Manila calling….

Dear M,
I have set aside this morning ( a morning you haven’t yet got to on your side of the world . . .), to make myself some coffee and catch up with my correspondence in a more meaningful way than flicking onto facebook. I am also trying really hard to ignore those manila(!?) brown boxes littering our new home and have declared today a day devoid of boxes and bubble wrap! Will I be able to sustain it? Probably not – the pull of that packaging could just prove to be too strong.
In the meantime I have been mulling over the words and ideas in your last postcard, and suddenly I have been seeing colours and bagpods everywhere! That delightful pair of deep red dragonflies that dart around my pool , evading all my amateurish photographic attempts, have suddenly become a bagpod . . . dragonfly red to go with the kingfisher blue? I love the idea of a flash of kingfisher blue on a bag – in fact I just might have the perfect white wall looking for just that bit of colour.

The sparrows in my garden are a lot less inspiring than your kingfisher, so instead I have sent you a picture taken on a tiny island down south. A little more subtle in its colouration than the dragonfly and its cohorts, but beautiful nevertheless. Possibly not least of all because of the element of surprise in finding the perfect flower in the middle of a beach  – a little still life surrounded by sand. So I propose a bag the shade of this coral flower with a velvety sand coloured lining  . . .
In the meantime my coffee pot is boiling and, at the risk of sounding a little lonesome, I shall sip my cappuccino and think of you!
lots of love
P

BagPod in making…..

Molly the one eyed dog.

Dear P,

today me and Molly, my 13 year old, one eyed dog had a stroll down the river, something we do every morning. Sun shining, slight breeze and fish stirring lazingly in the river. Jack, my much younger Jack Russel from the local farm, was already busy digging a hole to try and extradite a petrified field mouse from it’s narrow hole. Molly just ignored her younger dog friend – she is a pedigree after all!

Looking out over the river, spotting Kingfishers and Sand Martins making swift twist and turns in their frenzied flight to catch the still drowsy morning flies I realized that being a Designer, this is where you should be taking inspiration from. Helping your brain nurturing thoughts of peaceful and calm but still hectic, busy and sometimes rumbling ideas for your next bag design & colour.

But I do what most of us do: Follow the trend setters….the so called know-hows, the fashion houses, the admired designers, the ‘je ne sais quoi’s'! After all we are in business here, we want to sell and unless you are already an established quirky name in the fashion industry you cannot take a chance to be seen as mad and totally bonkers by setting a trend that is ‘just way over-the-top, darling!’

Therefore, my designs this A/W 2010 will be the coloration and shades that the big fashion houses are telling us the winning formulas are – but with a shy fade of  Sand Martin fawn, King Fisher electric blue and the rose of dawn. One has to start gradually, you know…. as we would say in Sweden: Sakta men sakert! Slowly but surely…..

When you have got your inspiration fill from the Philippines I would love to see what we can incorporate from your side of the world – until then I will hold my thoughts by ‘my’ river, enjoy the lovely, sensual breeze zig-zagging its way from the cool mountains and watch Jack dig for another mouse. Molly will be happy sitting by my feet dreaming of her youth in warmer countries. And I stealthily wish for us to have a cappuccino together by mid morning….

As always, all my love.

M

xx

G&T in KL

Sun 18 July 2010

Kuala Lumpur

Dear M

Initially – r&r along with a G&T from KL!

As promised, a quick greeting from the equator – we arrived in KL yesterday en-route, and are enjoying a few days of inactivity.

First of all, a proper thank you for my farewell bagpod. As a family we seem to travel on the edge of disarray – but as everyone else scrabbled for passports, pens and other related paraphernalia, I merely had to dip my hand into my (new and fabulously purple) bag, from which I was able to produce the required documents with  a flourish!

And not  a moment too soon – it was only last week that I inadvertently handed over my bankcard along with a stray mint and a lillett to a bemused teller in Monmouth. I’m not sure Malaysian customs would have appreciated the humor?!

While on the airport I also succumbed to a little boho bling to brighten up the road to Manila –  possibly erring on the side of quantity rather than quality but again I will blame it on the bag . . . a perfect match. No more grey fleecies for me!

