sunset ballon flights have seen some nearly land on our roof top- what a wonderful view they must have had!

My mate Maree was visiting and this is an early morning ambush of her showing off her new shoes from Om-ji- so yummy I think I need more in this colour combination!

Been madly painting again and finally making head way on Watts Wright Designs graffitti inspired hoodies and tshirts....

Praveen is the proud Papa to 14 little chicks and hen number 2 should hatch more in the next few days. This is such a pleasure for us....one I have spent my whole life experiencing because I have always kept chooks [chickens in non-Aussie english]..for Praveen a new pleasure as he is a city boy who has always longed for country life....at the moment I am lucky to get a quick morning kiss before he is out the door to check on his girls!

Nandu our blockprint lady has overcome a huge nervousness to work on our non-traditional printing for Watts Wright Designs grafitti inspired works....her lovey little Radhi is always present and such a joy to all. Praveen and I still fabtacise about taking him home with us....

Radhi quality checking on some discharge prints...nearly 15months old, starting to talk and ssssoooo gorgeous!

Some of the travllers to the Fair had their blankets up on the railway line fence to air....rather lovely.
Our small village swelled to about half a milllion people here for the Camel Fair and important the Brahma temple festival it grew up around

Prveiwing the new Hoodies...sooo happy with them. Available sson in Australian and via the internet world wide.

Shanti, shanti or peace, peace be with you.

OOOHHHH and a big, big excitment for today- we have put a deposit down on our own property to house our workshop in. A place to develop for our work and a step away of some of the workshop stresses we have been going through of late.
Really a long story !- most of the people working for us are easy to get along with...one or 2 are worth keeping but into power plays...working in OUR space will sort all that out and let us fly free-er and develop more of our ideas..... much has happened in a simple week or two....really worth a whole book in itself....
May the new week bring you expansion in your experience of the world and much joy :)

2011-11-08T11:53:00.000+10:30

I am still obsessing over camels, they are the most fascinating creatures and being in camel central at the moment really has me wanting to bring baby camels back home.Camel Pics

Look at Baba in borrowed finery....too much for me but it does have the antique rug undernearth which is superb.....

Teasing Praveen, look at all the camels they got to take home.....I know this is a little silly because he just might buy me a few babies if I do it often enough......good or bad idea???

Been catching up with Stitching Ladies....this gfroup we have not seen for nearly 2 months, - first someone died so they could not work and then we were away....very happy to see us today so they will have rupees in their pockets to go off to the Camel Fair....it was lovely to see everyone again and , one lady Keiran who we have had serious talks with about stitching quality....you know up to the absolute last chane type of thing just handed in beautiful work.
Don't understand why some try to dish up garbage until you are going to cut them off....and others put full efforts in from the start? It is tiring...still I suppose bright side is we have got there.

This is our Keirn, just seen her work and it has passed muster.

This is a different village and it has been dreamy to work with from the start.....sitting amongst mountains of rose petals might help. These ladies are poor, the state of their house says a lot, but they still have their gardens and water....they seem more relaxed with life and their work has been concentrated and well done from the start.
The first village lost their water 15 to 20 years ago and so have been doing it tough.....we know they really need the work more than any others we work with yet they have been harder to get on the right path....we do love them and have persisited and are happy with our present status, just interesting how it has come about.
Lots more lovely lady pics on this album....an old mate of mine from Oz is the photographer, she has a long association with Inida in the south, this is her first visit up here to us...it is lovely having someones else's eyes and comments on how we are going with our work...helps put it in perspective for us.
Our work is very rewarding but by no means easy some days. We have learnta lot at creating clear boundaries and guide lines [ just like raising kids] and things are running much more smoothly, which affords us the opportunity for a lot more laughs and jokes to be woven into the process.
Our work is imbued with happy energy, which is an important part of the process for us.

Camel Fair 2012

2011-11-06T11:28:00.001+10:30

I have a real affection for camels and it has well and truely been fed by a wander around the Pushkr Camel Fair yesterday....silly me got carried away and was ringing Praveen to hassle him about bringing babies home....it was joking like that that decided him on bringing Baba home for me last year!

This is our friend Lala all decked out for best dressed camel....only thing I recognize is his smile!

Lots more camels photos in this album

Look at the embroidery on his camel blanket- all needle turned applice and embroidery work.....truelyu amazing.

and serious tassles.....hmmmm need to get working and make some thing fitting for Baba to wear next year.

Praveen organized a picnic for my birthday- Indian style means we needed 2 camle carts and drivers, and someone to cook the dal and chappati....all so simple really.....and fun.
We have 2 Ozzie mates here at the moment, one, Maree is on her first visit to us in Pushkar...I have known her for many years on Oz and it is such a pleasure to have her visit. Here she keeps getting a reality jolt- here she is in my place and there is a camel watching us eat dinner....we wander up my raod and there is a camel fair....how normal the world feels all over and then you pop and notice such big differences....

Later he had a wonderfully rich chocolate birthday cake- what a treat..

Ohh I nearly came unstuck over these guys, they are just little babies, all black and woolie and I really wanted them....even rang Praveen tosee if he could come and pick up up....we could start a real camel farm?

and then, and then....and then there were many camels around the water.....really if you are going to have camels you need this many- they are such amazing creatures....old camel herders are wonderful characters as well.
We bought new bells for Baba, as well as a nose flower, bells for Matilda the cow....need collars for our goats and we will be all set, so another visit to the fair .....past those baby camels....ohh I want, I want

Birthdays

2011-11-05T11:22:00.001+10:30

I turned 50 yesterday....I must say I don't see what the fuss is.
My life started with the birth of my third child, just as I turned 30.
I ran away from home with my 3 little boys becuase I had decided it was not normal to be treated like rubbish, to spend every day in fear, to see your children crushed.....you know just things, that up until that moment I had thought was normal.
Anyway things started to change from then on for me...I realised if I wanted a different life, the only one stopping me was me.
I needed to realise what I wanted to change and then shift things in myself to allow it to come through....I now have 3 wonderful young men around me, a great daughter-in-law, some of the best mates one could hope for and a wonderful husband....in the last 20 years the world has transformed into a wondeful place and I am grateful for each and every birthday.

running, running, running

2011-10-31T12:38:00.003+10:30

I think that is a theme really.....so enjoyed the cruise of touring and had definietly planned to incorporate more of that in everyday life....but might be loosing it already.
There is so much to get into- interesting things I don't like to put aside for later....

I have a batch of padded reversable silk jackets on special order, one of our Waterfall jackets in a larger size to make as a special gift for my clients friend- how nice is that.
The good thing with our workshop is we can make to order as long as people have patience as things handmade do take time.
Been painting grafitti fabric again for youth hoodies etc....time to show someone hat to do there- my hands start to hurt after a few hours....
have also been tinkering in my neglected garden...oooohhh I do like to be home.
Tour is just a fond memeory...whilst on it we also shared memeories of other traveling companions and wished they were again with us [you guys know who you are- a big hello from us all]....life is lovely overlapping loops a lot of the time isn't it?
enjoy :)

life on the farm

2011-10-29T10:49:00.000+10:30

Returned home to find a lamp still burning for Diwali, so thoughtful of our guys....one burns a candle at this time so the Goddess Laxmi might find her way into your home and life....she is the bringer of prosperity.

Just driving home I could smell enormous changes have taken place in the last 2 weeks.....all moisture from the monsoon has now gone, dust is rising and starting to dance and it has turned chilly of an evening....for the first time since last March I can actually feel my skin prickled with the cool air and need to wrap a light cotton shawl around my shoulders in the morning until the sun rises.

What a lovely change it makes although is has been so long to have this sensation it is a bit weird.

All our crops are harvested and stood up to dry, the majority od what we produced is Baba the camel food

How is this for a lovely tractor- just right for turning it all to chaff.

Baba smiling as he over sees events.

Hard and dusty work....I piked it and stayed inside.
It was new moon yesterday so our workshop was closed, after a day of trying to catch up and sort a few things out I am ready to dive in and see what has been happening....should have some of the first runs of Tasty Old Chooks Clothes to inspect, some handbags for Pukka Desirables and I am not sure what else ....
More pictures from the last tour on this link- now we are home it is time to plan for next year...interesting little discoveries we made this year to fit in, tweaks here and there....Diwali and the Pushkar Camel Fair to dance around, both make accomodation hard to find....back to the drawing baord....
Sujani embroideries on this link....we met up with Sanju from the women's co-operative to see what they had made this last year and make plans to visit the co-operative next year and actually meet the women who do this wonderful work....a little adventure to look forward to. This year I got more of an insight into their process, a few of the women are more adept at drawing than others so they will originate a design relating to something that has caught their eye....thye may then use this design to make a number of repeats...each with its own individual quirks or someone else may use it - again twisting it a little to their hand.
Sun will rise soon so time to toddle off and greet a new day- may yours be full of warmth and happiness

2011-10-26T11:47:00.001+10:30

A lovely surprise came in the mail yesterday....a while ago Jane and her mates purchased some of our stitched squares to amke a gift for a friend....here they are turned into a lovely quilt.

On her blog she writes most charmingly of her artistic experiences

Lovely surprise I feel like a proud Mama seeing where our work goes....and I love quilts so cosy to snuggle under.
Weather here is starting to become crisp in the morning so we will be able to use a bed sheet soon and a quilt for a few weeks later in the winter....such a nice change to fans and sweat.

Last day of our tour today....we had a party on our roof top last night

Our Princess had a major birthday [Praveen has trouble with foreign names and so this trip seemed to evolve a collection of nicknames we have all started using]

So it was an extra excuse for lots and lots of fireworks and cake and fun.
Don't know how he does it but come a birthday Praveen can arrange a cake with name on it at the drop of a hat! Always gives him such pleasure as well.
Off to get ready for anotherfun day....and an early return to the hotel as Divali will make the streets wild and some of our guests and worrying over packing their bags and getting every treasure to fit in.
Fun, fun, fun.
Happy Diwali to you. May the Festival of Lights bring closure to any problems of this last year and open dorrways to a new year of happiness and prosperity.

Going too fast

2011-10-23T10:39:00.001+10:30

Our tour is going great.....really the only problem is it seems to be going too fast!
We have such pleasnt company and wonderful places to be....I could do with more cruising.
It makes me realise we need to make changes when we get home, make sure we create more pockets of chill out time.

These images were from many days ago and we have packed so much in....at Jodhpur Fort a music festival was in full swing so it was full of colourful musicians from across the State as well as the usual great loction to look at.

Then we hit bangle shop....so all are now suitably attired with arm loads of glittery bangles.....ohh what a difference it makes to your day to have bling to celebrate it in.

So many pictures..

The serenity of the temples at Ranakpur....

So lucky to see a breeding pair of the rae Sarus Crane when driving through the countryside. Beautiful birds who mate for life, very romantic.

A little Fort to call home and out to jeep safari.....
as you can see many things to appreciate and enjoy.
We had a call on the home front yesterday...of course not all is going as smoothly when we are away.....I can see big changes coming with our workshop when we get back.
It is interesting there are those type of people who do the right things and get on with their job and there are those who talk big and a really rather a pain in the .....don't really want to have my time wasted by them so perhaps alittle weeding will be necessary soon.....oh the joys of running a business.
Staying focused on the job at hand....today a big jump back to Jaipur and this evening a night of pleasure dining out and elephant rides!.....all good day to look forward to.
many more pictures on this link
I hope you have as many laughs as we will today :)

on the road again....

2011-10-20T11:52:00.000+10:30

On the road again, and boy have I forgotten how much fun Praveen and I have on tour.

The last 2 years I have had to leave him home to look after hotels and of course I missed him.

We have a group of stars with us [notice them in movie star mode here in a tuk tuk] and life is such fun.

The gang at the blockprinters, Praveen is our photographer....got everyone giggling with something he said and one of our ladies is used to getting sailors straightening up for photographs- she had us all nicely arranged in no time.

Old friends can be people, but having visited places we love for so long even some places become friends....you re-experience a feeling that made you decide to place them on the list in the first place. Here is a step well...it has a feeling of solitutde but also a slightly Escher egde becasue of the design and painting- I don't quite no how to describe it....not scary but a little disconcerting because of the depth, steepness and moving lines.....oh no they don'y really move you just feel they do at least when you turn your eyes away....bet none of that makes sense you have to see them for yourself!
Much more has happened but that is it for the day....we are in the most beautiful old home/ hotel and I am off to luxuriate for a while before breakfast is served....
enjoy your day, embrace all it has to offer....we will be!!

On Tour

2011-10-12T11:45:00.000+10:30

On tour and how happy I am, for the last 2 years we have had to divide our resourses and Praveen has looked after hotels while I have gone off on tour. This year we have left our workshop and animals at home and run away to gether on tour.

All I can say is I love our tours, this is what we devised together and it is such a joy to look after them together.

Such fun, and visiting old friends like Akshadham again to see how the gardens have grown and theincredible beauty of the building is settling in. Only a few years old built by 11000 hands this temple is a modern wonder.

We have a wonderful group to share our delights with and so all is going along joyously.....ohh what a day at the office BIG SMIL!!!!

Amber Fort the place of the accountants is as serene and mysterious as ever.

notice the light dancing up the ridge beyond the tower.

blockprint and mud fun....I will wash the clothes today to reveal all their Indigo gloriuosnous [is that a word? - it should be]

I was mesmerized by this huge coper pot in the yard- would not fit in my pocket though.

