Production begins

My initial goal was to blog every second day, at least. I can’t believe a whole week has passed since my last post! (Warning: This post is a long one as I try to share a whole week with you!)

This week Ryan, Jed and Ethan attended a Holiday Club held by the Methodist church and us homeschoolers followed a school morning-routine! The boys had to be up, dressed and fed by 8am every morning – a whole hour earlier than has been our routine till now. They had a wonderful time meeting new friends, learning new songs and bible verses and ‘met’ some interesting characters from the Old Testament. They came home each day with very interesting and creative crafts too. This wasn’t something that we’d planned for them to do, but we jumped at the opportunity when we found out about it last weekend  - and we’re so glad!

Aimee spent the week at home with Dieter and I and had her share of treats throughout the week too. On Monday morning the 3 of us went to the Mall to get a few things and also to had a coffee and some cheese cake at Mugg and Bean. Dieter and I had decided to use the opportunity to make some samples of our Baby Food range so that we can work on costing and sales prices, so we also used Monday morning to buy a big batch of fresh veggies too.

On Tuesday morning Dieter and I made samples of the 4 purees in our 6+ months range. Apple, Pear, Butternut and Sweet Potato. It took us all morning, working together, learning as we went along. We also used our new hand blender, a powerful 700w Phillips machine we’ve bought specifically for the cause! It works really well and does exactly what we need it to do – hopefully it will work just as well when we increase its workload! We don’t have any labels yet and have handwritten the business name, our mobile number and the name of the dish on the lid in ink. None of the pens we had at home worked on the plastic lids so I had to stop at the stationers in the afternoon to get a freezerbag marker pen which is perfect for us! We visited the McCains factory shop to buy some frozen veggies - just 3 bags of things that we didn’t find in the fresh veggie shop.

Trying to prepare and coordinate purchases for all 12 dishes at the same time proved too challenging for me, so we decided to just take one phase at a time even if it meant numerous trips into town to buy ingredients. After making the 3 puree blends we have in the 7+ months range (Green veg puree, Root veg trio and Leek, Sweet Potato and Cauliflower) on Wednesday morning Dieter, Aimee and I were treated to a coffee in town by some new friends. Coffee shops are something so very different in South Africa! Costa Coffee and Starbucks have huge competition here in the many little coffee shops which serve great coffee and delicious cakes at much more reasonable prices. With an old wood stove burning very close to where we sat and beautiful music playing in the background, we were snug and relaxed as we got to know each other better over our hot drinks. After lunch Dieter, Aimee, Jed, Ethan and I made a short trip into town to buy some more stock at Checkers. We dropped Jed and Ethan at the library for about 45 minutes to return their books and take out some new ones while we did our shopping. The boys then popped down the road to play with Zian and Adine for a couple of hours. We’re loving the holidays!

Yesterday we spent the entire day cooking! The first two phases are both purees and very easy to make, but the 9+ months range is more chunky (Lentil Delight, Baby Bolognaise, Hake, mash and mushy peas and Chicken with sweet potato and apple) and needs minimal pureeing so the veggies and meats have to be cut rather small. We made all but the hake dish yesterday, and froze them before starting on the chicken and lentil dish in the 12+ months range. The lentil dish we made is a Vegetarian Cottage pie but the hit of the day was definitely the Chicken and Apricot Curry dish! We were very surprised at how delicious and flavourful all the dishes are and that is due to a combination of leeks, peppers, turnips, sweet potato. We’ve started by keeping our dishes free of salt, sugar, dairy, citrus, etc. and they really do taste yummy!

It didn’t help that Ethan, Aimee and I (and eventually also Ryan!) became ill and are struggling with croup cough, phlegmy chests and snotty noses. Our energy levels were low and by the end of the week we are all quite exhausted! It seemed wise to take today ‘off’ and rather spend a couple of hours giving the kitchen and living areas a good clean. We’ll finish up the last 3 dishes early next week and then spend some more time working on our marketing and sales plan. Now we also need to find some moms with babies that we can give our samples to and hopefully they can give us some feedback too.

Dieter, Aimee and I spent our last morning alone this week visiting the Winter Market that is held at the NG Kerk in town each year. South Africans are so creative its always inspiring to visit the markets that are guaranteed to be a display of handmade items galore. We bought our first ‘koeksisters’ (a sweet pastry delight) as well as some chilli flakes, coriander seeds and a small gift for our niece and nephew. The rest of the afternoon has been relaxing and peaceful, but not quiet because Aimee and Ethan had tons of energy! Oupa has gone to Johannesburg for the weekend but we saw Ouma for a short while this afternoon – its nice to see them! Pork Kassler chops, mash and salad was a great treat for dinner tonight and a good start to the weekend! Its been a good, busy and exhausting week!

