rain dear

things I love

2011-08-22T22:31:00.001-07:00

sound of cicada beetles in the bush
the smell of rain on african soil
picnics
early mornings
farmers markets
safari tents
dirt roads leading off into the distance
camp fires
picking berries
eating under the stars
riding my vespa scooter with my man
my staffie’s unconditional love
smell of thatching grass
sitting at a water hole waiting for game
tickling my feet
sun dried cotton bed linen
the elegant loping walk of the giraffe
the smell of veld grass parting as you walk
sleeping under a mosquito net
records played on an old grammaphone
morning filter coffee
whales in spring
call of the fish eagle
artichoke and halloumi on ciabatta
spring jasmine
scones with clotted cream
hunting for wild mushrooms
the sound of hyenas and jackals in the night
mozart’s clarinet concerto played really loud
smell of an old library
icy cold homemade lemonade
the sound of karoo silence
head massage
full moon
black figs
heart of palm
croteas and blue cranes
sandstone autumn colours near lesotho
the colour of the african light
shell and pebble collecting at puntjie
the sound of crickets
my mom’s cooking
organic veggies from our garden
the thud of a paddle fan in the heat of summer
watermelon wedges from the fridge
a cup of tea anywhere anytime
candles, fairy lights and sparklers
baobab trees
african acapella harmonising
cheese cheese and more cheese
all the windows and doors wide open
weekend trips
people watching
freshly baked hot bread with farm butter
a highveld thunderstorm
lingering daylight hours
wildflowers growing along dirt roads
driving with the sunroof open
the smell of a braai
anything lemon
thorn trees
antique handwoven linen
hot air balloons
infinity pools
giving to others
unplanned trips to exotic places
the sound of rain on a tin roof
a hand written letter with exotic stamps
a steaming hot bath
street cafes
summer salads
a warm sincere hug
teapots with teacosies
hats
dear precious friends
amazing grace on the bagpipes
hot popcorn at the movies
my man nuzzling my neck
africa
exploring remote and strange places
an all boys choir singing in a cathedral
steam trains
all creatures great and small
humility and graciousness

Puff Adder Hotel

2011-07-28T07:56:00.001-07:00

Just discovered to my horror - that there is a puff adder hotel /commune/ community living a mere one pace from where I park my car every day at the factory.

Some time ago, my staff saw a puff adder in that vicinity and threw rocks at her. By the time we stopped them and called the snake man , Mrs Puff Adder had been injured and had to go the vet.

Dr hazel gave me a dressing down for the fact that she has a few broken ribs and a ruptured spleen. He nursed her for 4 weeks and then she was set free in the local Bontebok National Park .

Now we have discovered that she was in fact only one of a "nest " of puff adders to who live under the flagstone at the front right tyre of my car. I can't help but wonder how close i have come to standing on a friendly puff adder when opening my car door in the dark.

Best part is, the snake man can't reach them in the nest and so we have to wait till they "un-hibernate" in the spring and then hope we can catch them and reloacte them to somewhere with a better view than my front tyre and my ankle.

The Rock

2010-11-05T19:53:00.000-07:00

This is the new flagship Rain Store - The Rock
59 West 49th street between 5th and 6th Avenue
You have to see it

Unashamedly absent

2010-11-05T19:31:00.000-07:00

I have been neglectful and absent. I admit it and I am sorry. But I have been busy - as usual doing queenie type things. Just got back from 18 days in New York where I got to open a new Rain store, have my shoes professionally shined, sleep in the back of truck on a bubble wrap pillow ( see picture ) and travel on my second least favourite airline ( after Delta ) - American Airlines.
What is it with these american airlines - they seem to strive to outdo each other on apalling food, outdated ill equipped planes, antiquated grouchy crew and rude indifferent service. HOW do they stay in business one wonders?
Anyway, enough moaning. I am one lucky spoilt rainqueen ......... got to open a store in the centre of the world , and one with a brass door and a badly behaved tree outside. You have to see it - it is SPECIAL.

my bead man

2010-07-14T04:58:00.000-07:00

And this ladies and gentleman, is the man from whom I buy my beads.

