(when God closes a door, she opens a window)
Thirty eight face masks. That’s quite a lot
Cut 38 pieces of fabric, lock them over, sew 2 seams, iron the folds, pin the elastic bands, sewing it all, turn over, stitch 2 pieces on the top, done.
Next!
I’m used to this kind of patience-chores, like sticking pieces when I make a mosaic, but this is a bit different. I was thinking of all those women and girls in Bangladesh, India and China who are doing this day in, day out.glueing a Lot of Small Pieces
I was stiff after a few hours, with a feeling that my right leg didn’t want to join this party anymore
“You even haven’t been doing this for 8 hours, my dear – and it’s already problematic”, I said to myself, and I immediately replied: “Come on girl, but you don’t have to! Nobody is forcing you to do this, or what? We’ll finish this stack, voluntarily, and tomorrow will be a black day*.”
* "A Black Day" means that the sewing machines are threaded with black to sew the dark colored masks.
Mosaic doesn’t give you associations with sweatshops, because there are no mosaic sweatshops. When you’re sewing one facial mask after another, you think of such things much easier. There are many of those. What mosaic and sewing have in common is that your thoughts can float so smoothly.
You can also solve the challenge of the obligatory face mask differently of course
You don’t have to cover your walls with all those pieces. You can also paint them white. You can also make your masks out of your husband’s underwear.
Are we going to wear our underwear on our heads?
Not that this protects much, but it is funny. If you really want to be well protected, you should at least have a two-layer mask of cotton or viscose, with an interchangeable filter tucked in between, like a tissue. You can replace that. This video is funny nonsense.
You can think very well if you are busy cutting and sewing. Then everything passes by. What a bizarre situation this is, for example. 2 months ago I really couldn’t guess I would be inventing a production line making face masks.
I’m doing it, so that we can earn something because the entire holiday rental and B&B business is on its bum. And it fits in perfectly with Plan B. – the third B of our B & B & B – the bathrobes and kimonos.
A beautiful long kimono with matching facial mask ánd sleeping mask.
Hey, that’s a great idea!
You see, those thoughts go in all directions, and the ideas just fall down. Unfortunately, it’s not just hiphiphurray-what-a-great-idea. We’ll have to get Plan B. into action soon, because I don’t know about you, but we don’t have a chest full of gold to scoop from. Without the guests, there’s now time (very welcome time), but no income (little point of attention).
But we’re still a lot better off then those people in those sweatshops
For example, we have a family that helps enormously and has set up the family fund “Help Termas-da-Azenha through the winter”. So sweet.
We have a whole circle of people who order those masks, for example, because they’re lovely people who care about others. (and they might want to come on holiday in 2021)
We still have guests who’re here for a longer period of time.
We live in a country where I suspect the government wants the best for us.
Where we – we entrepreneurs – are supported, not with so much, accompanied by a lot of bureaucracy, but still – if you want, you can apply for that support, and that may mean the difference for many small businesses.
We’re much better off than a lot of people on this earth
It’s as if everything is enlarged. It’s much more obvious that there are people who care, and people who have other ideas about what caring is. And of course there are people who try to take advantage of it all. Fortunately, there are many, many more people who are okay. You can see that everywhere on the internet. There are even big companies that are behaving well, and do something extra for their workers. Unfortunately, they’re less of the latter …
Maybe no more buying the junk that big boys like H&M and Zara are putting together in their sweatshops
Maybe it’s more time for: Shop local, Mother Earth will love you for it
And maybe those big boys have to be obliged to eat their own piggy bank before they start asking for government support … Just like they ask that of us, civilians.
Hm.
This has become a completely different piece than I had thought out behind the sewing machine.
But well, better next week.
.
We moved here in 2000 from Rotterdam, Holland to the Termas-da-Azenha, Portugal. A big step, especially with two small children. We are busy to rebuild one of portugals cultural heirlooms: Termas-da-Azenha, an old spa which has been turned into several holiday homes, rooms and campsites, with a https://termas-da-azenha.com/en/recreation/: swimming pool, indoor and outdoor games like pingpong, petanque, a FancyDressingRoom and a small café. You’ll find mosaics and paintings everywhere.
The old bathhouse is going to be a museum, where you can see how things have changed. Since 2018 we call ourselves the first B&B&B in the world – Bed & Breakfast & Bathrobes. You can buy a home-made unique bathrobe/housecoat with us.
Each week a little blog about what is happening around us. An easy read. A few minutes in another world. A little about what it going on in Portugal. If you plan your holiday to Portugal, it might be a nice preparation. We have some nice special offers on our site.
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