Celebrating friends

Life is so short! Too short to eat bad food! And too short not to make much of life’s milestones. Today started slowly in our household: After a late breakfast Ryan, Jed and I baked a double batch of banana bread together which we then used to bake a dozen muffins and 2 loaves. When the kitchen was tidy again we sat down to do today’s math while Ethan and Aimee listened to some bible stories that Grampa gave to us. The Bible storybook comes with an audio version read (fantastically!) by the author, and it was very sweet to see Ethan and Aimee sitting and listening attentively – waiting for the signal to turn the next page. Peace didn’t last long as Aimee wanted a turn to turn the pages too – but they did manage to listen to the first half of the book in one go, which is much more than we’ve ever read to them in one sitting!

Oupa and Ouma picked up our new hand-blender and digital scale for the baby food business the day before yesterday but this morning we had to return the digital scale. Unfortunately it wasn’t in perfect condition when we opened the packaging, but more importantly it honestly doesn’t do what we need it to do. I’m totally amazed at how effortless it is to return purchases in SA and get your money back without a quibble! We also bought some containers in the various sizes that we are planning to use to begin making samples of the various meals in the next week. Now the whole family has been to visit the packaging store, it really is an experience!

The highlight of my day was Nettie’s birthday tea. Nettie is one of the lovely soccer-and-homeschooling-moms I get to spend time with most days of the week. She’s a bubbly German-Afrikaans lady and I like listening to her stories and experiences. She’s honest, direct and real and I appreciate her a lot! She turned 40 today and instead of having our weekly ‘Heroes and Friends’ youth group-cum-play time together with our homeschooling friends this afternoon we were invited to her home for tea. They live in the most amazing setting on the outskirts of the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University outside George and its in the ‘bush’ at the bottom of the Outeniqua mountains. There are apparently baboons, monkeys, bushbuck and all sorts of wildlife in the area and their garden is a children’s paradise. It was so nice to watch Aimee climb a tree and swing off a piece of plastic pipe again and again! The 25 or so children that were there were peacefully entertained (as usual!) and made the most of the setting.

Nettie actually spoiled us! I was so blessed by that. The chocolate cake we shared (there were 4 cakes, I think, just for the adults) was totally amazing, one of those that you eat slowly and savour each biteful! Nettie’s Mom and Dad are visiting and her Mom wrote and read a beautiful poem in her honour after she’d played ‘Happy Birthday’ on the piano so everyone could sing to her. Her husband prayed for her, thanking God for her beautiful life and praying God’s blessing, strength, grace and wisdom over her in the year ahead before she played Matt Redman’s “10 000 reasons” for us. It was a very, very precious time and I am so grateful to have been part of it.

I’m still in awe of the people God has put around us and I’m so blessed by this special group of women who are passionate about God and love life – what an adventure this is! Life is too short and I’m so glad we could be part of this celebration today.

A very different week

Its been raining on and off since Sunday, mostly the soft drizzly rain that our British family and friends know so well. Sunday was hard! We were down at the stadium from just after breakfast, it was windy and cold and we chose to watch Ryan and Ethan’s games from the grandstand rather than the sidelines. By the time their games were done they were muddy and wet, from head to toe. Just before lunch we headed home and quickly changed into warm, dry clothes! Ryan is a real die-hard and asked that I take him back to watch the finals and see the prize giving – and I did. Dieter stayed home, holding the fort with Ethan, Jed and Aimee. The whole tournament experience was great and the boys loved it!

Since we never got a chance to rest over the weekend, we pretty much took Monday and Tuesday very slowly! It rained almost all day on Monday and I don’t think we ended up going to football in the afternoon, but we did spend the morning doing small tasks around town when we visited the library, home affairs (to eventually apply for Ethan and Aimee’s SA passports), the fruit/veg shop and material shop.

