Julies - Journey Back to India - A Brief Update - Now & Then - When She Feels Like It !

 October 25th 2008

I have been trying to put together the next blog and everytime i do the computer goes down! In India this is what happens especially during these monsoon storms and  I am in a major one.

I have finished the jewellery designs in the north after endless cups of chai and rejections of the wrong stones! hoora, i hope and think you will like it, for the first time i am introducing a bit of gold and i think some of the stones are the prettiest i have ever worked with, I have really concentrated too on making some pieces that will be very affordable, but no compromise on quality. Thats just not my style.

For 2009 Sundar will be launching something completely new in silk, i think its amazing but i will keep this a secret for now as it is still 'work in progress',  I have learnt here wait untill a project is complete as it could come out like a massala dosa, the local breakfast speciality!

I am  currently in Kerala, this is where most of Sundar pieces are made, im huddled in my room as i write this - DAMP! since i arrived we have had nothing but monsoon storms, every night i think that the ocean may actually arrive in my room its so fierce. It was a  novelty to start with, i enjoyed watching the sea in turmoil and the pounding rain didnt bother me. Now 6 days in, I cant get anything dry and i have a chest infection not to mention the mosquitos taking refuge in my trousers from the rain!

Yesterday i had to go into the city Trivandrum to sort out some things including a delivery of fabric that had arrived from the north. I think a boat would have been more appropriate, me and my driver slowly manouvered threw roads turned into rivers in his Ambassador taxi with his Malayan music blaring out full blast, this is fine but not for 5 hours, I am now an expert in the top ten tunes! On arriving back to my hotel much later he seemed to think it only right he charge me an atlantic cruise fare!  his comand of the english language suddenly gone, apart from how muchas rupees he wanted from 'mudum' after his galiant efforts!

I hope you are all well, thank you for so many of your  e mails and support, its just great to hear from you and encourages me on, it can get quite lonely out here, i am actually feeling a little bit homesick..

lots of love

jules x

September 10th 2008

Hi Everyone - Feeling a bit tired with jet lag and lack of sleep but very happy to be here.  Feel like mummy  is with me and laughing at this crazy place – its really as crazy as i told her.  As i start my first day with Manzoor my rickshaw driver, chugging along,  fighting with the traffic, cows, pedal  pushers and the trained beggars at every stop we are overtaken by a wife, husband and probably the local salesman!!  carrying  the biggest oldest heaviest TV you ever did see on the back of a very tired motor bike, all 3 of them balanced perfectly , it made me smile -  only 6 days ago i treated myself to a flat screen TV, and on removing the chunkier version from my living room,  I couldn’t even carry it down the stairs due to its immense weight.  There they all were  clinging onto their pride possession doing their normal family weekday shop!!! Wondering if we can adopt this in Portobello? Xxxxxx

September 16th 2009

Dear All

Who thought I was on holiday or envied my working in this beautiful land called India. I wondered today if it is possible to feel normality as I know it, and I wondered if I really can achieve what I am trying to do out here, practice fair trade, be lovely and calm, and create beautiful clothes and jewellery for you, without going bust or crazy. My friend Carol from Baby Ceylon told me to pretend I was in a movie listening to some major music score when things get too much, so today I did, the thing is I actually think I was in that movie ‘bollywood style’ or is it ‘hollywood style’

Today – let me write you my diary – I woke up at 7am, rang and ordered for a pot of TEA and a JUICE before doing my major swim in a pool slightly bigger than a bath tub, but that’s ok, you just have to turn a lot and I’m lucky to have a pool in my hotel, I was delivered ‘COFFEE’.  So I  Swam... ordered my  breakfast of a pot of tea, fruit and toast – reply from room service  ‘so that’s one pot of coffee, yoghurt and omelette’ - my response no thank you – repeat over and over my order , after a few repeats we got there – DELIVERED yoghurt, omelette and guess what TEA! So that’s ok something was right.

 NEXT – I am leaving one bag in my hotel in Jaipur while I go south, I have ok’d this with the owners as they know me ‘velly’  well as ‘regular guest mudum’ so the  boys come to take my bag away and put it in storage ready for my return!!! Much confusion, next I go to reception to pay the bill, it’s all completely wrong – in their favour of course. So I kind of over pay and under haggle and go back to my room

NEXT – The boys come to get my 2 bags from my room that are my ‘velly’ essential bags for my trip, and take them to reception, the computer I carry myself to the foyer where I sit and do a few e mails waiting for my driver, the boys come and tell me my pick up is here, I ask them to put the bags in the car and I will be ready in a sec. I’m informed all done madam – so off I trundle, they are all smiling gleefully as they wave me off.

NEXT – In the hands of a nut bag driver with a car with bald tyres!

NEXT – Monsoon rain kicks in and he decides to speed up, um ‘hello’...., accidents everywhere. On the other side of the dual carriageway going to where I have just come from, there are so many accidents and it has all come to a crashing halt. So what do those drivers decide to do on that side of the road, they decide to trot down the middle bit and make their merry way on to our side and go the opposite way on our lane to frigging Jaipur! At that point I can’t tell you what happened because I slid down on my seat plugged into my Ipod and thought of nice things.  God my back aches.

There are so many next’s in between but finally I reach my hotel in Delhi, a bit barking, but near to the airport for my ‘velly’ early morning flight out to the south. So I get out of the car, open the boot and guess what, NO BAGS!! They have not put one bag in my car!  I call and call the hotel and finally get through, all of a sudden nobody is speaking English, I discover in broken bizarre dialogue, my bags are in the owners of the hotels mother’s room! Um what! Oh gawd

Hopefully I can get them here before I fly, I’ve paid well over the odds for another driver to bring them all the way to Delhi without stealing some of the contents!!  If Sundar prices increase can you forgive me and will you understand? , finally, I think I am actually in Hollywood  – I have located American wine and  I’m smiling like Doris Day in her happy punch your lights out kind of way while I wait for my bags.

Wish me luck

Lots of love

Jules

xx

November 23rd 2008

Dear All,

I thought you might like to see a few pictures of the factory where your Sundar pieces are made.. I really hope you are all baring up under the terrible strain in what is going on with the world economy right now.

The new collection is finished and I think special.

All love and see you soon

Jules X

Dear All

Just to let you know im back from India.  Prior to Christmas Baby Ceylon in both Crouch End and Portobello will have a selection of the new jewellery range, the garments will be in the New Year.

If anybody wants a preview of the complete collection before Christmas please do not hesitate to mail me and let me know, we can arrange an appointment at my flat near the old Sundar Portobello shop.

I hope your all well and wrapping up to keep warm....... brrrr

Love jules x