I am off to China! Yep, there was a whole lot of deliberation around this but now that I am finally going I am even a little bit excited. No, it’s not a virgin visit, so I have a fair idea as to what to expect.
The great thing about this trip is that I simply get to attend, enjoy and assess any opportunities that may come up or not and look forward to the few sightseeing ventures that seem to have appeared on the agenda... bliss!
I am however, a little apprehensive by all that I will leave behind, especially the ripening of the 8 fig trees I have at home as I had big plans for my latest café venture to have wonderfully homemade chutneys to grace the equally wonderful food that is being concocted for the menu of Flutter (the new space in our Hamilton Birds of a Feather store – keep an eye out for it!). But given this can’t be changed I am determined to simply look forward as to what might be, rather than what will possibly happen at home and at work!
Given my last blog was on Time it is possibly relevant to reflect on the wonderful weekend that I afforded myself in the Hawkes Bay visiting my father with my sisters and my Mum. I simply don't do enough of this… time with the ones that are closest to me. I was truly surprised this time with the wonderful surprises I get from simply taking time out to listen to the content of my sister’s lives. I am always so distracted by all that is gong on in mine. We had some wonderful moments, some very good and some very average dinning experiences.
Vidals in Hastings was the clear winner of the stay for foodie experiences and believe me. we had a few extremely bad ones. Check out this photo of their sardines… loving the presentation!
The great thing about this trip is that I simply get to attend, enjoy and assess any opportunities that may come up or not and look forward to the few sightseeing ventures that seem to have appeared on the agenda... bliss!
I am however, a little apprehensive by all that I will leave behind, especially the ripening of the 8 fig trees I have at home as I had big plans for my latest café venture to have wonderfully homemade chutneys to grace the equally wonderful food that is being concocted for the menu of Flutter (the new space in our Hamilton Birds of a Feather store – keep an eye out for it!). But given this can’t be changed I am determined to simply look forward as to what might be, rather than what will possibly happen at home and at work!
Given my last blog was on Time it is possibly relevant to reflect on the wonderful weekend that I afforded myself in the Hawkes Bay visiting my father with my sisters and my Mum. I simply don't do enough of this… time with the ones that are closest to me. I was truly surprised this time with the wonderful surprises I get from simply taking time out to listen to the content of my sister’s lives. I am always so distracted by all that is gong on in mine. We had some wonderful moments, some very good and some very average dinning experiences.
Vidals in Hastings was the clear winner of the stay for foodie experiences and believe me. we had a few extremely bad ones. Check out this photo of their sardines… loving the presentation!
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| Vidals Hastings - Sardines |
I continue to be challenged by the slow adoption to free range product. I think we found one place in the Havelock Village that claimed to have happy eggs… shame about the unhappy pork though. Please tell me what that is about?? Don't we either make a stance or not? Why have we forgotten, so conveniently, about the Mike King saga and simply returned to the purchasing and eating of animals that have been farmed so inhumanly? How the hell do I make a change? Do I get to spend the rest of my days walking out of cafes and restaurants until I find that appropriate ones? I guess I do.
So much has happened in this last week. Thursday night saw me in Wellington at the British High Commissioner’s Home launching the evening gown collaboration with Kiri Nathan. Some wonderful women attended and I am sure we will sell lots if Kiri 's gowns as they truly are stunning. This has given her the start she deserves in this very tough industry.
The excellent response to our Make Me Over competition that has been running online has seen some incredible transformations. And it is even more fantastic to see such healthy voting activity online… check out some of these images…
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| W Blakeborough - Pukekohe |
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| V Henry - Tauranga |
The team have also been so well engaged in this. Feedback from Maree, our Pukekoe senior manager, is as follows...
“Some of these ladies have presented themselves for the competition stating that they just don't have a clue how to dress, or feel that they could never look great in a frock. Not only have we been able to provide styling advice whilst dressing these ladies but we have also gained their trust and instilled confidence in them. It is the emotional ‘Thank Yous’ and the appreciation that is shown by them that emphasises for me as to why I love my job. I encourage every woman that walks through our door to have fun and inevitably the styling sessions that we provide create a great deal of this fun!
Today is the day that provides the overload component… so much to cram into the five days that I have left before I depart… well here goes!
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