Wholesale Not many people know this.. - Ancient Wisdom - Giftware and Aromatherapy Supplier

Greetings from Spain

Already here one hectic week.. it's all go. Raul followed me here from Kuala Lumpur a few days after me.. Tomas is already here.. so the team is together.

Last week I had just arrived from Asia and I was telling (in a jet-lagged state) about all the lovely people in my life.. if you missed it you can catch up here.

Now I'm over my jet-lag and have been working at the Artisan offices in Malaga. As usual it's almost always party time ... we had one office birthday party already.

It was the birthday of Carmen, the young lady on the right.. she brought a big cake and made a speech about how much she loves working at AW-Artisan. And next week we have a staff beach party organised.. The weather is unnaturally hot for the time of year. 27c yesterday.. so it still feels like summer - so beach party it is.

New department in the pipeline.

I was also telling you last week how Coco has become Yoga obsessed and posting all her moves to Chinese TicToc.. well she has been shopping and upgrading her kit.. new mats and stuff. So this week we decided to develop a Yoga range of eco-friendly Yoga products.. We already sell a lot of singing bowls and healing gongs to Yoga studios. In Ubud, home of the legendary Yoga Barn - there are lots of Yoga obsessed shops.. so we (Coco and I) were already checking out the type of things that might sell well.. It's really time we make an AW Yoga supplies section. So our awesome designer in Spain Graciela is already on the job..

We can find supplies in Indonesia, India and China.. and Coco is our chief tester.

This clearly a big growth market, and a natural fit for AW.. many of you (our customers) will already relate to this.. so any feedback, ideas and suggestions are really appreciated.

I'll tell you something that not many people know..

I had a huge problem.. my passport is almost full.. I'm not sure what happens if you turn up at passport control and there is no space left to plonk a stamp.. but I'm pretty sure in some countries that is not a good thing to do. Everytime I pass a passport control I ask nicely if they can avoid stamping on my one empty page.. the guy in Malaysia was great. He said he understood perfectly and searched until he found a gap big enough for his stamp on an old page..

Another time on entering Slovakia after a trip to Turkey, a swaggering passport guy - inspected my Spanish ID card and informed me that I still had to be stamped into the EU (not actually true) and smashed his dirty big stamp with an evil smirk on my precious second to last empty page.

Last time I was in the UK they told me that new passport applications could take 10 weeks, and I was travelling in 2 weeks.. and no-one was helpful on those help lines. Then I remembered someone telling me years ago it was possible under certain circumstances to hold two UK passports.. I came across an agency in London that claimed to be able to help, they could get appointments and with a photocopy of my current passport apply on my behalf (plus lots of other stuff) for a second passport. (If you are interested, message me - I can pass you the details). I really wasn't 100% sure if it was legitimate and the agency fee' are not cheap - but I was getting desperate. I seemed to meet all the criteria, ie travelling at the time of application, being a businessperson who needed to travel and apply for visa's at the same time..

Well to cut a long story short.. After lots of work and a great deal of coordination from Katka in the UK.. and Ringo in Bali helping me find the right type of photocopy and the right type of passport photo paper..

Yesterday my passport was delivered to my UK address (my Mum's house) - so now I am the proud owner of two UK passports.

With lots and lots of lovely empty pages :)

Agnes & Cat open days at AW

Following the huge success of the AW showroom open days last week.. we are doing the same for our premium Agnes & Cat brand..

If you would like to join us - feel free to pop along.. see details below.

If I survive the parties.. This time next week I will be in the UK. So updates from there.

Have a great weekend.

David