Here is Om-ji , our print master and our gang, except Praveen he is photographer.

My favourite step-well....
and off to new horizens today- yippee :)
May your day be as joyous wonder comes in all shapes and sizes- far, far away or at home.

the up side and the down side-ohh and where should one focus?

2011-10-09T11:32:00.001+10:30

In Delhi- just sent off one group - our private tour for Ozzie teachers and we are starting our Creative Arts Safaris tour today.
We think all things are in place, have done our double, triple checking and praying to any God we can think of.
We were feeling rather perky with the last group and I think they had a great big experience of India, mostly positive but as you should almost expect here....a slight problem madame occured. Our most efficient hotel really had a room allocation malfunction. Unbelievable!!and poor Praveen was alone to try and look after the group leader who was understandably upset.
I don't know what it is here and organization- if there is a way to make a good system fail people seem to jump at it....and if you can make it so complicated it becomes unwieldly - dive in there. When dealing with customers - basically they are always right. If there is a glitch and you tell them there is a good chance you can resolve it...try and sweep things under the mat and people get upset.
Ohh well my grumble for the morning. We ahve whinged to everyone and the owner, hopefully they can improve their act.
Our problem is the area is great for groups to start out in India- interesting street life, ATMs and metro near by.....
A friend sent me this in an email a few weeks ago and I use the quote to myself quite often....seems very true.

Just saw the most fantastic looking movie trailer for an upcoming movie called The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel - or something like that.
My son showed me it on the weekend on his Apple.
Stars Judy Dench and Maggie Smith, Bill Nighey and other well known English actors.-- I'm a bit of a groupie for Maggie and Judy.
They all go to INDIA. and it shows some of their trials and triumphs.
Looks great.
One quote in the movie goes something like - "In India, everything will be OK in the end - so if it is not OK then it is not the end"
See if you can get it on your computers.

I suppose the tricky part is we have re-incarnation here and so it could take a wee while to get to the end....
oh thoughts for the day.
Off to visit some magnificent temples, Ghandi memeorial and i have a real treat for our textile enthusiasts this afternoon- evene bigger that I thought. The Gods are being kind...will show pictures tomorrow of things to set you salivating and finger twitching with "I want"

Happy days to you

oh India or Ohhh Rajasthan

2011-10-04T11:19:00.001+10:30

Just last week I was thinking to myself, things are going well this year- electricity is only off the designated times and when it is on it is full power- not bad.
Staring a week ago we went back to blackouts most of the time , even at our workshop which is suppposed to be on regular supply we have been using the very noisy generator 4 to 8 hours a day----oooohhhhh so horrible that is.
and now at home when power comes it is at brown out levels- not actually strong enough to make your iron hot or turn the light on in the fridge.
And the reason for all this? the Rajasthan Govt doesn't have enough money to pay the power bill and so the power company is cutting supply!!
On the good side of this is that the loud speakers a local temple uses to sing religious songs AAAAAALLLLLLLLLLL night long for Navratam don't work. When we have power and they do work there is no use me answering the telephone I can not hear what people are saying and I also don't sleep the singing then a stop as people catch their breath before they start again constantly wakes me up.

On the fun side of life - we have organized a private textile tour for a group of Textiles teachers fro Australia...it was so lovely to hang out with them for 2 days in Pushkar- just hear Ozzie voices and the wicked ozzie humor- very good fun.
we all jumped on camels for camels safari one night and the next night when the ladies were at our place for cooking class and dinnerthey kindly tried on some of our samples for Tasty Old Chooks Clothes and critiqued them.
It was such a buzz for Praveen and I to see our clothes on real live people and to hear their comments

The fabric used in many of the samples are not the prints we are going to run with but the shapes are mostly tweaked now and the first production run will start at the end of this week when the big order we have been working on is all finished packed and sent.....oh our workshop is burbling along nicely.
Running out the door on Thursady to meet Praveen in Delhi - his 12 ladies will have departed [boy is it funny when people around here say where is Praveen and I say he has left, run off with 12 ladies!]
Praveen has been looking after this first group and we will do the next tour togther- so it will be like a little holiday for us. Even though we do take our work seriously we always have a good time as well, and this is as close as we are going to get to a holiday for some time yet.
ohh life is busy but it is also fun....after all it is only what you make it isn't it?

headway being made....

2011-09-25T10:32:00.000+09:30

Had a fabulous day yesterday, finally spent quality time at the blockprinters....

and a day's printing means my arm is aching today! An old chook out of practice....

a new piece that will become light a gauzy when washed. This is a layer in a sundress we are working on for Tasty Old Chooks Clothes....

We have 2 colourways in this now and I am mixiung paint today for the next one....yeh!

A warm jacket idea I am playing with....blockprint traditions influenced strongly by Zac's grafitti art [ and now years of photographing grafitti all over the world for him] have really sunk in.
Zac uses stencilling a lot which is so similar to blocks....either he is painting onto an old wall , over other work or building coloured layered bases on the canvas.....
I can do something he can't add extra texture with stitch....which is what is going to happen to these babies....before they get made up.

Vijay, Nandu's oldest boy hard to the table....he is most interested with what I am playing at doing the printing different....most amused at the inability I have of printing a straigh line of prints.....as to the random effect of some ...boy does it engender a lot of questioning as the printers try and find a pattern or count to put it in context for their way of looking at designs....

an interesting jacket should have an interesting lining....

The gorgeous Radhi....he is my best little mate....Praveen is starting to get very clucky telling Nandu yesterday we were going to take him home with us. How lovely but what about the times you want to sit quietly with a glass of wine in the evenings, sleep in a little late, go off on a romantic week end? Isn't it better to visit?

Newest idea evolving- again a very light cloth that will be part of gauzy layers in a top.
Here in India you tend to wear a few layers of gauzy clothes- when layered they are not see through but air movement is still good for coolness.
The same fabrics are often used to make cheap western clothes but on single layer so they are frustrating see through....

Newset stitching work eveloving into a bag....just need a little tweaking to the shape and this will be a beauty.
we have been asked to make some bag kits for a lady - a fabulous suggestion- we will supply one of these stitched panels and some heavy handloom cloth and a few things to teak it all with and some instructions....this week job to sort out.
Oh happy days at work :)

A new Village to Stitch in

2011-09-19T14:45:00.002+09:30

Ranjit is a young man who has worked for us for more than a year now, initially he was cook at the the hotel, and when we closed we did not want to loose him so asked if he wanted to come with us and re-invent himself. He started at the workshop making the chai and lunch and cleaning...then picked up cleaning the garments after stitching [ millions of threads etc] but has proved himself absolutly invaluable as a checking master- he has eagle eyes and nothing ever passes him by.

This also shows a great strength of character as he has to hand the work back to much older and more senior guys who are not always best pleased.

He is learning to do that with a bit of sugar on top = humor and they are learning to apprectaite we are paying them well to only give the best work.

Hey! they do have options like look for another job if not happy with that.

Great ladies and lots of laughs as well as serious discussion on workmanship and details and what we are looking for.

As we came outside a peacock was passing by- very auspicious for our new beginnings...

Ooop for some reason the photos have jumped - this is Praveen entering Ranjit's house

many, many more photos on this link

2011-09-18T10:14:00.001+09:30

New stitching just in....simpler pieces for new ladies to practice on and boy have they nailed them!!
I am so happy with these. They are intended for bags but have such possibilities for other things as well.
happy days!

a good day....

2011-09-17T04:24:00.001+09:30

Funny I got home from work the other day and was almost falling over I was so tired.....could not work out what was wrong with me....Then realised that I had started at 4.00 am in the morning!

The full moon is so bright I wake up thinking it is morning time....get a bit suspicious when William the rooster does not crow but by then it is too late I am awake....add a very trying day to that and 14 hours later you will be falling down every time! What to do? the moon is getting less bright ady by day, thankfully.

Founds these old pants...they have had their used by date now but great to see them and remember them.... feeds my graffitti theme I am playing with at the moment...had a great afternoon painting and not a drop of rain for the first time in months...in fact seems the big heat is kicking back in the water from the roof tank was almost too hot for an afternoon shower.

The black eyed peas from teh garden are starting to be ready to pick and dry...many a yummy dal there....

paint and blocks- what a great combination....just been marinating some new blocks and now setting them out to dry....tomorrow or the next day will be at the block printers to try them out.

Notice how white the wallls are...in the full moon night light you alost need sngalsses to go out there in the evening. andboy is Praveen pleased.

lining- resist painted for some new Old Chooks jackets.....slowly things are happneing.

Your help please

2011-09-13T10:16:00.001+09:30

As you know Praveen and I have been working on a new project with Mandlie Chandler of "Ewe Give methe Knits" of Australia.
It is a range of clothes - thinking of women in our age group who would like something a bit interesting. We now have a number of things in the pipe line and more sampling happening.
We would really appreciate some feed back from you at this stage.
What do you like, what size are you [all info is strictly confidential ] lots of question you might be able to help us with that will help us in our decision making.

Here goes.... you might like to cut and past and email me a reply
Thank you very much for your help

After many a wistful conversation with various women over the lack of anything “interesting” for women of a certain age- being Australian we immediately translated that to “Old Chooks” by the way- to wear we were inspired to start dreaming. Our muse is you- you know the person whose kids are grown/ing up, have experience under the belt and not yet ready to be locked up in the Retirement home…in fact just at that nice time when you start to really come into yourself and can feel a little free of so many of those things you worried about when you were younger….

Anyway what were we saying? We decided we might have something of interest to offer for you to wear, something relaxed and a little elegant, creative, a celebration of the cloth and design elements used to make garments beautiful, designed to enhance your perhaps slightly fuller figure and if there is fairly paid work in there for the makers isn't that so much the better.?

As you are our muse we would love to hear your observations as well
- How do you see yourself- age wise, experience wise?
- What do you think of how you look? Be nice…
- Are you terribly worried by this?
- Do you use clothes to
1. feel good in?
2. simply cover up- people stare if you are naked?
3. hide inside?
- What do you see as your physical assets? think positive- there is something so warm and comforting about a two arms full hug you just don’t get from young hard muscles.
- I might not be young and firm like I once was but you know now I am a lot less worried by how I look. How do you feel?
- What clothing shapes do you like to wear?
- Have you watched any of those “how to dress shows” for ideas?
- Do you think you have an interesting dress sense?
- Do you snag things that feel good on and do others notice this?
- Are you adventurous in what you do wear?
- Or do you look at others clothes and think, “Ohh how lovely but I could not/ would not be game enough to wear it?”
- What sort of fabric do you like to wear/ prefer?
- What is the hardest thing to overcome when you shop for clothing? Too long, too short? Inconsistent sizing?
- Do you follow fashion or prefer to dress in a more individual style?
- What is your favourite colour in the whole wide world?
- Is this a colour you wear?
- Do you follow colour fashion trends? [yes I know you are somewhat forced to these days if you shop in the high street]
- Do you make clothes for yourself?
- For others?
- Sizes are a big head ache trying to sort out- can we ask what are your measurements and what size is that?
- In the spectrum of your friends would where would you place yourself one of the cuddlier ones or other much more cuddly? I am trying to work out the spectrum of sizes we need to focus on.

We really appreciate your help in this questionnaire- thanks :)

another day, another shower of rain....

2011-09-12T21:25:00.000+09:30

I moved to the desert becuae I am quite happy with bkue skies day in and day out....can't belive this rain hanging around but it is easing more to annoying showersand some success is starting to happen.

This is an experiment that is looking very promising...heavy handloom, sari silk discharge and that is just the beginnning....Tasy Old Chooks look out!

Finaaly got a chance to get into my studio- being under a tree in the garden you can see why I am obsessing over the weather....The little goats are tied to the same table and Shankar the guy that usually looks after them was away so I hade their help while I was trying to paint.

Spot thought it was going to be an opportunity for hime to nibble and after nearly turning himself inside out trying to reach up on the table he had to be satisfyied with nibbling on me every time I came his way.

I am really lucky Nandu my printing lady is so accomodating....I love block print but want to play with what I can do with it....deconstruct it in many ways and put it back together a new way.
She does not quite get where I am coming from but is happy to accomodate me....this is a fine black lycra...it caused no end of headaches printing because it is so flexible...first we discharged it and then I wanted to over lay that , Mahendra the printer picked up my block upside down and laid on the first print- boy! was he embarassed when he lifted it off to see his mistake....boy was I impressed, a much more interesting surface than I had thought up....still got a few things totweak in the printing but this is going to be a wimmer.....

Ohh yes got 3 things painted at home, amongst a good nibbling by Spot and a shower of rain has just driven me inside.....

perhaps, just perhaps....

2011-09-10T10:35:00.000+09:30

Perhaps, just perhaps things are changing....why do things seem to happen fast yet change comes so slowly.....often you are trying, trying trying and then you notice things are different....

I have been watching the weather wondering when it was going to change, the garden is starting to resembel triffods and I am getting worried it will swalloe the house!

This is chawla or black eyed peas growing in the home garden, soon they will be ready to harvest and lay out on the terrace to dry and store for use through the year....

This is the view from the back door to the kitchen - you can barley see the Baba House at the end with all that lovely Gwafal growing- this is a camels favourite food [and camels are very picky eaters would you belive!], we are going to dry it and make chaff and it should feed for quite some months.

