long time hatching eggs

Where have you been for the past 2 months I hear you say ?
Let's just refer to it as an incubation period. I have been sitting on eggs - trying my darndest to get the jolly things hatched. And it has not been an easy 2 months. Lots of birthing pains , lots of tears, lots of frustrations and disappointments.
BUT ...... all is not bad. I hear the rumblings of life in those eggs - there are stirrings and tiny cracks appearing which herald LIFE. A few more days and just maybe .........

Don't count your chickens before they have hatched

Don't count your chickens before they've hatched !

Do you remember my sheer devastation last year when our store at the Rockefella Plaza in New York fell through ? I was gutted. I had had high hopes and expectations ....and then it all fell flat.
Well, I am again sitting on eggs - waiting to hear from the Rock if our offer has been acceptable or not. I am hoping, praying and planning. I just need that nod of approval and we are ready to launch into a major creating, making, packing and shipping frenzy to get that store up and running by end August.

But as they say, I cannot afford to count my chickens.......just have to wait for them to hatch !

Elephant riding and fabric shopping

We went fabric shopping - Analena and me - and decided to have a spot of R&R ( adventure style ) . We did some elephant riding and white water rafting. Cant show you pics of the latter as camera was not on the boat for obvious reasons. You will just have to believe me. What good fun.
Then..... we had to work, running around hunting for beads, buttons, ribbons, strings, fabrics, wools, tools, papers, bottles, spices and all manner of STUFF.

Hannah - this is unconditional love personified. No matter how long I have been away, no matter what my mood or state of mind, no matter how I look or feel ..........She ADORES me ......... and the feeling is mutual

SURVIVING ETHIOPIAN AIR

Another dodgy airline ............ not nearly as bad as Delta ( and here we are comparing the mighty USA carrier with a small African airline mind you ). But nevertheless challenging on the olfactory senses. Mine are so sharp at the best of times and in such circumstances, it is a curse. Not only is the airport in Addis Ababa dreadful - there is not a square centimetre allocated to non smokers. Smokers have free reign everywhere. Then comes the plane and the passengers who make use of such a low cost airline. They have no toilet training whatsoever. Truly. This is no exaggeration.
My survival mechanism is to close my eyes, nose and mouth, with masks sprayed with lavender oil, and to pretend I am somewhere else.

CLEAN TEETH

Just been in Asia, and guess what I spent one sunny morning doing ? I found a nice dentist and had my teeth cleaned ! It was a simple exercise with no necessity for understanding of each other's languages. After all , conversation is pretty limited when you have a mouthful of instruments ! And what a bargain price - for the price of a pizza and iced tea, I had my ivories tickled - and look how sparkling they are !

where have I been ???

such a long abscence from my queenly post ............ I have been away, extending the queendom, and boy was it hard work ! Phew. I never realised that being queen of rain could be so demanding and exhausting.
But there has been adventure and excitement and adrenalin.
Three new stores since we last spoke - YES THREE.
And to crown it all, one is in Amsterdam. What a dream come true. Our very own homegrown south african brand called Rain now has its own branded store in Amsterdam in the historical canal district of Nege Straatjes. PLEASE grace us with a visit when next in Holland - you can even pay in euros !
It was a privilege and experience living with our franchisees for two weeks, riding to work by bike ( me sitting side saddle like a lady behind George - who had to pedal hard to make it over the bridges ), buying our food from local bakeries and cheese shops, sipping Koffie verkeerd in little sidewalk cafes and generally soaking up the amsterdam scene.

SWELLENDAM STORE MAKEOVER

Took the plunge and painted the Swellendam store in a paint called " Ja Boetie Johan ".
I love the effect with the moody Rain clouds brewing

peacocks & piledrivers

The Spa from Hell
The setting was perfect. A crumbling 15th century Rajasthan palace fort in western India. Perched on the side of an acaia forested hill, with guest rooms oozing mystical magic, hanging gardens, fountains, ponds, turrets, terraces,mazes, secret nooks and crannies. Frequented by mournful peacocks, wild green parrots, monkeys, squirrels, swarms of huge bees.
I was on a marathon fabric buy-athalon in India and decided Sunday called for some downtime. Two hours out of Delhi – there it was – a fantasy hotel clinging to the hillside with impressive views over the village and Rajastani plains below. It was perfect.
But what is R&R without a good massage or spa treatment – I said to myself . Went to the dungeon to sign up and was told there was only a male therapist available. This dismal news resulted in my down grading from a full body package to a head, neck and shoulders deal. Note to self : – NEVER again agree to a male therapist !
an Indian man loves to  parade his strength and manhood – hence the peacock as the national bird. So, having a desparate need to impress me with his brute strength, he proceeded to attack my head with the vigour of a borehole driller, determined to get the coconut cream into the depths of every single hair follicle on my scalp. The pile driving was interspersed with slaps to the crown and violent tossing of my head to and fro. He hurled my cerebellum from one extreme of my skull to the other , pummelling and shaking it like Krakatoa on a good day. I could bear it no longer.
I ordered him to stop immediately – ‘ok, lets move onto the shoulders “ I firmly suggested.
Well, the man had dead hands. No life, no feeling, no passion, no sensitivity. No pizzazz . I so pity his wife .
I gave up, ordered him to stop and asked to be shown to the shower. This was an experience in itself – no door, only a stone three walled cubicle in the foyer area offering no privacy whatsoever.
I left that spa feeling like a newly ploughed field after the oxen have passed over. Four washes later and the coconut cream still refused to budge from my hair.
So much for my R&R

New kid on the block

Guess what I've been doing ?
Working that's what. And here is the proof - a beautiful new store in Somerset Mall.Born on Thursday 10th - 10 days of labour pains ! I have a sore behind, stiff legs and arms, extra wrinkles and a few grey hairs. But it was all worth it .

Rules Laws and General Queening

So, what does she do all day ..... you may ask ?
Well, I queen
( when not shopping that is )
I do queenly things like leading my little company, making tough decisions, solving problems, keeping peace among my subjects, passing rules and laws etc.
It is tough being the boss. Sometimes I feel like a mommy bird coming home to a nest of hungry open mouths – all demanding from me all I have.
As queen I need to earn the worms – that is my job. Providing provisions providentially