Slowly, slowly we have added Math and reading and other activities to our days since then. Ryan and Jed are cruising through percentages and converting decimal fractions into percentages. (Again I LOVE the way Singapore Maths makes all these things look so easy!) Ethan has finished numbers up to 30 and is now learning Time – today he whizzed through a whole handful of lessons which were a basic introduction to ordering the day. I’m reading ‘House of 60 Fathers’ to Ryan and Jed, another story set in rural China, and we’re loving it! Diet and I are reading lots of lovely, new stories to Ethan and Aimee that we found at the library, and we are particularly enjoying some Dr Seuss humour again!

The highlight of this week has been our visit to Red Barn free-range chicken farm this morning thanks to some of our new homeschooling friends. We were 5 moms with our children and it was a really enjoyable – and enlightening – experience! It was so picturesque on the farm between rolling hills and rivers at the bottom of the huge Outeniqua mountains! The couple who run the farm breed both broiler (to be eaten!) chickens and egg-laying chickens and also have a store on-site where they sell their chickens in amazingly convenient forms. She only has 3 ladies helping her, who work mostly by hand, but this crew know exactly what they’re doing. (This lady is also running programmes together with government initiatives to teach others to do the same, even if just for subsistence farming) I’m not sure what excited the children more: holding a week-old chick, being kissed by a horse, feeding the chickens (more like running after them!) or checking the little hen-houses for fresh eggs. I’ve never seen the workings of a free-range farm before, and it was a wonderful experience for our children too!

Today was also the last of our tri-weekly football practices. Ryan and Jed attend the practices, but in reality the arrangement affects all of us! I know I’m going to miss those afternoon chats and short walks with the other moms who have become very special to me and we’ll just have to make a plan to get together! But it is going to be so nice to just have a short break (only as long as the school holidays – 3 weeks)!

We aren't into 'Dull'!

Ouma and Oupa are back from Gauteng and for a day or two its life as ‘normal’. Its good to have them home again. Dieter has recovered quite well and is back on his feet after almost a full week in bed. He still has a cough and needs some time to regain his strength, but he is much, much better.

Today it was back to the books (with gusto!) after taking the end of last week very slowly. I was able to get the next couple of books we need to carry on with our exploration of the Eastern Hemisphere and spent a lot of time today reading to Ryan and Jed today about Ghengis Khan and his Mongol horde. The book we’re reading is so well written and we’re finding the adventure very interesting.

It was a lovely sunny day today, with almost no evidence of the wet, cold days we’ve endured this weekend. Ryan, Jed and Ethan spent every spare minute playing football in the garden together and Aimee was in her element playing with the water that gets caught up in huge 25litre buckets. (I realised today that she LOVES playing with water, wherever she finds it!) When Ryan took a break from the football, Aimee asked him nicely to take her for a ride on his bike – he seats her on the crossbar and she sits ‘side-saddle’ holding onto his handlebars, giggling all the way, loving the adventure. She really enjoyed listening to Dieter reading to her before lunch today and riding her bicycle while Dieter and Ethan pottered around in the workshop. If Ethan’s not playing football outside with his big brothers, then he’s playing an action game outdoors or building something with lego indoors. He also enjoys drawing – mostly fire engines and happy people!

Ryan is football besotted and spends every spare moment of the day kicking the ball around outside, even if its just for 2 minutes between chores or activities. He and Ethan are really enjoying the soccer club they’ve joined and Ryan attends 3 practices a week and usually plays a match on Saturdays. This weekend they have a 3-day tournament and Ethan will play in his first match. They’re counting the sleeps!

Ryan and Jed spent ages doing math this morning, it challenged them! It wasn’t difficult to see that Jed, especially, was tired and they needed a couple of breaks. But they persevered and did really well. Some days are easier than others and the children (and I!) cope with the challenges as best we can. There are times when we just have to close the books and try again at another time, but today we managed to push through and despite taking a while, the success was fulfilling!

Jed and Ryan usually crochet when I read to them. Ryan has decided to start a blanket of his own. Jed is still busy with the blanket he decided to crochet a couple of months ago. He’s recently learned a new design from me (that my friend Yvonne taught me in Cyprus) and he’s going to mix the pieces he’s crocheted using that design with his other squares. He’s been using wool that he chose from the ‘scraps bin’ at the wool shop and his blanket will be a colourful affair! Jed is really good with the little ones and loves playing with Aimee on the golf greens while Ryan and Ethan are practicing soccer. They enjoy their walks together picking up feathers and counting the birds, climbing the odd tree and rolling down the small embankments.