Around the edge we popped in Sesame seeds to grow- no anilmals like that plant so it would deter marading animals from getting into our fields and will give us an extra crop.

These photos were taken at 7.00am in the morning, I needed a flash...that is how overcast it has been.....usually it would be bright, bright sunshine by then.

Even Chortu had to have breakfast in the dark which was most confusing for him as he likes to sleep in.

And then yesterday I woke up we had bright blue in the sky, Ohh boy is that lovely I have never appreciated clouds when they choke out the blue.....there was a real change to the atmosphere and many birds arriving back in the area from their migrations......I think changes are happening.

and to top all that off I actually got to start the printing for Tasty Old Chooks Clothes....it almost rained when I went to Nandu but did not actually...I would guess we could say the monsoon is starting to pull back.....of course we will really appreciate it by the time it comes around again next year [Oh please do come!]

Birds are crazy and raucous out there this morning- I am off to greet the day.

Overcast still...

2011-09-07T10:45:00.000+09:30

Monsoon was late to come and now it is late to go....it puts you in a funny feeling in the wishes department....truthfully I am sick of it I want to be able to paint cloth and get blockprint and dyeing done in a timely fashion but I did not want to wish that as for the locals the rain is imprtant, so important...now though for everyone it has reached the stage of wishing the rains would stop so grain can ripen properly and beans/ lentils dry out....much more of this rain andthey will rot on the plants.

So wishing like crazy "Rain, rain go away, come back another day"

It has been months and months but finally Praveen has preveiled upon the painter to turn up- he is sorting out the back 2 rooms and whitewashing the big courtyard.
I love out terrace out here, we sit for a while most evenings and the old comncrete on the walls has bloomed with grey patterns- to my eyes it looks nocely old and interesting but I know it has been driving Praveen crazy....so by the time Diwali comes this year our trees will be full of lights and the courtyard will be blindingly white!

Our one sinple stamp on the visa saga is almost complete. The stamp has been authorized...finally but for some reason the authorization papae has been sent to the Dlehi Office not our local office in the different state of Rajasthan.....will be a little pickle sorting out who will stamp, where but it is not as pressing as having the stanp authorised in the first place was.....whew!

rain, rain go away PPPLLLEEAASSSSSEE, have a nice sunny day where ever you are :)

Birthday parties

2011-09-01T10:38:00.000+09:30

Last week was Praveen's birthday- so we had cake on the day and on Sunday evening invited the guys from the workshop home for dinner [ you can see from their huge grins there was a few liquid refreshments as well] it went very well- I decided to do the good Indian wife thing and stay inside, just made sure the meals was served nicely....easier for everyone and more relaxed.

It was funny the guys were really excited at the thought of the little party and giggling like school boys at work the day before.

Here you do spend a lot of time working, or else off at religious things or family things, not necessarily just down time hanging out.

Also we made a huge pot of mutton curry, which was the real treat of the night because most people we know could only afford that on a special occasion or at the most once a week. Really pleasant evening, our team are good guys.

A new tortoise has turned up in our garden- some kids said to Praveen there is your Daughter so the name has stuck but Daughter seems to be all boy chasing Chortu [who is a young boy] all around and trying to jump on him/her. Chortu does not seem amused.

Notice how green is my garden...the rains were late but have been good and it is starting to feel like we live amongst triffords....everything Indian grows so fast when it rains. My ozzie vegeatbles are just slowly, slowly getting going and boy am I hanging out for lettuce.

New lables just arrived for Zac's grafitti line- aren't they beautiful?

This is fun to work on...

otherwise a million things are happening and nothing much really at all....this week things have been a bit higgldy piggldy with Eid at the end of Ramadan, here in Ajmer yesterday there as all the excited craziness like you might recognize for Christmas Eve or Diwali- people rushing around, and all the pilgams are returning through Pushkar after Ram Devra....so people everywhere with a holiday feel to it..... hard to focus on work.

have a good day

Fiona

would you believe it!

2011-08-27T22:14:00.000+09:30

My Grandmother always said "patience is a virtue" - well it is not really a virtue I have been good at cultivating but I must admit but India seems to be trying to teach me it in a big way!!

Just trying to tweak my visa to be more user friendly for business, initially told such a simple process- only a few hours....well now have made 3rd trip to Delhi, spent a day lurking around various police stations down here and now waiting for the "result" which is extremely hopeful as the guy down here can't read his emails and the Home Office will email it to him and then we will have to go back to them [in Delhi] and beg them to fax it to him.....we will then have to beg him and offer a sweetener to be informed of it.

Making the best of another trip to Delhi I had a whole heap of shopping to do for our business....but heading up to the wholesale market things looked weird....see these streets usually it is hard to get along them they are so packed, and when I got to the market all shops were closed.

Many people were wearing Gandhi caps like the cool guy above.....all Delhi and much of India had called a general strike in support of Anna Hazare.
He is a politician, modelling himself along the lines of Gandhi calling for a stop to corruption in India.

The Bill he has tried to introduce to parliment was a little inflexible, the government's responce has been pathetic, they were trying very hard to ignore it or side track it ....now at least but with the whole country going on picnic yesterday [ I use that term because there was a very festive feel to all the people out in the streets singing their protests] The government has had to table it for seriuos discussion and hopefully something useful will come of it.

I had to laught the other day as I was lurking around police stations and finally getting some of the paperwork moving....I was then sitting waiting for another signature when a rather fearsome lady approached me...I could see althe local coppers who were hanging around were looking at her out of the corner of their eye....she came up to me and said was I alright? was everything going smoothly for me? I was a bit tongue tied- Lady do you know how long it has taken me to get this far?....If I seem to complain I could end up dying of old age lurking around these corridors....

I had been sitting there wondering how sweet we would have to be to get the paper in our hands when she says she is there for a permit to protest CORRUPTION!!

Wow, unfortuneltly I don't have the luxruy as a non-citizen to join them...too doodgy but I do wish them well -what a big task they have taken on.

Then a few days later the rally and general strike in favour of stopping corruption has to make one hopeful change may, just may come in time.

I love this place but it could sure send you crazy!!

Ohh and I know nothing about anything....I would not mention sweets etc in the context of the powers that be- should anyone ask.....cryptic enough?

Of course these things don't happen in our neighbourhood!

Blockprint

2011-08-21T10:08:00.000+09:30

Start with a painting....

Meet the right man....

who carves these wonderful blocks....

and you have a sample run.....we were just using colours Nandu had to hand and so can see how it feels in different colourways.....now time to start mixing colours and making metres and metres of fabric for some fancy clothes -Tasty Old Chooks style :)

Blockprint sample run

2011-08-20T21:38:00.000+09:30

Oh Joy, oh bliss we finally got into the blockprint studio...the rain was hanging aorund teasing us but not enough to slow us down this time. Thank goodness I was fit to burst with impatience!

Just a few pictures- there is a whole album on Facebook if you want to share our day...this is an open to the public link you do not need to be a member.

Back in the workshop checking over some jackets we are putting togther for one of our clients I was struck but what a lovely weight and feel there is to the heavy handloom [ which block prints beautifully] with a rayon velvet lining....definietly jacket potential for Tasty Old Chooks Clothes in that observation.....wish our winters were a little colder to snuggle up in one.

I am so enjoying our workshop, no sooner than we have an idea, test it out as a sample, than we have a whole group of guys turning it out....at the moment we are making miles of braided fabric to go on sundresses- very pretty sundresses for a client and I feel like I am back in school doing the afternoon craft...the guys are everywhere turning strips out side in and then plaiting. Here is Gopal- ji resplendent in wiskers- he is not shaving for the month of Savan in honour of Shiva and Shankar laughing at him.

Happy happy satisfying day :)

Baba Ramdevra pilgramige

2011-08-20T11:04:00.000+09:30

It is time for pilgramige to the Shrine of Baba Ramdev out near Jaisalmir, people especially poor people walk from all over the place to visit at this time of year.

These photos are taken on the usually empty country road we take to visit our Stitching Ladies, in 14 km we must have passed 100's of people.

Everyone is walking along vigorously and, from here it is another 400 km and they might already have walked that far to get here now.

You will notice many have only the clothes on their back...they don't need to worry all roads have food stalls set out and water pots and a carpet and tent for resting.

People decide as an act of charity to set this up and look after pilgrams for free.

this is just one road, anywhere you go at the moment there are streams of poeple walking.

This is an old farmhouse we pass , doesn't it look amazing cloaked in green?

In the last 2 weeks the rains have finallt been doing their thing and our world is transformed from brown and dust to mud puddles and green....

Last night we had a fit of the giggles; Praveen and I were very excited because the weather is looking dry and fnally we would get a chance to visit Nandu and play blockprint. Out of no where big fat drops started to fall, and soon the water bowls in the house were singing....

it is now next morning and I think the rain if finished for the moment, just have to wait and see when we head to Nandu's

Oh India- Happy Independence Day

2011-08-16T09:59:00.000+09:30

65 years ince she escaped the noose of the colonists and India has come along way and is growing into herself as the world's largest democracy.

this is from an email our bank manager sent out and rather an interesting accumulation of facts.....something to be proud of.....everyone had small flags yesterday and made comment of the fact it was Independence Day, guys in the workshop brought sweets in the morning to share as a celebration.

They were laddoos- sweet rose tinted sugarly morsels especially beloved of the God Ganesha - he is who known as the remover of obsticles.

Mera Bharath Mahan Hain

Freedom is everyone’s right. Fight for it to enjoy it!!!
A very Happy Independence Day to All!!!
FACTS TO MAKE EVERY Indian PROUD

Q. Who is the creator of Pentium chip (needs no introduction as 90% of the today's computers run on it)?
A. Vinod Dahm
Q. Who is the founder and creator of Hotmail (Hotmail is world's No.1 web based email program)?

A. Sabeer Bhatia
Q. Who is the president of AT & T-Bell Labs (AT & T-Bell Labs is the creator of program languages such as C, C++, Unix to name a few)?

A. Arun Netravalli
Q. Who is the new MTD (Microsoft Testing Director) of Windows 2000, responsible to iron out all initial problems?

A. Sanjay Tejwrika
We Indians are the wealthiest among all ethnic groups in America , even faring better than the whites and the natives.

There are 3.22 millions of Indians in USA (1.5% of population). YET,
38% of doctors in USA are Indians.
12% scientists in USA are Indians.
36% of NASA scientists are Indians.
34% of Microsoft employees are Indians.
28% of IBM employees are Indians.
17% of INTEL scientists are Indians.
13% of XEROX employees are! Indians.
Some of the following facts may be known to you. These facts were recently published in a German magazine, which deals with WORLD HISTORY FACTS ABOUT INDIA .

1. India never invaded any country in her last 1000 years of history.
2. India invented the Number system. Zero was invented by Aryabhatta.
3. The world's first University was established in Takshila in 700BC. More than 10,500 students from all over the world studied more than 60 subjects. The University of Nalanda built in the 4 th century BC was one of the greatest achievements of ancient India in the field of education.
4. According to the Forbes magazine, Sanskrit is the most suitable language for computer software.
5. Ayurveda is the earliest school of medicine known to humans.
6. Although western media portray modern images of India as poverty striken and underdeveloped through political corruption, India was once the richest empire on earth.
7. The art of navigation was born in the river Sindh 5000 years ago. The very word "Navigation" is derived from the Sanskrit word NAVGATIH.
8. The value of pi was first calculated by Budhayana, and he explained the concept of what is now k! nown as the Pythagorean Theorem. British scholars have last year (1999) officially published that Budhayan's works dates to the 6 th Century which is long before the European mathematicians.
9. Algebra, trigonometry and calculus came from India . Quadratic equations were by Sridharacharya in the 11 th Century; the largest numbers the Greeks and the Romans used were 106 whereas Indians used numbers as big as 10 53.
10. According to the Gemmological Institute of America, up until 1896, India was the only source of diamonds to the world.
11. USA based IEEE has proved what has been a century-old suspicion amongst academics that the pioneer of wireless communication was Professor Jagdeesh Bose and not Marconi.
12. The earliest reservoir and dam for irrigation was built in Saurashtra.
13. Chess was invented in India .
14. Sushruta is the father of surgery. 2600 years ago he and health scientists of his time conducted surgeries like cesareans, cataract, fractures and urinary stones. Usage of anaesthesia was well known in ancient India .
15. When many cultures in the world were only nomadic forest dwellers over 5000 years ago, Indians established Harappan culture in Sindhu Valley ( Indus Valley Civilisation) .
16. Histories mentioned that Kalaripayattu is the mother of all the martial arts in the world
17. The place value system, the decimal system was developed in India in 100 BC. etc............................

ALL OF THE ABOVE IS JUST THE TIP OF THE ICEBERG, THE LIST COULD BE ENDLESS.

BUT, if we don't see even a glimpse of that great India in the India that we see today, it clearly means that we are not working up to our potential; and that if we do, we could once again be an evershining and inspiring country setting a bright path for rest of the world to follow.