Not long now before the holiday ends and homemaking begins – but with my new bauble and bag I shall take it all in my stride!

Will let you know how things progress – a typhoon is predicted for next week, that should be interesting!

Lots of love

P

My Traveling BagPod

My traveling BagPod. Where has your BagPod traveled?

My traveling BagPod

Postcard from Wimbledon to Manila.

Dearest P,

last week-end me and my husband went to Wimbledon for the first time to see the men’s final – which of course is a fantastic treat but the icing on the cake was that my favorite Nadal was on the Center Court playing Berdych so we knew we were in for a real hard hitting tennis match.

We had an amazing day with all the traditions: Pimm’s, strawberries & cream and a glass of bubbly. Walking round the entire venue watching Navratilova warming up for her mixed final’s game, spotted a few celebs and zoomed in on Bjorn Borg – in his early 50′s but looking better than ever: silver fox and suntanned….

What an event – surely must be up there in the top 10 to-do-list. The atmosphere is just phenomenal; especially with the glorious weather we have had during the entire tournament and everyone was happy and in a festive mood. Last day of the yearly bash. Posh frocks and panama hats. Our seats 288 and 289, quite far up but the view is still breathtaking – a chockablock  Center Court!

But my most exciting moment was at the entrance when we had to go through the security check, executed by young men in their mid twenties. The lad that checked my handbag had a peek into the bag and expressed to his two friends: ‘Hey guys, look at this! This is the most well organised handbag I have ever seen! It would make our job so much easier & quicker if all women had this type of  bags!’ Honestly, his exact words!! We were laughing and told them about my business. His answer: ‘It’s ok, you can use my words as testimonial!’ Thanks Hamish!

Bliss!  I will definitely do it again next year – perhaps aiming for Henman Hill with our own pick-nick and flask of Pimm’s. If we only could guarantee the weather…..

Until next time, dear. I am thinking BagPod in Wimbledon colours. Or tennis ball yellow. Or perhaps simply a big strawberry BagPod. With creamy stripes, of course!

xx

Half a book?

Or will it be a post card…..?

BagPod

I’m a ‘Swede in UK’ (somehow it doesn’t sound as sexy as an Englishman in New York…!) as well as a wannabe writer. I have always had the desire to write a book despite my Swenglish and got this grand idea; perhaps writing a Blog gets me halfway there…? Or at least gets the bug out of my system!

After traveling round the globe with my working husband and children and making close friends in every country we lived in, we are ‘back’ in the UK and our lovely house in South Wales. 3 years down the road I have befriended some amazing local people and I’m thinking: finally, I feel settled, happily settled with happy memories. Left the ‘expat’ life behind me. Friends I hold dear here will stay for ever. They are rooted.  Established. Forever. After all, many families round us have been living in this area for centuries:  generation after generation! Well, that bubble burst…..recently one of my dearest friends announce that she and her family are doing what we did for 25 years – becoming ‘Expats’, setting up their new home in the Philippines.

Of course I am delighted for her and her family; they will love the life style, the sunshine, the food and the amazing culture, what a fantastic opportunity to broaden their already happy, open-hearted, generous attitude to life!

But what about me now??!! Just leaving me like that? Am I selfish to feel sad? I thought I had left the ‘goodbye’s’ and leaving parties behind me – always upsetting however frequently. This is suppose to be B.F.F back here, no? She is one of the gals I secretly wished to assimilate in my business: she has the right attitude and outlook in life. A foreigner, just like me, in Britain. Looking at life in the UK with ‘different’ eyes, fabulously up-to-date with colours/materials/produce – and a hell of a writer!

But unfortunately this will not happen, not for now. Therefore I have decided to write my short Blog’s as virtual postcards from south Wales to the Philippines. No stamps needed, no ‘addressee not found’, no ‘return to sender’ – just an up-date of life in rural Wales from a mother running her own company, calling on her buddy in the outskirts of Manila. Sharing mentally with her my ideas and updates on new products and materials. Starting my postcards with: ‘Sa aking mahal na kaibigan……’