Only problem was… I seemed to have brought something back with me besides supplier samples. A very painful ear. Agony it was literally bringing water to my eyes.Hello Rodrigo,

Hey.. I hope you guys are doing well!

Greetings from Spain…

Last week I was writing to you from T2 Manchester Airport on the way back here… talking about Queen Victoria, Henderson’s Relish and a whirlwind week in Sheffield. If you missed it you can catch up here…

Well… I made it home at last.

It’s actually been almost three months since I properly stayed in my house here in Spain, and I have to say… it’s good to be back. The jasmine is starting to bloom, the mornings are warm again, and after airports, factories, warehouses, trade shows and far too many hotel breakfasts… even making coffee in your own kitchen feels like luxury. 

I went to our local clinic here expecting antibiotic drops, but the doctor took one look and smiled.

“No infection,” she said. Apparently all the flying had pushed wax deep into the inner ear.

Well… What followed was slightly traumatic.

First: ear drops every hour for five hours to soften everything up. Then back to the clinic for peroxide bubbling away in my ear (ouch).

Then some sort of hot water pressure pump and suction machine contraption that honestly looked like something from a 1970s science-fiction film.

But in the end… after an hour of pumping and prodding, and getting soaked in hot water.. 

Relief.

The pressure vanished, the pain disappeared… and suddenly I could hear like never before.

So next time you’re on a tiny aircraft crossing the Himalayas and the stewardess offers you cotton wool for your ears.

Take my advice. Use it.

Anyway… once partially reconstructed, I went to visit Toni and the team at the new Spanish warehouse.

The showroom is really starting to come together now, the warehouse is organised, systems are improving… though still plenty to do of course. Best moment of the day, however, belonged to Graciela—Toni’s right-hand girl.