I hope you enjoyed it and work towards the welfare of INDIA .
65 th Happy Independence Day

I really liked this email....the last bit is often heard here- it is up to us to create the worldwe want to live in
good advise.

rain, real rain falling gently

2011-08-09T11:34:00.000+09:30

Trying to keep my mind off paperwork and policemen who will not do what the Home Affirs Office has requested- apparently not one email/ internet access is working at Ajmer District Police Station [second biggest in Rajasthan]....one can only wonder about what he wants??On the good side of the last visit to Delhi was another book from a fabulous series being published by Panguin India covering regional cooking in India.
Everyone has been a winner so far, this one the food of Maharatra [for those not in the know- Mombai and a vast region surrounding it, home centuries ago to ferocious warrier kingdoms....and a fabulous fresh and tasty cuisine.

This one is Spinach in Yoghurt sauce and so divine we will be eating it a lot! Let me know if you want the recipe- happy to post it up here.

and here is a simple salad, dressed with yoghurt- such a good idea, healthy and works wonderfully.

Mahaarti Pumpkin Salad

cube some pumpkin and steam it [even better take a butternut and roast it until it has those nice caramelised edges]
let it cool
in a separte pan with a little oil sizzle up mustard seeds until popping then kurry leaves, garlic chopped fine, 2 or 3 sliced green chillis
let it cool
throw pumpkin in a bowl, tip spices over the top, add good handful of chopped fresh corriander [ mint would be excellent as well]
spoon over enough yoghurt to make it all yummy and creamy
eat at room temperature
Wonderful!!

Life is a gigantic jigsaw puzzle some days, so many choices.

Silk jackets are starting to prove popular and we are putting more and more together- needed to spread out to the terrace to mix and match....

This all means another round of teaching new Ladies needs to start soon.

Great to be spreading work and income around but a big job to get them upp to standard and keeping focused on the necessity of standards....usually a few laughs thrown in amongst the hair pulling- it will be fine.

In amongst running around I actually got a chance to start playing with paint and ssshhhh today it is actually raining so I can't get back to my studio table under the tree. We were talking about an open air studio with roof and hopefully no big ants falling and I thnk perhaps we need to get onto making it a reality. Ants falling??? you are asking, huge black ants live in the tree I work under, they don't bite and are quite happy to use whatever is around as their highway even if that happens to be you! Just feels weird having them crawl all over you.
Back to the grafitti cloth, this will have a layer of block print over it next....hoodies for this range will then have a drawing embroidered on the back...they are going to be soooo groovy.
Tasty Old Chooks Clothes are going to explore grafitti as a theme as well but in a different guise to these....I can see it just waiting for the rain to stop to keep the sampling happening.....blisss :)

2011-08-06T11:08:00.000+09:30

lots of simple pleasure happening...a little rain and the place turns green

the fields are adorned with ladies in jewel bright saris working away with their hoes

Peacocks are using our shed as a highway

Praveen is oiling our new blocks

we really are reaching new heights in the quality of our work

but there is so much to do and so little time it is hard to keep a focus on these joys and not break into stress mode.

The simple paperwork of putting the final full stop in my residential permit/ visa issue is not one simple visit to the office in Delhi as I was originally informed....it has now been 2 visits and a mission to get the local police officer in charge of foriegners to sign a paper and return to them....been to see him and he claims to know nothing of the communication from Delhi....not sure if he is just an idiot, wants a sweetener to consider it or what....it is tricky finding these things out and all the while you are running around in circles like a chook with out a head!!!

Bloody hell....

ohh wait there; the resolution is to focus on the simple pleasures of life and just deal with the rest.....

oh yes, oh yes breathe!

our pets

2011-07-30T21:25:00.000+09:30

Special day today- New Moon and workshop is closed, for us this is the first one we have actually been able to take a holiday on...every other full moon or new moon when we were closed we have had a mountain of work to do....so it was a slow morning sitting around drinking tea and then Ranjit turns up with 2 goats for us

They are so cute- the boy will be Spot

and the little girl Honey- I love goats they are so cute, these 2 are quite friendly and cuddly....don't know if we need them but boy it is nice to have them here....

More and more Praveen has relaxed into being a country boy, he has no fondness for camels since he was 5 and the one he was riding bolted on him, but of late he has been getting more into the great outdoors and so a few nights ago organized a staff picnic...these guys help at home in various ways [although Ranjit is mostly a workshop boy these days] Rangit grew up 2 villages down from us and had never riden a camel so we threw him on Baba whilst we behaved like lord and lady muck in the camel cart....I must say a camel cart with matresses in the back is the only way to travel---sssssoooooo romantic, pity this is India and you can't even hold hands in public!

local village across the fields from our place

the good thing about taking the staff with us was that we just had to sit back and relax....I might even be able to get used to this....

and a fire in the night always look amazing.

I have loaded a photo album onto facebook if you want to see more village shots.

Here is a whinging camel this morning getting an infected scratch cleaned- isn't he pathetic?

My poor Baba...soon as Saun stopped though, he was back to his usual inscrutable self- funny fellow.

Our free day had been great- we had a wonderful talk this morning and planning session for what we are doing...we are loving the workshop and hatching new designs and that will be our focus, we are going to stop the idea of a Bed and Breakfast and doing Cooking classes. We do have a spare room for use by family, friends and friends of friends so you are welcome to come and stay but we are not activiley going to seek visitors/ clients to stay. Cooking good food, and my interest in trying out regional cuisines and Praveen's in eating what I cook will continue so expect the odd new recipe as ever.

Studio is still here and we are happy to take groups to play textiles, our lovely tours will continue because we love them and we have to do the research for them [something in the South of France is in the pipeline...] but mostly we are going to play in our workshop.

hmmmmmm a big satisfaction.

rain, rain where are you?

2011-07-27T21:23:00.001+09:30

We have tried everything to bring on the rain, clouds are here but very stingy.

We sent off a huge batch of work to the dye man, usually that will bring rain and he can't dry it,

then we sent block printing toour printing lady and every time we mentioned her it spat but not enough to call it rain, just enough to stop her printing....

so yesterday we gave up and headed up Jaipur way to order our first blocks carved....

Starting off with one of Zac's Love Man designs [here is his stencil] we are going to Grafitti cloth not walls [not that he does THATTT!!! either, apparently not any more....you know kids stories]

Here is a sketch I did from it...

and a floral of my own design....

Salim is the gentleman who will convert these to repeatable prints

and Nandu-ji will look after the priniting for us...look at her delightful boy Radhi, he is so lovely I almost want one just like him...almost only :)

Nandu has a range of blocks she uses which I love, some really special florals, I knew she would know some one who would have just the eye we would like to do our work....

These are some of Salim's paintings to inspire would be clients....I can see much inspiration opening up here.

Ohh a very good trip and just a little more to add to our storhouse of local textile knowledge...how everything works.

also bought another 2 sewing machines for the workshop and this amazing industrial steam press...busier by the day....painting soon for me to play with some graffiti ideas for our range...hhhmmmm fun.

one must take time to smell the roses....

2011-07-23T21:56:00.001+09:30

Or whatever is offered up, once again the week has just disappeared and friday Stitching Lady session jumped on us....this week we have a huge pile of pieces to make into jackets and a few people to post to...we are runing like crazy but I have been trying to saviour moments on the run - so to speak. I was never good at meditation in a stationary sense but working in the garden or laying wool out to make felt had a similar reviving and centring effect for me.

So I figure conciously appreciating things and savouring the moment even as I am moving on past is kind of my kinetic way of taking time to smell the roses.

This week has had numerous small pleasures

at the dye man's sorting out our order, watching the cloth dry in the breeze

seeing Praveen act like a big kid and ride the camel cart to the dyeman's
really this one started last week when I got a copy of an English patchwork magazine featuring a design by my mate in the UK Anne...I sent her some of our block fabric ages ago and she turned it into some wonderful pillows, then she used the scraps to make a house warming pillow for Praveen and I- appropriately showing all the firworks of Divalli....very nice- well it has been published as a bag and she very kindly managed to get a plug in for our Pukka Components Blockprint Fat Quaters...it took me until this week to sit still for 10mins and a cup of tea and savour her work and accomplishment
no pictures but the most beautiful image....4 old shepards from out west, big silver handlebar moustaches, bright, bright red or orange turbans, skinny legs sticking out of their longis herding along 20 oe 30 small white donkeys all laiden with full panniers carry 5 or 6 new born lambs bleating away....sooo sweet
the cratter of sadness up near the bus stand eminating from all who noticed a mother monkey and her baby not surviving a confrontaation with a passing bus....driving along you could identify all who had seen it, they were Langurs often seen as an animal representaion of the God Hanuman greatly honoured for his loyalty and devotion to Rama. It was so sad and yet so beautiful to see so many people could be moved by such a thing.
pleasures of stitching and making things and making them well....putting our heads together and working how to make the work better, easier to put together and replicable
the fine handwork from some our Stitching Ladies, this week has been win win with all that has been handed in- a very good week and pleasure
Praveen and I had a serious brainstorming last night and have nutted out the first 2 block print designs we want carved and then how we will get Nandu-ji to print them, the Ladies to add stitch to them and the Old Chooks Clothes look that will be adorned with them....
cuddling our cow Matilda, she is the most delightful affectionate cow, if she could she would snuggle up on your lap as it is she satisfies herself with licking you half to death.
feeding Chortu [HE it has been confirmed] our Indian Star Tortoise
noticing today everytime we mentioned going to see Nandu-ji our blockprint lady a few spots of rain would fall...we have a date to print tomorrow so expect a good shower to happen and slow that down...magical
ahh life is good- enjoy the little things :)

sometimes, just sometimes I would like to be in OZ

2011-07-18T10:44:00.000+09:30

Missing my boys and missing my mates is a constant little twitch in the background but actually being in Australia is not a part of that...Oh yeh sure I would like to be able to use the Yellow Pages some days and find things but on the whole here is so much home and the excitment of the chase is compensation for the trickiness of finding things.

and what i really wish is that my boys and my mates could be here .....
One thing I would be interested in being in Oz for is the starting Forum of the Sangam Project- the Australia India Design Project. Starting Forum is this Thursday in Melbourne, if you go please let me know what you thought. Details on where are in this link
This project is aimed towards fascilitaing Australian designs ustilizing the skills and traditions of Indian Artisans in a fair and equitable manner...sounds good.
Sometimes it would be just wonderful to brainstorm with others who have had similar experiences. In our part of the desert Praveen and I are the only crazies thinking and working this way....some days it is not easy, some days it is thrilling, there is so much still to learn and we are always scambling along trying to catch the nuances of what is happening, wondering how to inspire the people we work with to put their heart into it like we do so we have something really wonderful to sell, which is for all our benifit.
The vidoe is a little bit of fun....I was asked to make an introduction of myself for the Forum and we were playing around and made this for the Ladies to see....we always have a lovely warm feeling after a visit to the Ladies of this village- good women.

Indian food....

2011-07-17T18:14:00.001+09:30

Indian food....is so yummy,

if you choose the right things it is so healthy....even the stuff that is fried is freshly made that day from fresh, fresh, fresh ingredients, fresh spices and lots of care and showmanship.

Praveen and I were up in Delhi to do a visa thing for moe....last step to have residency proof, the man on the phone said it was really easy rock up between 10 and 12 drop off papers and then a stamp goes into your passport, pick up at 5.00pm that same day. SSSSSSSSSSSsssssoooooo easy it made me nervous and I asked about 5 times - are you sure that is all??
yes madame no problems and do you know I think it will be that easy once I do one little thing, make an on-line appointment to lodge those papers....ahhhh India!!! always something.
So Praveen and I abandoned that ship and went shopping and exploring for our business.
What fun, we have established clients so there were details we wanted to fill in on supplies for them and we are thinking about designs for Tasty Clothes for Old Chooks...so we wanted to see what is around that we could add into our dreamings.....
First food,
we have just had lunch at the workshop- boy what a treat it is everyday. Everyone shares what is in their lunch box and we make fresh chapatitis to go with it...Papu is a particularly hungry fellow and he eyes off everyone opening up with glee to see what there is...with good cause we have been able to brag we have the best thali [Indian for mixed plate] in the country- some days 5 or 6 mouthwatering vegatables and dals to enjoy for lunch....last week was comical though, we have made bhindi [okra or ladies fingers you might know it as] and so had Papu's wife, and so had Shankar's wife and so had Padam's wife....yes a feast of bhindi.
Today it was the day of green chillis- Papu's wife makes an excellent stuffed green chilli, which I am trying to mimic, so my attempt was what I brought with us today, Papu had the original in his lunch box and Padam had a spiced green chill vegetable, three versions in one meal will certainly clear the sinuses and then there was a green chilli pickle.
We are all getting along very well at work but this is becoming a bit crazy.....
You know we have won a lot of browny points with the staff because we eat with them- most Indian bosses would not- they must be crazy, the chat is always fun and the variety of food is fabulous.

Photo above is a quick snack Praveen and I had whilst shopping in Delhi- this is Indian fast food at it's best. Paranthas [wholemeal flour freshly made breads stuffed with various vegetables] served with a variety of vegatable curries and chutneys. This comes from a famous little alley way in Old Delhi - Parantha Alley, the vegatables were as good as the paranthas- pumkin curry, potato and onion curry, mixed veg in a tomato sauce, and fresh mint chtney and the piece de resistance an imli [tamarind ]chutney with a slice of fresh banana floating in it. Scoop that up with a parantha filled with chopped green chillis and you are in heaven!!