Soccer practices are my chance to catch up with the other moms and today we all piled into my car. We were 5 moms hiding from the cold wind and the 2 little girls were colouring in the boot section where I collapsed the 2 back seats. It was a cosy affair and conversation topics ranged from finding a female gynecologist in George to surviving long road-trips and, ofcourse, a recipe swopping session! Oh, how I enjoy these chats! And how grateful I am for these woman God has sent across my path in this season of my life!

All in all, its been another busy day and we’re all healthy and doing well. There never is a dull moment, which is often a challenge of its own …… but then, we’re not into dull, LOL!

Sociable and enjoying it!

Today has been a very sociable day. One that would rock the boat of anyone who thinks that socialisation – or the lack thereof – is a good reason not to homeschool! Dieter woke feeling much better this morning after sleeping upstairs in Oupa and Ouma’s bed. I had a much better nights sleep waking only briefly twice to deal with two children who felt the need to interrupt my sleep, and I went back to sleep quickly. So for starters, Dieter was feeling more sociable today!

Before breakfast I had a brief heart-to-heart with Sheila in Cyprus – there’s just something about being able to ‘continue’ life stories and conversations without having to first provide the necessary background information! I would have preferred a nice long afternoon spent relaxing on her couch, but a quick chat on Facebook was wonderful!

Just before 10am I headed to Sylma’s house for the regular Friday morning get together of homeschoolers that she organises (There are other homeschooling groups in town, so there are tons of homeschoolers we haven’t met). I also had an arrangement with her to borrow the next 5 books I need to continue with our studies on Mongolia and Ryan and Jed are going to be thrilled to have 2 new read alouds and to be able to continue our Eastern Hemisphere journey. I was at Sylma’s for a little over an hour but really enjoyed connecting with moms I don’t see at the soccer practices. And, other than the ‘adult’ time I get to have, the range of conversation topics is always so inspiring! I always come away having learnt something new or with food for thought!

I then drove down to visit René and her family who live in Great Brak on a small-holding. Baby Alex is just 10 days old today and it’s the first time I’ve been well enough to visit them since they went home from the hospital. It was so nice to see Jean, René and their boys and Ethan and Aimee really enjoyed playing with 18 month old Lucas! While we were there the lady who helps René got a call to say her family urgently needed her, so Jean took her home where they told her that her husband had just died. It was devastating news for Jean and René who love and appreciate Naomi very much. Jean’s paternity leave has come to an end and he will return to work on Monday and now it looks like René won’t have Naomi’s assistance either. The sudden shock of the circumstances they all find themselves in (Naomi has 2 children and 5 of her deceased sister’s children to take care of) was overwhelming. Nothing takes God by surprise though, and it was good to encourage each other with that truth and for them to be reminded to just rest in God and allow Him to work all things out for their good.

After a brief stop at home for toasted samies over lunch time, the kids and I all headed out again for another homeschool get together at Walda’s house just around the corner from our house. As usual there was no shortage of things for us moms to discuss and the children have a wonderful time singing, participating in a Bible study together and then watching a short DVD as it was pouring with rain outside.

We’ve had a lovely day and ending it off with a yummy supper of flat breads that Ryan rolled and baked, and curried butternut and Lentils that Jed made makes it all perfect – despite the fact that the cold wind has blown furiously all day and that the rain has fallen heavily all afternoon. Our cups runneth over and we’re all going to sleep soundly tonight.

Sleep walking

What a day! By 4pm this afternoon my eyes were burning and sore I was so tired! I could have lay down anywhere and fallen straight asleep and only woken tomorrow. The accumulation of sleep deprivation over the past few nights has drained me. I spent the hour waiting for Ryan at football practice chatting with one of my new friends (and fellow homeschooling moms), Walda. There is usually a group of us moms waiting and relaxing together and we always have a great time chatting together, but the one-on-one dynamic is just great! Walda and I were able to connect and get to know each other a little better, and that energized me for a few more hours.

Its not fun being sick! Fortunately the children and I are getting stronger each day and the children have enough energy to be their usual busy selves. I don’t have much energy to cope with all the busyness, but God has strengthened and given me the grace to have another successful day.

Dieter, however, had a really rough night last night! He woke with a severe headache and was fighting a fever that only really subsided around mid-morning today. He was uncomfortable and restless all night and the two of us didn’t get much rest. Today is his 4^th day in bed and, instead of getting better, he seems to be worse today than he’s been all week. His body is sore and even sitting up hurts. Hopefully he’ll have a better rest tonight and we’ll see him grow stronger again in the next few days.

