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 Greetings from Bali… Yes, I have just arrived back on this magical island… although my body still seems to be somewhere between Helsinki, Shanghai and Bratislava . Last week I was writing from Slovakia, where I told you about that ill-advised boat trip in Spain—I was sick as a parrot. If you missed it you can catch up here . After recovering, I managed to spend some time with our Slovakia team, although—as always—it was much too short. Lunch Behind the Iron Curtain . One lunchtime, Tomas took me to what I can only describe as a proper old-fashioned communist workers’ café. These places still exist in Slovakia. Although I guess slightly nicer decor than the old days. You queue with a tray, just like school dinners, and choose from wonderfully traditional Slovak food: cabbage, dumplings, soups, stews and large portions of meat. Nothing fancy, just good, honest food. I had more than I could possibly eat for around €8—and it was both healthy and very tasty. Then, when you have f...

Greetings from Slovakia My final few days in Spain came with a soundtrack. Close to the beach, the trees seemed alive with huge flocks of small green parrots—Rose-ringed Parakeets. There appeared to be more of them than ever this year. They originally came from South America sold as pets, some escaped and gradually established thriving populations along the warmer Mediterranean coast. They particularly enjoy golf courses and the leafy residential areas around Málaga and Marbella. A little like the tourists now arriving en masse, they are colourful, noisy and happiest when flocking together to sing. Actually, “sing” may be rather generous. They screech, squawk, argue and gossip from tree to tree — rather like a particularly lively Spanish family lunch. ENGLAND 3, MEXICO 2… AND THE WHOLE VALLEY KNEW I’m not really a football guy, as you know, but it was impossible to miss England’s dramatic 3–2 victory over Mexico on Sunday night. In the hot night air, we could hear celebrations ...

Greetings once again from Spain... Hope you are well and enjoying the Summer.. Well, this  is not something you see every day... One of our customers has installed one of our Giant Garden Buddhas on a mountain top in Slovakia. We are told all planning and permissions were correctly obtained, which is always nice to hear. More on that later, but I thought it made a pretty wonderful picture to start this week’s newsletter. ...but not for much longer. Next week I will be packing my bags and heading off again. It is back on the road, back to visiting suppliers, back to hunting down new ideas and hopefully bringing you the next wave of interesting products. One thing I have learned over the years is that new products do not find themselves. You have to go looking. Last week I was telling you about flirting with danger in Mijas, the almost-lost Spanish ID card, and my close encounter with the famous mustard scam. If you missed it, you can catch up here .  This week has been less d...

Hello again from a very, very hot week... Hope you are enjoying the weather wherever you are! It is hotter than ever across the UK and Europe, and here at AW our Midsummer Madness Season is going out with a bang—quite literally, like the San Juan fireworks lighting up Andalucía this week. Meanwhile, Coco and I have been flirting with danger in peaceful quaint Mijas. We still have a swathe of 30% off deals, but they are disappearing quickly now, so please do have a look before the madness finally melts away. Last week I was telling you about the good news on my Spanish TIE card, and how I was finally close to being properly documented again. If you missed it, you can catch up here . Well, this week the card arrived — and nearly disappeared again on the very same day. More on that little drama below... Meanwhile, a container from Bali arrived at our Malaga warehouse, and I was there to see it being unloaded. Always a satisfying moment, but also a slightly worrying one. As an...

Greetings from Spain Last week I was telling you that summer was gathering pace. Well... this week it officially arrives. It's midsummer today is day 13 of our Midsummer madness promo. The Summer Solstice is upon us. The longest day of the year. Football. San Juan beach parties here in Spain. And somehow, as often happens at Ancient Wisdom, lots of other things seem to be happening all at once. Big news from our corner of the world... Coco has arrived in Spain. Quite a journey too. Yiwu to Beijing to Munich to Malaga. Air China with Lufthansa codes on the European leg. She tells me they flew over Russia, and her rather futuristic new Huawei foldable phone seemed keen to confirm it by greeting her with a "Welcome to Russia" message mid-flight. The phone itself is fascinating - one of those China-first gadgets that makes you realise the future sometimes arrives there before we ever see it in Europe. And speaking of arrivals... Tomas has just landed in Malaga too. Thi...

Greetings From Spain. Monday again… and the football has started. Last week I was telling you about life here in Spain, the warehouse, Peter and Tamara’s wedding, Slovakia’s 9th birthday, Kane moving on to his dream job, and all the usual Ancient Wisdom comings and goings. If you missed it, you can catch up here. This week, things are looking up. I finally have a date to collect my NIE card here in Spain. Once that little card is safely in my hand, I can travel outside Spain again without the usual paperwork drama, border complications, or me trying to explain myself in my best emergency Spanish. Coco is coming to Spain soon too, so travel plans are being made, bags are being half-packed, and life suddenly feels like it is moving forward again. Meanwhile, we are deep in the middle of Midsummer Madness . And honestly… it is living up to the name. Today is Day 6 — Garden Magic! Rasos — the Festival of Dew. Fun Fact for today: In Lithuania, Midsummer is also known as Rasos —...