Then the rest of the day was as pleasing for us....I always use shell buttons on my clothes and have never seen them in India...so was feeling a little lost what to think of for buttons -yes I know there are millions of other options but shell buttons have always seemed so special to me- a little of the magic of listening in a sea shell somehow and discovering the sound of the sea....well as they say In India anything is possible and we found some! as well as all these interesting little dangly things we might add into the finish one one of our clients magical coats....

fabulous little shop in Old Delhi's Chadni Chowk area....

Exhausted by the end of the day, blisters on our feet and mountains of satisfaction- learning our business and where to source things a little better every day.
Live away from a functioning Yellow Pages and you start to realise what a valuable resource that is- here we have to physically look for things and poke our noses into shops to see what they have....still doing it together is fun- cheers
off to see our Stitching Ladies now....new jackets will be ready to be assembled tomorrow- yeh!!

just the usual things...

2011-07-11T10:52:00.001+09:30

Happy email this morning, a first big order of jackets has landed and Mandie wrote this to me after she had opened the parcel I burst into tears when I’d finished unpacking it all...So beautiful Fi, glorious colours, and everything has a gorgeous energy. I’m SO thrilled that our paths have crossed.

As a rule I don't like to make people cry, but I do really appreciate her response....Praveen and I are very pleased with ourselves in how far we have come sorting all this out, the women's work is coming along very nicely and when someone opens a parcel and they get that good energy ...it re-enforces thefeeling for us that we are on the right track.
Yippee!!
Rather a proud day yesterday as well...I broke out the camel cart to pick up our first big order from the dye man's place....as a friend just pointed out 5 kilometres of fabric...it does sound a lot when put that way....all stashed everywhere at the workshop and ready to start cutting and transforming into well made clothes for one of our clients.

The day started very well with an elephant standing at the workshop gate- now as everyones knows that is a bit of good luck- how often do you have an elephant actually standing at your gate??.....next to arrive was Baba and off we went to collect fabric from our guy.....

Being given a camel and cart for your birthday is a very usuful gift! I hope your day is as satisfying...talks progressing for Tasty Old Chooks' Clothes....Praveen is slowly getting his head around the fact there is affection in there when an Australian says OLD....not just a decriptor that makes him cringe!....he was wondering if that makes him my Old Roost....oh I love that guy, he has such a good ear for picking up language not always spot on but it makes sense,... he can be my Old Roost anyday. :)

delegating: an interesting concept

2011-07-09T11:52:00.000+09:30

Traffic on the way home near our place. These guys have walked all the way from Jodhpur 200-300 km grazing their flocks and taking advantage of the little bit of green that has sprung up from our one shwoer of rain.
Please pray for more to follow- each day we get the pressure build up, rumbling clouds, high, high, high humidity but no actual rain. Oh well it will come at the right time.

I made a joke the other day to a mate- how do I tell my husband I am in love with 6 other men?
I said I fancied Sean Connery and Praveen can't listen to that- for goodness sake he is a movie star in some distant land!
Back to the 6 closer to hand, they work in our little owrkshop [yes we have already had to hire anther person] it is so good to have ideas and see them happen in front of you.
I am really starting to get the idea of delegating....why do something yourself when you can let someone else pick it up and run with it.
Bit scary though- I am a bit of a queen bee with everyone buzzing around- I hope I don't become tooo weird!!!
There is an art to delegating though and a huge responsibility. Choose wisely in who you give what to and be at hand to see how they are going. A system of checks and balances needs to be developed at the same time, not everyone has the same strengths nor the same weaknesses- assessing where people are at is sssoooo important.
Enjoyable and satisfying- my mind works at about a million miles an hour most of the time and then I have to develop the art of patience to get time to try things out.....still like that but now I am getting more time to focus on my side which is the development side and let others make samples for me [under direction] develop ways of implementing runs of work more efficiently, and all those things which brings satisfaction to us all. Praveen is really getting into it all too, we are confering a lot on the designs we are working on, he is starting to take a real shine to the whole business and learning how to do all the different things. He has really sunk his teeth into organizing our lines of supplies....best quality, best prioces etc. Having topick up supplied in Delhi used to make him nervous, now armed with samples and designs in mind he is chomping at the bit to hit the market and I had to plead for him to wait for me to arrive and come with him.

2011-07-04T22:23:00.000+09:30

Another exciting week has just started....big order for the workshop meant the arrival of half a truck of handloom yesterday just a small part of what we need to assemble to send to the dyers and then make into fine clothes for one of our clients....the handloom was delivered by the father and sons who wove it....so nice to buy it direct from the hand of the artisan.

Exciting for us because we also sent off our first bigger order of Pukka Desirables jackets to a new stockist of our products: Mandie of "Ewe give me the Knits" ....love the name of her business- such a quirky sense of humour.

some of our jackets- it fascinates me how the density of the stitching reaaly changes the hand and look of the finished 'fabric'

It is early days yet but I am having very excited discussions about teaming up with an Australian to develop a range of ladies clothes with the 40+ age group in mind.....one of those things that has been on my mind for a while -interesting clothes for a more mature figure...plenty of good young chick stuff around but, but, but what is there affordable and remarkable for others?
Something I have 'heard' said to me on numerous occasions but have not reponded...usually you only get told once by the Universe...and then this week talking about something totally different it all started falling into place....
I have wanted to find someone to work with - someone with a passion for niiiiiice textiles who is also dead keen on marketing and distribution and all that 'make it happen' stuff....I think I have connected up with the right girl....so stay tuned.
I want to quiz people on what do you like to wear- what shape clothes do you find flattering for your body type- what is your body type?
As we experience life so our bodies become a map for all we have been through- I think that is rather lovely and it is for ever nice to feel lovely in your skin....my Grandmother was nearly 90 when she died even though her body was quite frail by that time she told me that on the inside she still felt just like she when she was younger. I know she and my Grandfather still had a passion for each other...don't think their bodies could express it too much but you would still catch them having a kiss in the kitchen when noone was around [that is such a precious memeory for me by the way- I want to be like that!]
Just because we are Old Chooks does not mean we don't still fancy something Tasty to wear.

I am starting to calm a little and focus but I have been in almost melt down mode of excitment over possibilities.....designing a range of tasty clothes to flatter me and my mates....with the wealth of possibilities I have here at my doorstep and my very own workshop of blokes who sew realllll fine- wow!!
mud resist indigo dyeing, block print, my Stitching Ladies, my painting of fabric.....my mind is whirling and twirling where to start.....

I have started by commissioning a print idea from my son Zac....his paintings are endlessly fascinating to me, his eye has a lovley whimsy some days....his stencils would easily translate to mud resist block print to be submerged in wonderful indigo...another layer of colour could come through an over print at my blockprint mates.....handstitch from my Ladies and voila!

perhaps not quite peaceful at the moment but oooohhh so satisfied...stay tuned

organizing and organizing...and a little more organizing......

2011-07-01T11:19:00.000+09:30

You know some days I feel like I am living in the Myth of Sisyphis- where Sisiphys is always going over similar ground....in this case we are constantly working on improving our stitching project practices.

Seems somedays we just get everyone sorted out and they go and do something weird....oh well we will continue.

I think we will do all sewing machine work at the workshop and all hand stitch with the ladies....we were giving the silk blanks used to make the silk jackets to a local lady to stitch the 2 sides together...she started off very carefully but has got a little more out with the measurements with each batch....I have alerted her to the problems and it is sorry madam, sorry madam but no actual improvement to the original quality and sorry does not make the shapes correct.

oooohhhhhhh- why? she wants the work, is very happy doing it.....I simply don't understand it.

Just realised I have a studio all functioning....it is outside under the trees next to Baba parking and I am loving using it....I have felt like painting for some time now...was thinking to get canvas to work on but this is satisfying the need quite nicely and making some excellent clothes....

I can see myself heading down the road of a range of clothes for Woman of a Certain Age.... you know Tasty Old Chooks Clothes [for those who need a translator chook is Australian for Chicken]
I have had so many converstaions over the last year about how hard it is to get interesting clothes for the 40+ years not Ganny clothes.
I am making interesting things for young chicks for one of my clients....and painting away my mind is burbling with all the things I could do for myself....which spread to others as well......and then someone else I am sending an order brought the same idea up again -like how times does the Universe need to talk to you?- must be anbout 6 times now all on the same theme usually you only get the one nudge and need to jump.

Plotting and planning happening....most interested to see where it leads.
Oh Albert Camus wrote and essay looking at the Greek Myth of Sisyphus and concluded
"The struggle itself...is enough to fill a man's heart. One must imagine Sisyphus happy."

he is right.

everyday madness

2011-06-27T10:45:00.001+09:30

Our student has just gone home, just a quick visit but so stimulating talking with her, talking about being the artist and the necessity of being a business person as well if you plan to eat.

It was kind of like leading a tour- because you have new people with you, you feel like you are discovering things again for the first time. Discussing what we are up to and out philosophy with Kylie gave us a chance to re-discover certain things, feed back helps you look with fresher eyes as well.

Workshop is still going well- honey moon is over...are we are tweaking and adjusting to get things running smoothly but on the whole so happy....yesterday was rather frustrating workwise....first electricity gone so no stitching, then electrician turns up to connect new generator for just such an emergency....so outside supply cames back but has to be turned off in the workshop to do the connection!!! Oh well by the end of the day machines were wizzing along and can now continue to do so.

I love painiting cloth, and here am getting a chance to play with so many skills I have developed over the years...satisfaction.
Praveen was a bit nervous about becoming a capra wallah [textile fellow] He is such a smart man, but no schooling leaves him with a self image sometimes of being less than capable. Self taught his English is great, he can read, a bit slowly but he can well and truely make things out in Hindi and English....he keeps a calendar in his [and thank goodness I am terrible at dates!] and can work out all the maths we need in his head.....all this from a guy that was on a cycle rickshaw at 12 supporting all his family.

Any way his has got over worrying and is jumping in at everything we need to do for our business and is fully engaged I am so proud of him.

Sometimes needing to jump out of the way rather smartly as he picks things up and gets on with it.
A partnership in the full sense of the word is so satisfying.

as usual Baba baby is around somewhere keeping an eye on things....

with the first shower of rain in many months we realised our roof leaks like a sieve but try as we might we can't get workman to fix it...and now monsoon is arrived it is too late for the moment....so life revoleves around being careful where we put things in case the rain starts and a new drip occurs. All our different textile projects which I had sorted in an orderly way have to be stashed away in case of drips and now I spend a lot of time rummaging - where did I put that thing????
A nice suprise every so often -I opened a trunk I had jumbled jackets into- and didn't it look good?

next job is to get some posted off and others on the inetrnet for sale......good to have something to aim for.

Bikaner and back....

2011-06-24T11:37:00.000+09:30

Fabulous trip, such fun to be out exploring again, we just work and are at home if we are not racing off to Delhi for work....both Praveen and I had a pretty hard and miserable life before we met, now with our happy home and working together we are very happy and know we are blessed to have the experience and opportunities, so don't feel sad for us always saying work, work, work we really enjoy it because we share it.

Life is short you don't know what is around the corner,

enjoy every minute.

An unexpected treat driving along the road, this lady had the most beautiful jewellery, bangles all the way up her arms, huge silver anklets and a torq around her neck and an embroidered skirt with shisha

.....it is so rare to see those on village ladies these days I had Praveen chasing the motor bike for quite a few kilometres to get this close with out running them down....we are on open highway dodging trucks, cars and ox carts at the time!

We were in Bikaner to meet the gentleman I am seated next to at the bottom of the picture Ashok, he runs and NGO to support the work of village artisans and handweavers. This is his website- I think he explains himself quite well The 2 ladies further up in the picture [and yes I am very rude, I did not write their names down and have completely forgot them]
a mother and her newly married daughter travelled from about 100km out in the desert to meet us.
They live in small villages very close to the border which made it impossible for me a foreigner to just go visit...their families originally came from Pakisthan but after the war of 1971 were all Hindu people were thrown out, for many years they lived in camps until the government could find them land [well desert] out near the border.
About 1500 ladies still embroider in the traditional manner- many have a contract with Fabindia to do work on their clothes and others work for smaller vendors, isolation and lack of education makes it hard for the women to market their work themselves, but good people like Ashok, Fabindia and others' help keep them busy and an ancient tradition alive.

The stitching was beautiful as were the ladies, we could not help admiring them and their jewelery, It was a fair exchange as they could not help peeking at our student Kylie, they were discreetly wispering among themselves wondering if she was the famous movie star who was once Miss World.

Spinning wool to weave

Two of the weavers Jetaram-ji [whose house we were in] and Mullaram on the left.
These guys embody generations of fine craftmanship, but with the rather poor wages they can earn as weavers Mullaram is constantly thinking of leaving the profession and not having his children take it up.
Ashok pays Fairtrade prices for what he commisssions, but unfortunatley at the moment he can not move the volume they need to sell [and could produce] to live a reasonable life- you know food, kids to shool, healthcare, perhaps a TV.....mostly they have to sell to other dealers who push the prices right down.

Kylie our student, a great person, as I was saying on Facebook where there are many more photos by the way...it really adds to oue status travelling with an entourage and then when you say she is our student it is like a big wow- so impressive.

The kitchen

samples of cotton handloom weaving from another village, fairly traded. We will be using this in one of our clients summer range.

This scarf is beautiful can you see how fine the work is?....it would equal anything ytou would find in the very best shops- how do we make the links to those places so the ancient traditions and skills embodies in it have a chance to flower in the future?