HORNY TRUCKS

2010-06-03T03:31:00.000-07:00

With a population of over 1 billion, India is busy and noisy. The roads are another story . With all sorts of exotic traffic trying to get from A to B, everyone has a need to make themselves heard –loudy, persistently , all the time, everywhere. Every vehicle from a bicycle rickshaw to a train, makes itself heard . Diaphanously cacophonous ( is there such a word ?........ sounds good anyway ) is an understatement for the horn blowing, bell ringing, music blaring noise pollution which one is exposed to on India’s roads ( or shall we call them tracks ).
The journey to Bundi has its challenges. Apart from aforementioned noise and lack of peace, one faces endless hours of vehicular , animal and pedestrian obstacles allowing progress of only a mere 30 km/hr on average. Apart from all the common stray goats, holy cows, overloaded camel carts and diesel pumping tractor taxis , there are enormously and dangerously overladen trucks heading who knows where – Bhopal maybe ? Overloaded to more than double their width and height – so they protrude a full fifty percent into the adjacent oncoming lane. You have to see it to believe it. It is chicken playing game par excellence. It is the wild wild west.
The truck windscreens are gaudily decorated to within centimetres of their line of vision – so they don’t see the oncoming traffic anyway. What you can’t see , you just don’t have to worry about. Decorated with pom poms, luminous woollen tassles, streamers, garlands of real oranges, painted slogans and messages to the vehicles behind, tin cutwork, filigree etc. They are gaudy but loving works of art. And the horns ....well, these are no ordinary hooters as we know them in general civilisation. With one press of the horn the loudspeakers play an entire one minute dittiy at full volume .There are endless variations of these tunes and ditties , each driver having his own special unique signature in decibels.
The drivers ( who live in their vehicles as a mobile home and perform their daily ablutions very visibly along the way for all to see )have an attitude and an ego to mirror their lorry. They travel jauntily with attitude- elbows jutting from the windows, one hand barely on the wheel, grinning with their red betel stained teeth, they steer these amusement parks with alarming recklessness – all to the deafening shrill of hindi music at maximum volume.
My discerning queenly tastes and zen zulu approach to design and my love for less is more and pared down sophistication just can’t quite grasp this idea of beauty with all is loud garish excess and bling. But to the owners of these vehicles they are the most beautiful thing in the world, and they convey them with a badge of pride.
I enjoy the colours, the vibrancy and the pace first, but later, the slowness and noise starts to get me down , and to test my patience and I feel that latent defect gene commonly found in South African city dwellers ,called road rage, rear its ugly head. Unable to change anything about situation I make a conscious decision to travel resignedly , enjoy the mayhem , but secretly longing for the smooth ride of my silver beamer back home, with my cool bluesy jazz music, sun roof and a Woolies chilled lemonade.

Hallitosis and wild India

2010-05-20T22:56:00.000-07:00

Another flight from hell. This time the one to Indonesia – sandwiched between my gum chewing teenage niece and a Frenchman with chronic halitosis. ........ and I have a nose to rival pinnochio.
Fortunately a benevolent air steward rescued me with an extra eye mask to use over my mouth. The Frenchman fell asleep – mouth open – as fate would have it perfectly in line and only just centimetres from my super sensitive snout – breathing foul fumes as he snored.
And so I sat for four solid interminable hours alternatively trying to hold my breath or to synchronise my breath in with his in order to avoid the overwhelming stench of old Coquille St Jacques a la Provencal coming from his fundamental orifice.