The sun never came out today at all – I know it was there, but we didn’t see it! It was overcast and rained most of the day until just before football at 4pm. The kids were confined to the house all day and it was a good day to hire the DVD I’d promised we’d get on a ‘rainy day’. After lunch we drove into the library and spent a good while there choosing some new books. We’re loving the library! Today, after watching another riveting episode of McGyver, Jed decided that he was going to take out a book on ‘Chemistry’. I helped him find the appropriate section in the library and he came home with 2! He then spent the rest of the afternoon making his own personal notes of all the chemistry vocabulary and concepts that were new to him. I am enjoying watching him take some initiative and follow his personal interests with such diligence! I’ve suggested we spend some time as a family learning as much as he can teach us of what he’s learning. This is great fun!

No sign of the health inspector yet. Fortunately we aren’t in a big hurry and can wait for him to get back to us. We’re in the process of making plans to travel to Pretoria and Butterworth in late July/early August and expecting Hle, Onx and the little Dudes to visit us in the first week of August too and I’ve been uncertain how we’ll organise our newly launched business while we’re away. Yesterday Dieter and I decided to wait until mid-August to launch the business so we can give it our uninterrupted attention and get it off the ground. It gives us a little while longer to find the best deal we can on a freezer and also to decide what the best way will be for us to sell the products. For the first time we’re even thinking of an online store. Watch this space!

More goodbyes

For the past 10 days or so we’ve been resisting viruses and infections doing the rounds. Ethan, Aimee and Ryan have all been requesting regular honey and lemon drinks, and in the past few days we’ve all been drinking our Rooibos with lemon and honey! Its not nice to be ill. On Sunday morning Dieter woke feeling yuck and initially planned to stay in bed. The kids and I continued to get ready to go to church and he opted to join us. But, he’s been in bed most of the time since then. Of the 5 of us that are coughing and feeling sore, Dieter’s the worst hit. I bought a new bottle of Echinacea tablets yesterday as the stock we brought with us has recently finished. We aren’t rushing out to the doctor or dosing ourselves up with meds, we’re just putting on the brakes and resting a lot more, and trusting God to bring healing to our bodies again.

Looking at my last post, I’m thinking of how much we miss our friends in Cyprus (and other countries!). But in the last 2 days we’ve had to say more permanent goodbyes to friends who have left this earth. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Kinnear and the Le Roux families tonight as they mourn their loss. Dieter first met Benice Kinnear when he was a student at Rhema Bible Training Centre before we got married. A few years later we met Keith and Benice at 3Ci in Pretoria and became good friends. In the 10 years we’ve been abroad their 2 children have grown so beautifully and are now in their teens. Fortunately we never lost contact and have been able to follow some of their journey as Benice fought and conquered various cancers over the past few years. Her testimony has been of God’s goodness, faithfulness and healing. Today the loss is ours as we remember an amazing woman who gave so much of herself not only to her family but to everyone God brought across her path. We rejoice knowing she’s with Jesus, now healed and whole.

When we first arrived in SA 3 months ago, the children were met by gifts from the Le Roux family, friends of Oupa and Ouma who live just a couple of blocks away. Johan was a diabetic and he aggressively controlled his blood sugar levels by walking about 10km at 4am every morning. Just 6 weeks ago Ryan and Oupa joined him twice on a Sunday afternoon for the 10km walk. He has been ill for a while and Oupa and Ouma thought his symptoms resembled those of Parkinsons, but about 2 weeks ago his condition deteriorated drastically and a brain scan led the doctors to believe he might have had multiple-sclerosis. 10 days ago he was hospitalised and never came home. This morning at 9am he passed away in the ICU unit. He too has gone to be with Jesus. I wasn’t sure what to say to a family who has just lost a father and husband but I was the one spoken to when I made a meal for his 3 daughters and mom-in-law who are at home tonight and Aunty Sara (his mom-in-law) talked about God’s grace and mercy in how this all happened. Knowing God is orchestrating even the finest details of our lives is so reassuring! And He is amazing!

My heart aches when I consider what it is like for Keith or Sumaria to loose the spouse. To contemplate the future without their spouses must be daunting. And for their children, who at such a young age, have had to say goodbye to a parent. As Jed said today, it is difficult to grow up without a mom and a dad. I couldn’t have said it better myself! And while I know many others have suffered this tragedy before and lived to tell their story, tonight my heart aches with them at their loss. I can’t begin to imagine the depth of their pain and sorrow tonight – but I pray that God would comfort them all now and in the months and years that lie ahead.