I was most productive in the car on the loing drive making silk flowers for a clients wedding reception tableclothes- it is going to look like a room full of jewels.

and a wonderful dhaba we have found- the bbbeeesssstttt food. simple,spicy and delicious, nothing beats truckstops for the best food.

They made a wonderful raita so simple and delicios the perfect accompaniment to the dal and spicy veg.
Naugaur Raita

sizzle some cumin seed and sliced green chilli in a little oil until nice and a little sort of chared on the chilli skins
add a handfull of finely chopped mint
stir through fresh yoghurt with a pinch of salt

simple and simply wonderful!
Have a great day

Murphy's Law

2011-06-18T21:15:00.001+09:30

I am usually struggling to get enough work ready for our Stitching Ladies each Friday and Saturday; those days come around so fast and then there are lines of people looking for work...well for some reason I have suddenly got ahead this last week or so and have a whole lot of stuff prepared to go out AND would you believe it- everyone is busy!!

I have a few people waiting on orders across the world and everything is on go slow here. Summer holidays- ladies take their kids and visit their parent's home village, wedding season again- there is always something.

One woman Suman has being doing great work for us- when she started her first piece was rubbish and I sent it back and said unpick it and do it again- ever since then she has really been focused. We went to visit her at he home just recently because they day she had come for work, which is about a 5 km walk we did not have anything to give her.
So a few days later we drove to her place, just to see where she came from and encourage her- we really want to work with her....welll 2 weeks later she arrives and her work is rubbish again!!
Our fault because we were sweet to her?? she said she had been to a wedding and so not had time, not an excuse when we are constantly so clear about quality.
Oh well she is unpicking and fixing again. The big disappointment for me was I was wanting her to do a sample, a variation on the jacket I wore in Australia- I just loved it and thought others would too.

This is the jacket- it was so comfortable and just the right weight for in between seasons in Oz, if I am lucky here I might wear for a few days in winter- ohh well.

Murphy's Law again and would you believe it the weather has cooled down about 5'- it is now late 30's C rather than mid 40's and I have broken out in a severe case of heat rash- it is driving me crackers- head to foot red rash and itchy- sob, sob, sob. The good side is I have finally found a homeopath I like so I expect to be on the road to recovery very soon.

Workshop is progressing really well, silk wedding tableclothes almost there- think it is going to a beautiful reception.

We are trying to source the fabric we use in the garment manufacturing workshop direct from the mill rather than through the surplus market in Delhi because that way is so unreliable and today we have had big win in cotton lycra- you can't imagine the persistance it takes to be able to boast that here in India

AND today we receieved in the mail a copy of our proper fully licenced company licence....do you know how many years it has taken to find the right questions to ask, the right department, the right accountant to fill the forms....blah, blah, blah...once again you can't begin to believe the determination that has gone into getting that one piece of paper, and we have it!! another big yippee today.

And Out of the blue someone rang last night selling silk organza- this is very popular in Pukka Components packs and we have been unable to souce it for the last year or so...

tha Gods are really smiling on us at the moment- thank you Universe.

a bit of a ramble but this has been one big day, ful of many blessings- things really starting to fire along, and our Stitching Ladies will be back in full force soon I am sure.

new friends

2011-06-16T11:09:00.003+09:30

Just occasionally I feel I live a long way away.....I miss my boys and I miss my best friend Dawn but mostly I am quite content here. I have always been happy with my own company, the telephone gets a good workout and Praveen is my man...what more do I need?

A pleasure of living a long way away is that people will just drop in on you. Louise was a student of mine a few years ago in New Zealand, and she did quiely mention she might like to visit India one day so of course I said pop in....well last January she did, spending a few weeks hanging out in Pushkar and we spent quite a lot of time together, a little sight seeing, a lot of tagging along with my Stitching work -patient lady some of that was a bit of a soap opera at the time, trying to extract work from the tailor I had already paid to deliver, she said better than TV.

If I had lived in Australia we would not have had the same opportunity...here every so often I get little gems of friendships served up by the Gods and really appreciate them, and modern world of the internet you can still easily keep in touch, which is very nice.

Here is Louise at a textile event in NZ somehwere, she took a whole heap of saris and other textile things home with her and has been very popular at various textile events trading.

OH a plug!! Drum roll please

her next Textile Trading day in NZ is "Treasures from India" at the Creative Fibre Cambridge Exhibition.

Trades Day is on Thursday 23 June at Trinity St Paul's Union Parish in Cambridge.

hours 10 am - 4pm.

She has taken a little India home with her and shares little anecdotes of NZ with me- they have cool misty mornings now....sometimes tortuous to try and imagine, other days remarkable fantasies depending how the weather here is hitting me.

When you live in the late 30s to mid 40's for weeks on end [well over 100 F old scale] you go a little loopy sometimes.

And this week I have met Jasna, a lovely yound woman from Slovenia, initially she contacted me for a cooking class, which went very well; I took some of the left over dal to the workshop the next day to share at lunchtime and the comment was "only problem was not enough!" I took that as a real compliment as here in India no one has a problem pointing out your deficits if the cooking is notup to scratch.

She was staying for a few days and so I suggested we visit Ajmer togther, I have been hanging out to visit the Dargah again...I like the energy there, the smell of rose petals and wanted to sort out where you put your bag. No cameras or mobile phones allowed and I knew there was a locker room somewhere but never located it before....wanted to see how it all worked so I could recomend it to visitors.
The heart of the teachings associated with this order are interpreted in terms of human service and disciples are exhorted "to develop river-like generosity, sun-like affection and earth-like hospitality." The highest form of devotion, according to this order, was "to redress the misery of those in distress – to fulfill the needs of the helpless and to feed the hungry." have a look for more info here

The Dargah is a very special Sufi Muslim shrine, a great place for people to appreciate a spiritual aspect of Islam in a nice setting, like any religion the heart of the religion is good people forming an understanding of how to live their lives. Like the heart of any religion there are many, many people who follow its creeds simply and it makes the world a good place to live. Do we associate Christianity with a hanfdul of fundamentalist nutters? no why do we do that with Islam- not fair to many good people.....yes soap box time.
Anyway a woman needs a scarf to cover their head [a man also] as Jasna did not have one they thoughtfully provided her with a hankie to tie on her head.....being India no one took a second glance at the lady with the funny hat! and we had a few laughs about it.
A wonderful place full of Muslim and Hindu people, the scent of roses, the excitment of an outing, the peace of contemplation- well worth a visit.
Yes many Hindu people visit the shine each year, for Hindu people anyone doing good in the world is an aspect of Vishnu the Preserver at work and so worthy of veneration...labels are not important. The Shrine is decicated to Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti born in 1142 who taught a belief in God was more important than agreeing on the name of him and all people are equal and looking after others [any others less fortunate] the most important thing of all....good news for anyone to hear and so a place of pilgramige for Hindus and Muslims....oh India, that is what I love about you, for a place that can be so divided there are magic momets of inclusion.... you also get quite a few Sikh people visiting here as well.

wandering through Ajmer, the entrance to an old trader's house, can you see the succession of courtyards inside?

First shower of rain has hit, temps dropped to late 30's and first bugs to arrive....this guy was like a velvet dot...can't remeber his Hindi name but it reflects he is the first to arrive with the rains.
Lovely days when the weather drops from the stinking hot by a few degrees and and promisesof rain for the parched earth......

Garment Manufacturing

2011-06-14T10:28:00.001+09:30

We are definitely capra wallahs- fabric fellows for the non-hindi speakers among us....and I am very satisfied with our progress, we have a lovely pile of skirts waiting on buckles- made easily, to size and with pleasure by us all, the difference in this production run is profoundly different to the pulling teeth feeling of where we used to work.

Did not notice it then because that was what we were used to, but there is a message in there somewhere....when things are all aligned with the stars or what ever they DO run smoothly. If you are having continual headaches and problems take time to stop and see what is going on.....that does not mean blame someone....that means look at yourself, look at the sitation; try and remedy in yourself what is necessary, talk to others about the way things could change.....if improvements don't come about change the situation. Don't continue to torture yourself.

Which is all so easy to say and mucher harder to do - we believed in the guy we used to sub-contract stitching to, we liked his family...it was really hard to admit he had willingly letting us down, told us big stories and was conciously mucking us around. Still since we have decided to walk away and start afresh it has gone remarkably smoothly.

This is our new overlocker...sitting at it yesterday working on tableclothes for a wedding was so satisfying. I always try and watch the frame of mind I am in when I work...I think the vibe goes into the work.....so yesterday I started off satisfied with using MY new overlocker- it works so wonderfully...then enjoyed all the lovely silk....then got to thinking- these saris we are re-cycling were luxery saris; they probably have many stories to tell already of lovely weddings and here they are about to grace the tables of yet another one set on the beach at sunset in America....what a story they would have in their very threads.

yummy or what? by the afternoon I was exhasted, I stitched the same hours as our tailors- I am trying out all aspects of our workshop so I can "see" what it is like. So as I was saying by the afternoon I was exhausted, my back was aching - I had to concentrate on happy stitching and not whinging about discomfort.....boy was I happy at home time and slept well.

Our new foreman is Pappu [below- tall skinny man laying down on the left]- most interesting watching him work, he is really into details and quality- yeh! and thinks about what he is doing....we are working on things following my ideas but he has come up with a few innovations to make it easier to replicate designs and suggests them in a gentle manner. One client is really into stitched details and it is hard for the tailors to get it accuarte- by stitching with thick thread onto card we have a stamp- it can be rubbed with tailor's chalk and printed on pockets- brilliant innovation.....and work speeds up.

Being India...electricity is a little erratic [workshop is in town so much less erratic than my village home] you never know when it will go out and when it will return, yes we will be buying a generator as soon as Praveen gets back from Delhi....so here are our guys trying to catch a breath of breeze and waiting for the light to come.
Under the fan and aircooler it is OK, the moment they stop you are drenched is in sweat....yuk!
still clouds building up each evening, monsoons thinking of heading our way...things will be so much nicer when the rains come :)
Have a good, satisfying and productive day .

an exciting week

2011-06-11T11:12:00.002+09:30

We are having a quietly exciting week in the workshop, all has started well.

Praveen and I are working hard at learning exactly how to do everything, so here he is working out how to use the stud machine[ a few of our clients like lots and lots of studs]

I feel very brave I have learnt how to use the Industral sewing machine- they go so fast!! and I am scared of running over my fingers....when I was teaching felt and Textiles etc I knew so much about what to look out for because if there was a mistake you could make- I would have found it somewhere along the line. I must say now I am making friends with the machine I love the speed :) Like driving- go fast baby!!

I do appreciate the little shrine behind me and hope Ganesha is looking over my shoulder- he is always a big help on a learning curve.
To run the workshop effectively we need to be actively involoved, it is interesting as well, hanging out with the guys working for us, getting to see thier strengths and discussing what we make, how to go about it and what improvements they can see to polish off the deisgns or make construction easier.
Satisfaction of satisfaction is we have a pile of properly graded patterns building up on the shelf, and garments are being cut with an eye on not wasting fabric.
We can re-cycle all our offcuts, someone comes around every so often and takes fabric scrap away to be re-cycled- oh joy.

Rangit - sitting here with me is a young man who has worked for us at the hotel for the last year, when we closed the hotel we offered him a job with us....doing this and that, certainly helping with cooking [he is an excellent cook] looking after our homestay rooms [all of which have not eventuated this year] and now he is at the workshop doing a fine job. He is an intelligent; and I am learning witty young man, rather nervous and shy so he stutters sometimes but as he relaxes we are seeing more of him.
He has always been very hard working and conscientious, and this week we discovered more of why he is so focused, barely into his 20's he supports his whole afmily. His father rarley works, his Mum is almost blind, and he has a younger brother. His new wife recently joined the family and we were asked for lunch.....they are so poor, there house was at the very back of the village, up against the rocky slope of the mountain, one room for a family of 5 - all spick and span, but meagre.

Dinner was a vegatrian feast- his new wife cooked and she is a treasure- this was so nicely done- bhindi or lady fingers vegetable, besan gatta which is like a Rajastahni version of ghocchi in a spicey gravy- wonderful, they can be like lumps of glue, pickles, chappati and puri.

And Rangit, showing us the family trasure, their alter to the Gods. He is a good young man, we have suggested he learn everything he can at the workshop, tailors get a much better wage than hotel workers and cooks....so he can improve his work posotion and he has jumped in, taken over the stud machine already, eyeing off the sewing machines. He will go far and is sensible, we are lucky to have him work for us.

His home yard. a splash of rian came when we were visiting, a real blessing from the God's although the family gosts were unimpressed

Where Papa sleeps

Driving down through the village, this is the rural poor of Rajasthan....fallen lower in some areas because of water problems.

And Govindgarh again!! yes we are adicted, last time there we were picking up some work and Om-ji was making a pair like this for someone- Praveen's eyes just lit up- I want, I want. I had to laugh as his reaction was so gut level.

Where else but Rajasthan can your husband wear shoes covered in sparkly studs, edged in pink witha love heart on top and everyone around is impressed by the shoes- oh what a place!!
must email a picture to my sons though because they will tease him mercilessly.

We just love watching Om-ji work, he is truely a master of his trade, the sureness of his hands and skills.

Oh and here is a picture of his bottom- I got caught by Praveen taking a photo of a man's bum!!