Next stop India ..... and the ideal trip to India surely has to be via helicopter – ferrying one in a becoming queenly manner between oases of civilisation and conveniently avoiding the mayhem and squalor in between the jewels .
On the upside, India is truly Incredible as the advert states – exotic and magical . The remnants of a glorious colonial imperial past, the grandeur of the Maharajas make it all so bearable and beguiling.
But to get to each pot of gold, one has to endure filth beyond measure, persistent aggressive beggars, hooting crazed drivers, overcrowded trucks and trains, intense people pollution coupled with chaos and pandemonium.
Just when you start sinking into despair, a colourful sight of a group of labouring women in irresdescent saris in a field of rice, lifts your spirits and you can carry on. India is not a place for the faint hearted, impatient or overly hygiene conscious.
So, how does this queen cope ?
Armed with a pot of the strongest brand of Tiger Balm , a bottle of hand sanitiser and an inhaler of potent pungent essential oils – I can persuade my nose to endure. Sunglasses help to screen out demanding beggars, and a strong relationship with my God and Father helps me survive the onslaught of mad mad crazed drivers.
I hate it and I love it, and everytime I cope – only only just.

long time hatching eggs

2010-05-13T22:40:00.001-07:00

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

2010-03-24T22:18:00.000-07:00

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

2010-03-04T07:28:00.001-08:00

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.

2010-02-12T07:28:00.000-08:00

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

2010-01-20T07:51:00.000-08:00

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

2010-01-20T07:43:00.001-08:00

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 ???

2009-12-03T02:43:00.000-08:00

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

2009-10-20T08:28:00.000-07:00

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

2009-09-21T07:09:00.000-07:00

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 !
Anyone who has ever been on Indian roads or watched Indian cricket can tell you that an Indian man needs to parade his 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. Did the British not teach these people anything ?

New kid on the block

2009-09-14T08:13:00.000-07:00

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

2009-09-02T09:44:00.000-07:00

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

sharp nails,sharp heels, sharp tongues

2009-08-06T06:19:00.000-07:00

SHARP
Some days I find myself asking how I got into this industry of sharp nails, sharp heels and sharp tongues.
At heart this queen is a tomboy – happiest in jeans and tennis shoes, sun on my face, out in the bushveld in an open jeep scanning for game. If the truth be told, that is what wholly and entirely feeds my soul – pure unadulterated honest NATURE.
I am currently at that age where friends are turning into grandparents. Where faces are being tightened and tits sharpened. So, do I succumb ? Or do I sag gracefully and allow my character lines to tell my life story.
I do sometimes question what kind of advert I am for the products I make and sell.
My answer is Nature & Natural, Organic, Eco friendly & Biodegradable. No synthetics – only wholesome honest and true.

karoo heat

2009-07-28T03:44:00.000-07:00

Karoo

The Karoo is a darn hot place. No, perhaps this is an understatement. Karoo is a simile for hot, hot and more hot ......... oh and add to that dry, arid, extreme, isolated. It is the place where the ultimate status symbol is the size of your irrigation dam.
It is a place where even your Estee Lauder Foundation runs, and where no amount of your Fendi eau de toilette can disguise the smell of perspiration.

People who live in the Karoo are tough sunburnt Afrikaner farmers – salt of the earth types whose joy in life is to collect sheep and more sheep and to keep the hungry jackals at bay.They thrive on the solitude and isolation and position their houses at the end of long dusty roads so that they can see the dust from potential visitors half an hour ahead of time - in time to put the moerkoffie on the Aga stove.
Occassionally one retreats to the Karoo to look at stars and to listen to complete silence. It’s very nothingness, space and solitude is very therapeutic if you can stand the heat.
Rain falls rarely in these desolate parts, and yet day after day the scrub waits patiently for a small reprieve.
On a recent escape to the small karoo village of Prince Albert, my man and I sat on the stoep of our little karoo huisie for hours just watching a rain storm gathering over the mountains. The morning topic of conversation in the village was only about rain – will it come or won’t it. After endless speculation and peering heavenward, it eventually began to cool down and the dark thunderclouds converged.
One, two, five large remote drops on the tin roof, and then it let go, hitting the dust with fragrant droplets big enough to hold a goldfish. Palpable relief for the foliage as the organic rain descended – fresh, pure, & cool.
The smell of rain on African dust mingled with wild karoo herbs, quenching a parched and thirsty terrain – reminded me again of why we chose to name our bath range Rain.

more sorrow

2009-07-21T23:12:00.000-07:00

The Rockefella store is off. I am devastated & heartbroken.Essentially our dearly beloved bankers of 20 years have dropped us - after keeping our hopes up for five weeks. Somehow they have gone into this mode of 'frozen deer in the headlights " since the country entered recession three months ago. And we are one of the casualties. Strange though how their advertising media shouts about "growing your business from where you are to where you want to be " etc etc - puke puke.
Anyway, I am philosophical and faith filled. God always knows what is best and it is in Him I trust and not my dear sweet bank manager.
So, it is back to the drawing board as they say in the corporate world. For me, it is back on my knees.

