Seven Sleeps to Go

Now I'm trying not to panic... only seven sleeps to go and it is Christmas. I still have presents to buy, food to organise and packing to do. The crazy thing for those of us living in the southern hemisphere is that all our institutions finish up for the year at the same time as Christmas. So schools are breaking up and having prize givings. Dancing, music and sporting groups all have their end of year functions and concerts. There is a general feeling of panic as December disappears under an avalanche of diary entries. This year we also have a daughter in the Cathedral choir and Christmas is a particularly busy time for them. Not that I am complaining as we have been listening to some lovely Christmas Carols being practiced around the house.
Like many New Zealanders we will be heading off on holiday(vacation) once Christmas comes. We go and stay by the beach in a bach (kiwi word meaning simple holiday home pronounced "batch"). This year we have bought a tent that we will use as overflow accommodation for guests and as a bolt hole for the kids. This time of the year is always very unpredictable weather wise and camping really is an exercise in optimism. So with the bach and the tent we should have all bases covered.
This week I have two gorgeous photos of Luci, who is three years old. She is having a lovely time beside the lake in the winter time. At that age everything is a fascinating discovery and she's a real sweety.
The Toi cape also works really well in the summer. It is so easy to slip it over whatever is being worn be it a T-shirt or pyjamas. Not being lined means that the cape isn't too hot to wear in the summer and the velcroed sides keep the air moving around to keep cool. It is the ideal thing to keep in the car or bag when you are out sightseeing and essential if you are going camping.
I will head off now and start attacking my lists. I will try and do one more post before we head off for sun, surf and sand.
Ka kite

Biking in The Hague

One of our lovely customers Ngaire has sent in these fabulous photo's of her daughter. These were taken in The Hague in May. Ngaire is a New Zealander living in The Netherlands and had bought the Toi cape directly from us before they went on sale there. Barry and I just happened to be in The Netherlands in May when these came through and we saw lots of scenes just like this. The Dutch are great at coming up with ideas for getting around on bikes. We saw many kids not just in bike seats but also in little purpose built bike trailers. And from what Ngaire tells us the Toi cape is another good idea for getting around on bikes as well as other modes of transport in the rain or showers.
It's hard to believe that today we are only two weeks away from Christmas. In New Zealand that also means summer holidays. Our kids are about to break up for their six week school holiday break. A very exciting time for them and as you can imagine a hectic time for parents. It is a time of year when lists become life savers. The children with their lists for Father Christmas and us with lists for Christmas cards, food, presents and things to take on holiday.
I hope all your plans and lists are going well for the festive season.

Europe

Barry has just got back from a trip to Europe. While we were enjoying balmy early summer weather he was shivering in 2 and 3 degrees Celsius. To make it worse the airlines lost his bags not once but twice. When you are only away from New Zealand for two weeks, you spend four of those days in the air. The lost bags took two days to be recovered both times which meant that, of the days on the ground, 40% were spent without luggage. So he was shivering from the cold and a lack of warm sweaters.
Putting travelling frustrations aside the trip was very successful. The highlight was undoubtedly seeing Toi in store in The Netherlands. Arnold and Erny at Ideavelop took Barry around retailers all over the country. The retail stand that we had designed and prototyped in New Zealand had been produced in the Czech Republic and put in store, loaded with stock. Barry described it as being a real thrill to see Toi garments and display material looking so exciting and appealing in these outdoor stores.
As always a picture speaks louder than words so here are a couple of photos Barry has taken.
The Italian leg of the trip was also successful. Nicole from NZ Trade and Enterprise had set up a great programme of meetings for Barry. These meetings were with distributors and agents who were interested in selling Toi in Italy. There is still lots more work to be done but we are on our way to being in retail stores in Italy in 2009.
Yesterday I took the next step in this blogging journey and emailed a whole lot of friends and family to let them know that the blog exists and invite them to read it and make comments, suggestions etc. I have already taken up some of the suggestions and would love to hear from anyone else who has an opinion. I still have a lot to learn about blogging but I am enjoying the challenge.