I am just fastinated by the dhotis the village men wera- diaphonous cotton all bunched up into a nappy like arrangement around the crutch. they would be very cool on your legs but also hide 'eveyrthing'....they are rather bunched up at the back to it lends a bit of a rooster look to the guys profile...mesmerising.

a bit of this, a bit of that

2011-06-06T11:04:00.001+09:30

Tailors arrive in workshop today so our whole lives will be changing again.....no hotel, no workshop means we have been hanging out at home a lot, fixing things up, organizing Stitching Ladies, hanging out together....now we have to be supervising at workshop etc....not the same freedom....oh life is about change.

Our Baba is getting fat, no ribs showing, we have had to make the camel cart poles wider as they were rubbing him, so we sent Saun off to galavant around the neighbourhood, they both seemed to enjoy the exercise.

These are our new chooks...well not so new - can you guess when we got them, their names are William and Kate, although when Praveen says that it is more like Billiam and Cat- much cuter!

Billiam has discovered Baba's working saddle and finds it the best place to crow in the evening....he is a really nice natured rooster Indian Game variety.
I am waiting for my mate Mahammed to give me the final quote for our Morrocan tour [Morocco time is very similar to Indian time.....bit slow, I am being impatiantly Australian and hoping he will hurry up!] and I realised Jess has this lovely blog Jess is a contact of ours in Fez and organizes calligraphy lessons and fantastic lunches for our group.....hope she has some of her jewellry on display when I am there....hmmmm

The dye pot has been bubbling all day yesterday, Praveen took over and has become quite the expert, sorting it all out...still needs a little help from me with colour mixing but starting to develop a feel for that.....great being in partnership

I love making pickles....green chilli are fantastic....hainf washed them I left them in the sun to dry for half and hour and was sitting inside with a slight breeze blowing over them and into the house- they were making my eyes water!

The pickle is really simple, raqosted fennel seeds, amchoor [dried green mango powder- gives a lovely and addictive fruity tang to things], mustard seeds, salt and mustard oil.....3 weeks of sitting in the sun and being shaken each day then yummy.
Last batch of pickles Green Mango and Gunda nearly ready....
all systems go as you can see and life is satisfying :) Enjoy

Garment Manufacturing Workshop

2011-06-03T10:49:00.002+09:30

Our Garment Manufacturing Workshop is finally open, yesterday we made puja or blessings and now all can start, first we had to load the camel to make deliveries, then red and gold string was tied to everything in the workshop and swastikas -scared to Ganesha , remover of obsticles were made everywhere and rose petals sprinkled...I like the rose petals- anything is more special if you spread them around.

Blogger is acting very weird this morning and not wanting to load properly ....I am abandoning it for today...perhaps you will get to see some photoes if they load ar else look on facebook
It is not sulking is it? I loaded images somewhere else....Baba the camel sulks if Matilda the cow gets first attention

Inspiration

2011-06-02T12:30:00.000+09:30

Take time to spell the flowers
take time to know about people doing good things in the world, be inspired by them, do something no matter how small to emulate them.....
it is easy to be inspired if you let yourself, it is easy to make a difference to the overall picture by stepping up and being truely you- a hopeful, loving compassionate part of humanity.
I have recently read "The Banker to the Poor" the story of Muhammad Yunus, the guy who started the Grameen Bank, an institution that lends to the poor.
He observations on the poor are so profound, they don't need charity just an opportunity to get on with life.
READ this book, it will really move you and inspire you and broaden your understanding of the lives of so many of your earthly neighbours.
Another recent read has been "Loosing my Virginity" by Richard Bransen, yet again another inspiring read. He is a business man, business is fun for him and always he has wanted to make a difference in the world, so he rolled the 2 into one occupation. His business have forced prices down across so many fields, making sure the average man got a better deal, and now he is stinking rich he is using that position and his enormous amount of creative energy to make a difference in the world as he always has done.
From Peter Gabriel and his dream a group came together to try and make a difference, speak when things needed to be said, keep our collective mind on important agendas- The group is called The Global Elders - it brings tears to my eyes just imagining being in their presence....inorurated by Nelson Mandela, full of people who have spent their lives trying to better humanity, they are so inspiring .
amazing people doing amazing things, so much to learn from them.....every one of us can do a little. :)

slowly, slowly or quickly, quickly?

2011-05-31T13:13:00.001+09:30

Slowly, slowly or quickly, quickly?

Not sure wat it is.....we are working fast, things seem to be taking forever, yet all is happening....Oh only in India do you live in this weird time vortext.

We have been in the process of changing our business structure to a Limited Liability Patnership....many reasons all good. We thought it would only take 10 days well that was past some months ago......any way finally we are almost there.

New business name will be Kayef Stitching Works PPL [ I think- I was too excited to remember what name 'they- the powers that be' finally settled on as acceptable.

For this type of thing in Australia the appropriate government website has a search engine to work out your name yourself....here in India there is man behind a desk- you submit 4 names, he eventually has time to look at them and says "Nuu, not those." and so you submit 4 mores names, wait etc, etc it can take a while.

Anyway something has been accepted, we have signed more papers and they have been sent off for a final stamp or two.

Meanwhile we have taken possession of our new workshop premises- da dahh, drum roll please.

Neat, clean, freshly painted, no sand all over the place, our brand new sewing machines, our dedicated workers, no more stories of why things aren't done, why when you asked for 10 small you got 15 large and 3 weeks late.....many headaches we have been through.....time for a change.

Probably boring for you, but boy do we like them, we have all the equipment to make quality clothes for people.
We will now operate as The Stitching Project -Workshop; garment manufacturers- we take orders and make things for other people. Many people come to Pushkar each year for just this, so hopefully they will start coming to us and we can stitch up their designs
and we already have a number of clients we do all the sourcing, manufacturing and dispatch of items to accross the world....they don't have to leave home. We are looking for more of these clients as well.
The Stitching Project- Pukka Desirables ; which is our women's work. The two overlap a little but mostly Pukka Desirables are completely made by the women. Our workshop will do heavy work like putting our bags together but easier to construct things like some of our jackets will still be done by some of our ladies.

So today is installing electrics, organizing the workshop, tomorrow a Priest will come by for blessings and then we will be off.....first job is a new man's Tshirt deign for Leafy Sea Dragons....

ohh and

we have ordered the beds to be made for our Homestay room, they will be made by the same steel guy who did all our windows and our bed so will be lovely curled iron work....slowly, slowly our summer building project is happening.....only 1 or 2 rooms not the 5 or so we had hoped, but only so much you can do at one time.

Praveen is not a multi-tasker- he likes one thing to concentrate on at a time and we are already doing the workshop, so I very happy to encourage him to cut back on the homestay ideas for the moment. It is a year ago he had his heart attack, he is fine now but I am nervous a little, always pumping water into him, so he does not de-hydrate, fussing around a bit keeping an eye on him.

all going fine, here hope that is so in your part of the world :)

Shoe success

2011-05-29T13:29:00.000+09:30

I have new shoes!

I plan to wear Om-ji's jooti the rest of my life....they are so comfortable and it feels wonderul to have twinkle toes not just plain old shoes on your feet.

Now you might know we have been having some fun working out what we can ask of him....everything he has made has been wonderful but when we give him a range of threads to do different colour schemes - all separate bags etc....he usually re-arranges and makes what he thinks is good .
It is but can we offer a lucky dip to people further a field?

We have trailled he can make the perfect size from a foot map.....and last time we gave him a rough drawing I had made to see what he came up with.
Look! pretty amazing replica.
So tentativley I say if you want a pair of Om-ji's amazing slippers we can organize them for you.

Watching him work is mesperising....one of these days I will try and do a video.....lovely chap.
Praveen is waiting on a very fancy man's pair, big curled up front, brass studding at the back and hot pink binding- sounds wild and yes they are, very flashy Indian and should be perfect for weddings etc....at least here in India not sure how they will go down at our biggest son's wedding in Australia next year??

step by step...

2011-05-27T11:23:00.000+09:30

Step by step I am learning how to garden in arid conditions on sandy soil, with out access to all the organic inputs i have always been able to lay my hands on....I am a commited orgainc/ biodynamic gardener,never used chemicals in my life.
Here there is no seaweed, no gypsum or dolomite....not much in the way of nutricious mulches....locals use a very small amount of urea, some animal dung and poison sprays for pests.
some things grow really well in our conditions- eggplant is rocking on far better that i have ever experienced, tomoatos are getting something weird and the chipmunks are eating the few fruit so not so successful.
I used urea on the garden sprinkling it around vaguely thinking of it as plant food- but no it is really plant anhilator if you don't know what you are doing.....

Oh well, at the moment my poor garden resembles the desert, back to square one....our eggplant patch is rocking on....although Praveen was less than excited when I said we will have to eat them for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

These are mogra [Indian jasmine] and so lovely, they have been in the water for 3 days now and still perfuming the air all day long, with roses you can smell them in the freshness of the morning but as the day heats up it overwhelms there perfume....not so with Mogra. Down in south India it is the habit for ladies to make garlands of these and wear them in their hair...you would smell like heaven all day long.

Some difficult social things are staring to happen as everyone local is getting to know us....people want to work for us, or they want us to lend them money....now we have had 2 different families in 2 days saying ohh Madam likes my daughter [yes I speak politley to people and like to make the occasional joke, if they do a good job I will give them that feed back- all at not the Indian way, you don't speak much to staff and never praise for good work, as to being so informal as to have jokes and laughs....]
they have suggested we should adopt there daughters [girls/women of about 20] they are trying to ensure they have a job cleaning our house, and I know they are very poor families but it really pisses my off.
If they get their claws into you like that, it is just as likely the young women is no longer a good worker, the rest of the family, all 90 million of them would have no qulams about turning up with their hands out.... we have a lot of family in Delhi, Praveen's own blood relatives, some are good and get on with life, one or two are extremely lazy and dump eveything on his shoulders as the head of the family....NO WAY are we setting ourselves up for more of this.
It is so difficult here sometimes....people are poor, hard to imagine how poor people can be if you can't have our experience on the ground. and anything that might make life a little easier or ensure regular income, of course they want....but we are struggling or at least having to work extremely hard to egt by in our own way and are simply not going to be a handout for every hard luck story that comes by.
We give water to many families...we were worried our well was running dry but it was simply a power problem, electricity not strong enough to run the pump and we are mangaing better to take advantage of strong power as soon as it comes on.....that is an act of charity we choose to do, it means many families have quite a few less kilometres a day to walk to get water.....no one local would consider doing this for their neighbours, who would pay the electricity bill? we do it because we feel it is a good thing, not because we are idiots who are going to fall for every story that comes by.....

It makes me angry, we are not seen as people, we are seen as wealthy fools and you know the old addage "A fool and their money are soon parted" I know who would like to do that.

Ohh excuse my venting....sometimes it is difficult having any type of normal relationship here, when we are both outsiders to the area and financially we are not on equal footing to our neighbours. I can see they might look over the fence enviuosly but with my upbringing you would never ask for anything from anyone...."Indian culture is different, Indian thinking is different my dear" poor Praveen must say that a million times some weeks as he tries to explain what is going on, it is hard for him as well but he is half prepared.......

feeling virtuous

2011-05-23T19:30:00.001+09:30

Off to Delhi we have been, shopping for our new Machine stitching workshop....we make clothes for a few small compnies from Australia and America and are happy to take on new clients.

We have beem after wadding for a special request for a while and finally the trail took us to a new area and success....this area never sees tourists and rarely even foreigners looking for maunufacturing supplies...this guy was really funny...he could not get over Praveen's white wife and that we were taking pictures....he wanted to be in them and then would not stand still or look at the camera.

Facebook has a whole series of images

Fantastic sugar cane jiuce...it was so hot I was begging for a drink every time I saw any type of juice wallah...we had mango jiuce, fresh lime water, mixed jiuce, sugar cane jiuce and more....I think the water was disappearing out of us faster than we could gulp it down.
It felt like such an exciting day....exploring with Praveen, sorting out our business to run more as we would like it....very pleasing all in all and we discovered a whole heap of new places.

There were many shops with these wonderful embroidered necklines....I want a client who wants them used on their garments some were fantastic!

Mango season has hit....a few months of bliss, luscious bliss.

ohh and more jiuce....

On the right hand side is a slum...poor people working hard to get on in life, in front is the village built for the Commonwealth games....when I put two and two togther I was angry again for the rude way the Australian media spoke of India's efforts for the games...this is a very poor place.

full of hidden delights....look caefully behind the power lines, a wondeful old building literally falling to piecs.

Street food for lunch Chole Batura- chick pea curry, spiced and perked with cinnamon, slices of fresh red onion and Indian bread 10 ruppes, so tasty and nutritious and yummy.

Back home in our garden a Teetar or partridge has been sitting on eggs,I have not taken her photo as I did not want ot scare her, whilst we were away success all the babies have hatched and I wonder where they are now.

and why so virtuous? well we did Delhi and felt proud of our finds, nearly all of the Morocco tour is done...just waiting on 2 prices....Emirates now fly out of Casablana which means it is much cheaper on the travel side- got to be good for us! Paper work is TTTTHhhhat close for our business re-structuring and registering with the Indian government which will be the green light to take off on Stitching things.....all in all a few items have been struck off the to do list!!
big yeh :)

Morocco

2011-05-19T11:22:00.001+09:30

Veging out in front of the TV last night I could check out the cooking shows [Praveen is in Delhi doing some temple thing with his Mum and kids] he gets bored with too many cooking shows or hungry and wants me to cook it right now!