Time To Say Goodbye

2009-07-13T03:19:00.000-07:00

We have lost a precious friend.
Leon died last night in a head on collision. ( the man in the middle of the photo ).
It is a sore time and we feel desparately aware that only one tiny breath separates this life and the next.It has caused us to take stock of our lives and our relationships, to look back on the good times we shared with him and to value the friends left around us.
He mentored me in my business, he was my husband's adventure buddy and his son is our son. We will miss you Leon

Delta Disaster

2009-06-23T06:58:00.000-07:00

Delta airlines have to be the WORST airline in the world. And I have travelled. Short haul flights may well be bearable but long distance - never again.
Cabin crew come stringy and frizzed like a bad perm - slapdash slapstick straight from a Carol Burnett Show- oh so tired.
Ground crew are the sum total of the word rude.I don't know how they sleep at night.
There are no little touches or bits of love to make you feel special or aid relaxation - everything is the barest threadbare clean picked bones - a municipal bus with wings.
And did I mention that I endured four nine hour intercontinental flights within six days with no personal TV screen.
Tatty cabins and stinky loos make you wonder if the engine oil is managing to find its way to its destination.
No seriously now, you can honestly give this airline a miss and take the long route across the atlantic via sydney if need be. It is just not fit for a queen.

The Rock in The Big Apple

2009-06-23T06:31:00.000-07:00

You will never guess where I have just been.......
New York.
Yip
The Big Apple
....and for what purpose you might well ask ?
Well to do my queenly duty of approving store locations I might answer.

So, the secret is out. Rain is opening a store in New York. Isn't that just awesome hunnee? and it is in a prime prime location in central Manhattan theatre district right between 5th and 6th avenues. Radio City Music Hall, Anthropology , Nine West and Godiva are our neighbours.
Oh fame at last .
Of course the lease has yet to be signed - we still have some minor haggling to do but it is 99.99% said and done. It is unbearably terrifyingly exciting and thrilling. Our first international flagship store.
All sorts of self doubt creep up on one - even on a queen - and one begins to wonder - is Rain really good enough, can we pull it off , are we fooling ourselves to think we mere african mortals can achieve this ?
And in the next moment all the creepy nagging lurking doubts are shoved away and the happy blessed thoughts take over and one realises the true miracle of it all - that God has really made a way for us, and all we need to do is step forward in faith one foot at a time.
I can't begin to describe how challenging and exhilirating this all feels.Parachuting has nothing on this adrenalin rush.It is also a bit like soul pilates - I feel stretched in every direction by the challenge of making this happen.
On a less intense note, the week long stay at my partners' Simon and Hendrien's home near Conneticut was like a dollop of green in an ocean of hard New York grey.
They live in a forest of horsey farmlands with rivers and lakes for neighbours. On our daily game drives I notched up sightings of three deer, a racoon roadkill and some perky live squirrels.
I was treated royally (one could expect this being queen) with Simon bringing me coffee in bed in the morning - what a good man - and Hendrien feeding me with healthy organic stuff. I was however left with a deep sense of pity for them having to cope without servants - Heaven forbid !

pumpkins and patience

2009-06-10T07:09:00.000-07:00

You may well be wondering what is happening with Amsterdam ..... well so are we. We are all anxiously and patiently waiting for a store location to confirm itself so that we can all LEAP into action and make it happen. Patience patience patience. In the meantime we are growing pumpkins.
Here is my gardener Delight - also known as the Green Machine.

Store hunting in Amsterdam

2009-05-28T03:19:00.000-07:00

Amsterdam was so much fun - I had to smack myself to remember that I was actually working . Oh I LOVE my job !