I can still email/skype and maybe even see friends from Dubai and Cyprus and many other countries all over the world, but the goodbyes we’ve said to Benice and Johan are more permanent. We’ll be together again in eternity, when life on earth comes to an end for us, and that is very exciting to know!

Who needs a handbag?

Who needs a handbag? I have my wallet in my one pocket, mobile phone in the other and my family and friends close to my heart! I don’t need a handbag!

I spent a delightful hour with the homeschooling soccer moms this afternoon celebrating Marna’s birthday. Marna is such a gentle-spirited woman, a dedicated wife and devoted mother to 2 gorgeous little boys. I’m so very blessed to have met her in this season of my life. One of the moms organised a tea picnic so we could celebrate her special day while the boys practiced today. The variety of topics we discussed was very diverse, punctuated by much laughter, and the handbag issue was one of those topics.

I’m so very grateful for how God has provided people around us during this season of our lives. I can’t truly say ‘we’re settled’ as those aren’t our intentions right now, but I know that we are slowly finding our feet and one of the ways God is strengthening us is by sending amazing people across our paths. Thank you Lord!

We had a busy afternoon and were continually on the go and one big step in the right direction (and there were a few!) was that I got registered with the health inspector. I’ve waited too long for him to call me, so I called on him (only to miss his call by 5minutes!) but I got the necessary application forms for certification and got straight to work. They need information like the erf/plot number, how many male/female workers there are, whether there are toilets/wash basins, etc and R120 application fee before they come out to have a look at our kitchen. All that is done now, and I’m hoping that now that the paper work is in, the health inspector for our area will come see us quickly! But, this is George, nothing here happens quickly, Cyprus prepared us for this, LOL! Once the health inspector has given us our certification, I can go back to SEDA and they can sponsor a big portion of my printing/advertising costs. AND, I can get started with cooking the kiddies meals on the menu, so we can calculate costs and selling prices. I’m praying the health inspector has ants in his pants and gets here soon! Tomorrow would be good!

It hasn’t rained for 2 whole weeks now and the days are lovely and sunny. The garden fundies are noticing how dry the flower beds are becoming, but I’m loving the warmth! The rest of the country is experiencing the cold of winter already, but its lovely and mild here, much like autumn in Cyprus.

Colin and Jane were in our thoughts and prayers today as they flew back to the UK after nearly 20 years of life and ministry in Cyprus. Colin was the pastor of the church we attended in Larnaca and he and Jane are special friends. Very special friends – not just to us, but to many others too that I know are sad and hurting today as they said goodbye. Thank God he is always in control and moving us where He wants us to be.

Small stepping stones

It’s Friday! Yeah! Shjoe how time flies! The days just seem to flow into each other and before we blink, its weekend again. Well, not really, but you know what I mean!

Ouma and Oupa are house-sitting for friends a few blocks away and we find ourselves home alone again. I’m posting this blog from the library as our internet connection has gone mobile again – and will be mobile for the next 10 days.

Yesterday morning I visited SEDA, the new (and possibly more active!) SA version of the SBDC. They are apparently keen to support new business initiatives in hopes of providing employment to South Africans. My visit was incredibly disappointing. I think I was in Alex’s office for the whole of 7 minutes, leaving behind a lovely hot cup of Rooibos tea that I didn’t even get time to drink! He didn’t ask me ONE single question, showed no real interest in my idea or research and his only suggestion was that I follow up with the Health Authorities first.

I had planned to visit the Health Inspectors after my appointment with SEDA, and went to the only Municipal office I could find. I had previously contacted the municipality about locating a health inspector and certification and they’d fobbed me off by suggesting I fetch the required forms and take it from there. Yesterday, however, the receptionist called the right department straight away and I was able to leave my number and details so that the correct health inspector could visit me.

It seems that SEDA can assist in helping us market our products and will contribute (quite significantly!) towards printing car signage, flyers, business cards, product stickers, etc. Hopefully they’ll be more helpful into the future!

With our without SEDA, we’re going ahead and making the arrangements we need to make to get started. The hunt is on for a suitably large chest freezer, a hand blender and a digital scale – the only real equipment we need to get going. Next I need to start making a small batch of food to determine the pricing for each individual product and then I can calculate selling prices.

It won’t be long now and we’ll be ready to sell our first batch of products …..and that thought is very scary, and very exciting at the same time!