Anyway.....some cooking show came on with Ben from Surfing the Menu....showing his travels and food around Moroccco.
yum!

I have been dreaming our next Morroc tour for some time now, I know exactly where I want to go.....the stories I want to follow, but have been doing a little too much of the hard days work seen above and not enough action.
The boring and scary bit of tours needs to be done- costings.
Last night has spurred me on, I know there are keen people out there waiting, so I should really put some enrgy in to it, then I will actually be laying about testing carpets next May!

Mohamed, the guy we work with is a real foodie, and is great for knowing all the best places to eat.
In the tour we catch the ferry across from south Spain- Tarifa and it felt like coming home last time as we dis-embarked and this huge bear of a man was waiting looking out for us and enfolded the whole grop in the warmth of his smile as we arrived into fabled Morocco.

carpets could get very addictive .....

the apothocary is interesting but I don't think I would be brave enough to try any of his treatments....still if you are after dried insects, ostrich egggs or various things I am not sure I want named- he is the guy to vsist.
Time to stop daydreaming and get onto the work side of tours.
Oh the smells of the spice market the TV show brought ack, the wonderful tragines, olives.....Ok just a little more daydreaming.....

2011-05-18T10:28:00.000+09:30

Some old guys going down the road, just as we are heading out of our village.....I see scenes like this every day and some how my eyes just feast on them....I live in the most interesting place for just looking around.

These photos I took afew weeks ago and have not had time to mention them, I think they are special as this is the little festival that builds up in Ghanara, a village half way between us and Pushkar....so just down the road really.....the local school is used as a centre for payments at the end of the Government's 100 Days Paid Labour block.

This is a scheme started by the governemnet a few years ago now, to help alleviate poverty....as I may have mentioned there has been a lot of debate a different times- should we not just give hand outs?
The governement has stuck with the idea of this scheme [ I am so thankful too].
100 days paid labour does a lot to keep a family keep going in tough times. People here are workers, to survive with so little they have to be so resourceful, yes they need money to survive, or until a regular job comes along, or until monsoon and hopefully busy in the fields.
They do not need handouts and charity, they do not need to be taught to stand in line and take a number, jump to the government's list of requirements and learn to be bored waiting around on dole quues like I see in Australia......all people should have a right to work, supporting themselves through their own efforts.....and the opportunities to develop that experience, even if that means a kick up the bum- get up mate and do something!
Any way off the soap box....
Here at the end of a session is a big payment day, everyone in these photos have just receievd their money and a half kilogram box of sweets as their payments.
I love the though of the sweets- everyone was walking down the road clutching their box.
What a nice touch, I bet they are laddoo. These are most favoured by Ganesh, the remover of obstacles and bringer of god fortune, always assisting Laxmi the goddess of Prosperity on her journey into people's lives.

May Ganesh help you remove all obstacles from your life and open the doors, light a candle welcome Laxmi the Goddess of Prosperity into your home and heart.
Happy day to you

stitching, stitching, stitching

2011-05-17T11:15:00.000+09:30

We are rocking along with all our ladies, getting much better at systems ourselves and constantly one of us is reminding the other " Keep to the line!!"
We know what quality we want, if things are not up to standard how can we expect people to buy it, we know we pay a good rate for that quality to be given to us and we work hard to ensure people have decent samples and guides to know what is expected.
Some of the explanation was difficult at first because it was in my head, I had to explain it to Praveen who is not a stitcher and then he had to find the Hindi or Marwari [local dialect he can have a rough go at] to pass it onto the Ladies. When we started, Praveen being a good Indian boy [he loves it when I call him a boy and hates it when I admire the silky grey colour growing in his hair] was very shy talking to all these ladies. One simply does not strike up a conversation with village ladies.
Well now he has got over that[ and the ladies to a great extent], we can all have a good laugh and joke and enjoy a cup when we have finished work.
Back to work- with some Ladies it has gone well from the start, in the phot above Nawal, who is on the far right has listened and done her very best from the start. Always she shows great care and attention- we feel 100% confident with her.
Middle- seated in rosy pink is Prem- she is one of the first ladies who walked miles to our house and invited us to her village....for some reason we agreed to go......her work was absolute rubbish at first, we said strictly one more chance and next job was half way there....but really she had not taken the time to be serious about it....so we said that is it - No more work.....that lady is nothing if not insistant....while we were still talking she unpicked stitches, corrected them and had one piece that was excellent.....and soon sorted out the rest. Ever since then her work is excellent, unbelievably good considering how bad the first stuff was.
Next to Prem on the left in light pink is Saroj....her work is just Ok, don't feel confident next bit will be....and last job we gave her was awful Now all the other ladies had the same instructions and turned in good work how can she say she didn't know? They all sit together and stitch and I know now Prem and Nawal have been trying to encourage good work because they know we can;t afford to drive all that way for only one or 2 stitchers....
It feels hard but having seen efforts that can be made, and watching faces and body language for attitude we are at the spot where we have to be very strict. and sometimes take people off our Stitchers list.
I know they need the work but if they don't know they need to amke the effort we are not a team.

This is Om and her daughter in red, other girls are neighbours.....Om does machine work for us, looks at samples, and works hard to understand what we are asking and give it her best shot....one other lady in the village WAS doing machining but was lazy with finish....and we have nothing else to give her.

We are sitting in the courtyard of Om's house in these photos....these are some of the hords of kids- they must be related to be inside the courtyard and had been itting quietly whilst we worked. Photos are always silly fun.
To ensure Ladies know stitch density [number of rows and size of stitch] we have now drawn up little guides I can print off and we can refer to as a reference.
Stitch density has a big impact on cost of garment becasue obviously more stitches take more time and thread and embody a higher price.
In the orginial group of stitchers we were stitching scarves for a client, finally got them all going in the right direction, with good, relaible quality and then one of the ladies started to widen the gap between rows, only a few millimetres perhaps but the look changed and when I worked it out across the width she saved herslf considerable time in the work....from one week as we understanding what was happening to the next a few of her family memebers followed suit.....when they arrived for the next Friday meeting I pointed out what I had seen......and so interesting to watch faces. The first one Raj, was the instigator and looked blankly ' am not going to admit knowing anything'....hmmmm? a few of her followers looked nervous and the one lady who had not followed suit Hemma at first looked at her "I told you so"....and then quickly went blank.
No one is stupid when things change there are always reasons....not everyone is true to their word either....some like Hamma, Nawal and Prem I know now I can rely on, others it is always going to be a system of checking and watching and being strict. That is OK to a point, if it gets too hard we will not offer those concerned more work.....but it does keep you on your toes.
Lucky Praveen and I have each other and work together....sometimes it is easy to soften and feel sorry for some one....but we let one person hand in less than their best effort and all goes to pot.....so we support each other in keeping to standars [ and yes we kick each other in the bum from time to time if we are too soft]
Hard work some days......the psychological side to it all I was not expecting....some of this has been major game playing.
Still people are people the world over.
Mostly we are very pleased with developing our ideas and designs, interacting with the wonderful women we have come to meet and seeing how even this small amount of income is appreciated and used.....and trying to set up more continuous work for them.....
Marketing, the thing we have to learn more about, getting our stuff out there!
ohh to have a challenge :)

visitors always welcome

2011-05-15T11:24:00.000+09:30

sun, wind, dust and rain....

2011-05-15T10:26:00.002+09:30

First off, thank you to all those people who write and comment, I appreciate it. It feels friendly and links up our worlds.

Yesterday we were busy tinkering- now we have closed hotels Praveen is home most of the time, which is really lovely- well there is the odd moment where if he gives me advice on how to cook something again I might brain him!! Generally though I sit back and let him help or just slide into sharing the job and life is fun.

Yesterday was the day to harvest Gunda, from our 1 tree. Gunda is a berry type thing native to Rajasthan and will fruit in the driest conditions, in a landscape which is so dry it is hard to find fresh anything most of the year.....so these are awaited with relish.
Praveen was keen on them as a vegetable and to be used to make pickle. I cut on in half and it is full of a very sticky gelatinous gooo....not the most appealing.
We made about 10kg [22lb] of Gunda and Green Mango Aarchar or Pickle. It is now sitting on the windowsill to develop for the next 3 weeks before we can dig in.....I know the Gunda part will come up well and can't wait for the green mango - even the smell of it makes my mouth water.
I have accumulated about 6 or 7 different Green Mango pickle recipes and think this year I will try them all out....I can make as much as I like because we can send it up to his family in Delhi and someof his mates are even willing to buy my pickles. Good to cover costs of making them.....yesterday's recipe called for 9 cups of fresh firey red chilli powder- you just know something is going to be tasty!

Around lunchtime I took this photo of Matilda the cow and Baba in their new shade house....they both like it although I think secretly Baba wonders why he is sharing with a cow??? Notice how blistering the sun was yesterday- so bright nocolour was left...

Then about 2 o'clock I noticed some clouds coming over the ridge to the south.....from that direction they can often bring a change. I say often not because this happenes on many occasions but on the few occaasions it does things happen.

Well boy did it happen.....6 drops of rain, and that gloriuos perfume of rain ....I went to take a shwoer having just finished pickle making....and 5 minutes later came out to see a wall of dust....look at Matilda now- same view as before

and can you see how much blew into the house? in no time flat, here I picked up the mat and moved a chair....would you believe it a few hours before I had been appreciating how shiny clean our home looked and this!! Just goes to prove "appreciate every moment with relish, you don't know when things will change"

30 minutes later as the wind started to ease you could smell rain again and sure enough along it came. The winds swirl here quite often so sitting watching the first fat drops fall I saw some were cooming in angled from the right and the next from the left....makes lovely dust dancers most of the time and wonderful rain yesterday. I can't remeber the last time any fell out the sky perhaps a drop in January? last really big shower was 26 November.....
and guess what we discovered, our whole roof leaks like a sieve! we were running around every where putting bowls and moving things and checking to see where to worry.
Glad it happened now, we have the money to finish off 2 rooms for guests, one just needs paint we already have a guest bathroom for it but the other needs an en-suite constructed...we will need to take the money from that and re-cement the roof....always a new job, still Praveen enjoys it all so it won't be a difficulty for me to worry about.

And something extra yummy- I know the picture is less than thrilling....it was what was left in the pot after we had feasted.
Burnt Egglant or Baigan Bhata
take 3 or 4 small egglpant and burn them over a flame, probably do this on an electric hotplate as well or throw them in the oven until all black on the outside and soft inside.

Separtely make a marsala

2onions diced fine
1 t ghee

saute slowly until soft and caramelised

6 or 8 cloves garlic pounded
2 or 3 green chilli pounded
few t to T of red chilli powder [to taste- we use a lot!]
2 or 3 t coconut

add these into onions, stir through and keep stirring to cook them in
add some water and let cook a few minutes until thick again
roughly dice eggplant

finely chop 3 tomatoes

mix all together, heat through

add salt to taste

YUM!!!
Have a great day....I am off to sweep and clean and chase out dust. :)

Shed building continues

2011-05-10T10:55:00.000+09:30

Shed building continues, as does cutting and assembling for The Stitching Ladies, finishing off new samples, packing and posting orders and etc, etc...trying to keep my garden a float in this heat is becoming increasingly difficult....some of that is me not knowing what to expect with the conditions....already have plans for how to plant and arrange things for next year and until then just trying to save what I can.

Slowly we are making progress on opening our own workshop- everything is in place we are just waiting for some registration letter from the governemnent so our tax stuff is in order then we can send out cheques and get stuff delivered....exciting- ohh to have more control over what we are doing!!

I laugh to myself a little when I say that- so hopeful- I live in India, this is kind of a magical place where things just seem to happen- you can try and control but the reality is so clear you also have to go with the flow......and keep wandering along where it leads you.....even if you hopefully do try and steer a little.

Making the walls of the shed, it will be feed storage for our animals, you buy a years worth of chaff when you can.....Matilda, the cow still has a whole pile to go but Baba the Camel is fussy and we only get a few weeks worth at one time for him....

The Fred Flinstone school of building- 10 foot tall stone posts form the roof uprights....

One of the builders- this picture is a little staged because when Praveen asked if he could take his photo he had to stop work and re-tie his turban....

Chief shed builder, out house in the background

all the neighbourhood arrived to help put the roof on the barn....I have uploaded a video on Facebook, if you want to look- I think it is very funny....everyone is a little boss telling the others what to do yet everyone really just does their own thing but it is generally going in the same direction. Not usre how to give you a link- you'll have to poke around and see if you can see it- what can I say I am basically a Luddite when it comes to technology.

For a while now we have know we are reaching a water crisis....many, many people from the neighbourhood have been coming to our tank for water rather than walking the extra distance to the pump...it is hot and neither of us had the heart to tell them no....but we have run out of water....not the well gone dry, simply not enough regular electricity supply to pump the water up....we have had to buy 2 tankers of water to look after our trees. So have started saying to people, please go to the pump, we are sorry no water....hopefully we can catch up enough to look after our trees and animals wthout having to buy it in.

End of the day, you give the workers a whiskey [not an Aussie beer]....if they are sweet with you their is a better chance they will turn up tomorrow early and get on with the job.

Shed complete and now working on shade house for camel and cow parking....

almost there just a few finishing touches - like getting the shade house roof square!