My gracious hostesses and franchisees - Esther and Marianne - pedalled me around Amsterdam in the bakfiets looking at store locations. Now I am told this is not normal practice - such vehicles are strictly for the use of children, dogs and shopping. This might explain the smiles, waves, frowns and comments I received like " very chique " !! Well I just don't care - it was superb fun and I could really concentrate on the serious job of looking at locations instead of worrying about mad cyclists approaching from every angle, traffic driving on the wrong side of the road and camera happy tourists who do not look where they are going. I could focus. And focus I did. On the breeze in my hair, the beautiful tulips in the flower market, the crisp fresh green spring leaves on the trees, the boats plying the canals...........oh, and of course, store locations !!

Amsterdam

2009-05-10T23:27:00.000-07:00

Amsterdam and our FIRST OVERSEAS FRANCHISE !!!!

I am so excited I can barely sleep. I leave in an hour for Amsterdam. After almost a year of patient and diligent negotiating with two awesome ladies in Holland, we have signed a licensee agreement with Esther and Marianne for the Benelux countries. Their franchise store in Amsterdam is to go ahead as fast as possible to be ready for season, and I am off to help them chose a store location.
What an amazing privilege for RAIN. I am over the moon. It is a huge leap for us from a sleepy village in the Cape to a mainstream branded franchise in central Amsterdam.
And these ladies are dynamite - they are going to make serious waves in Europe -I feel it in my broek.
Watch this blog for the next exciting episode !!
bye

Easter and the Great Trek North

2009-05-10T23:21:00.000-07:00

Easter and the Great trek north

Easter weekend saw the mass migration of Rain workers up country to the Eastern Free State and mountain Kingdom of Lesotho – 12 hours drive to the birthplace of Rain.
The excitement was palpable – some of the workers only see their families three – four times a year. Migrant labour is commonplace in South Africa. Poverty and desperation force breadwinners to leave their families and seek work where they can find it.
It is deeply humbling to see these men and women uncomplainingly leave the love and comfort of their family lives and travel to work far away – unselfishly sending all their money home to their loved ones and living on the barest minimum for themselves.
Some of our Rainmakers are Zimbabweans ( South Africa officially has 3 million Zimbabwean refugees who have fled a despotic president, extreme poverty and starvation and a cholera epidemic to try and find a means of survival in South Africa. These people work only to send money home to their desparate families whose expected lifespan is now at 36 years of age for a man ! These are brave people who have left their homeland to face hardships and uncertainty in a new country with a xenophobic people who lash out and kill Zimbabweans simply for “taking their jobs away “. It is not a pretty picture.
We are privileged to be able to make a difference in these poeple’s lives – to be able to throw them a lifeline and watch as they gradually get back on their feet and have their smiles return to worried faces. It certainly keeps things in perspective and keeps one eternally grateful for everything we have.

2009-04-17T08:35:00.000-07:00

Just back from a long weekend trip to the region of the mountain kingdom of Lesotho. The land of long grass and high mountains. Went looking for baskets . Found big sky, autumn golds, fresh air and warm hearted people

Electronics versus scones

2009-04-16T03:32:00.000-07:00

Electronics versus Scones

Had a fragrant drive in from the airport - thanks in no small part to the sign on the taxi driver's dashboard !
Woke up in a pokey Hong Kong cubbyhole of a room with a full blown headache from hell – no doubt caused by an event the previous evening when I was mercilessly ripped off by a pimpley slanty eyed boy in an exchange booth. Threw the proverbial tantrum – ranting and wailing like a toy toying Zulu, but to no avail.
Decided only a Starbucks grande latte extra hot was all that could mend me, so went off pounding the streets of Kowloon in search of one.
Perched my buns in a comfy starbucks wingback which was literally hovering over the harbour water amidst ships and other harbourish related things – and slowly I began to find my equilibrium.
Caffeine injection complete, humour intact, I set out to pavement slog – searching for electronics for our stores. ( shopping for electronics must be a “boy thing “ because it really does nothing to turn me on.)
In between boring electronics shops, to maintain sanity , I nip into the occasional street market – selling piles of exotic fruit, barrels of spices, buckets of dying fish, flowers and plants unfamiliar to me, tourist trash, temple candles and fake money.
Back to the electronic stuff. Phew – you need an IQ of 148 to understand the stuff, and well.......... I just don’t qualify. ( I can spot a fake Louis Vuitton bag though ).
More information overload and I still have no clue. Oh well, I will just have to go and find a nice cuppa tea .......... and a scone. ( Hong Kong ought to do scones – the British were here long enough to have taught them something valuable ).

