AW Artisan Wholesale Giftware

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 —...

Greetings from Spain... Well, I am still here. The Spanish summer is slowly turning up the thermostat and while parts of the UK seem to have reverted to their traditional "four seasons in one afternoon" weather pattern, here in Andalucía it is definitely feeling more like summer every day. Last week I was telling you about the Jacaranda trees of southern Spain, whose spectacular purple blooms transform whole streets into rivers of colour for just a few short weeks. If you missed it, you can catch up here. Unfortunately there is still no news on my TIE residency card. No card. No appointment. No useful information. The Spanish bureaucracy machine continues to operate at its own mysterious pace. As regular readers know, this saga has already provided enough material for a small novel, and I suspect there may yet be another chapter or two to come. Stay tuned. Meanwhile, life across the AW family rolls on. This week is a very special one in Slovakia as Peter and Tamar...