delusions of grandeur

2009-03-23T05:23:00.000-07:00

You may have noticed the title I have bestowed on myself.
Rain queen.
Lets just call her my alter ego. You see, I was born average. Very average. My family was your typical middle class common and garden peanut- butter- sandwiches and fish on a Friday night variety. No illustrious ancestors, no major achievers. Just honest and hardworking.

I was marginally above average at school only because I loved it and had a bunch of teachers who loved me, but I exhibited no visible talent or sporting prowess at all.
So, I was destined to be ordinary. It is what God gave me ( someday I plan to ask Him why ), but in my heart, I rallied against ordinary, mediocre, average. I wanted to really achieve at something – anything. Just to get me off the path of mediocrity. I tried many things – psychology, antique restorer, would be landscaper in charge of plastic tulips at Sun City casino, amateur chef, hotelier, waitress, auction house trawler, plant propagator. All of them had one core element in common – entrepeneurship – I have for almost my entire working life , been self employed. I was the only one who wanted me . Just as well as I don’t think I am cut out for the cut throat corporate world, brown nosing and red tape.

What I want to do, I want to do NOW. It is my motto , my credo – the Nike slogan – Just do it ( and NOW ).

But on a more serious note, deep down, I am convinced that I should have been born royal or at least titled. I would have been an asset to the nobility – never revelling in my means or station , but exhibiting philanthropic, well meaning behaviour .

Alas it was not to be. But in my own business, where I make the rules, I can lay claim to the title of Rain Queen. Or perhaps not – that title belongs to Miss Swaziland. Ok I will just have to settle for the “ Queen of Rain” .
My little company is the jewel in the crown of my life’s work. It is what I eat, sleep, dream. I selflessly give it my all ...... and more. It has hurt me more deeply than any other single event in my life, and it has provided unparalled joys and highs. Nothing I have today has come easily, without blood, sweat and many tears. I am quite convinced that God has used Rain to build character in me and I am constantly hoping that He is now satisfied with the character part and will let me get onto the fun bits of being Queen.

Oh , one can only dream.

2009-03-04T06:52:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I am a novice. Never blogged before. Where does one start, and is there really a beginning ?

I suppose it would help to tell you why the heck I am doing this . It is basically because I long to share. I am an exhorter and giver by nature. At my very core, I love to share, to give , to mentor, and to encourage and uplift others. So maybe, somehow, somewhere, sometime these blog rambles may well give someone a glimmer of hope, or a lifeline in a tough situation. It may well encouarge a would be entrepenuer to take the plunge or gamble on a risk. It may inform and inspire - this is my hope and intent.

My little african company called RAIN is a daily challenge , as well as a source of joy and thrill for me. The characters who work for me, the bump and grind of daily factory production interspersed with adrenalin charged disasters, opprtunities and hopes - all rolled into exciting exhilirating days - are all too good to keep to myself. I want to share what I have with the world, giving you all a peek into the daily life of a crackpot entrepenuer near the southern tip of Africa whose dream and vision is to give jobs, create hope and help meet needs.
Now that all sounds so mushy and goody two shoes.But it is not really so - my motives are not entirely selfless. I also aspire to elevate myself from the current role of worker - doing anything and everything that my hand finds to do to make my little company tick - to a more queenly role - with servants and things.
I like nice things and I adore travelling to nice places. So, I work and I work and I work. Happily and with a spring in my step I might add. But oneday, perhaps I will be able to delegate more, smell the proverbial roses and buy my clothes in boutiques rather than department stores .

So, stick around, I hope to entertain you, make you laugh, make you dream, make you cry, as I share with you the inner workings of my little company called RAIN.