Hello ,

Greetings from Spain.. I should be writing this from China, but there has been a slight change of plan.

Last week I was telling you about some Cultural Mixing in Sheffield city centre and why I had tears in my eyes. Thank you for all the lovely comments to last weeks newsletter, if you didn't catch it you can read it here.

This week I also have tears - but for a different reason.
Funny how your whole world and plans can change in an instant.

I was just mopping up in the villa, and managed to slip and slide falling at a very bad angle and ended up with a footballers style torn hamstring. Ouch.. it hurt, and walking for two days was impossible, now I can hobble (painfully) only with the aid of a stick and well, only a few steps before I'm knackered (as we say in Yorkshire). I should have been in China on Wednesday, but there was just no way I could travel, so I delayed the flight one week. Particular distressing because my wife (who is Chinese) is there and we are expecting a second grandchild, and I so wanted to be there. Hope I can make the flight next week.

Wow so much can happen in 7 days.. That baby was born two weeks early.. yesterday morning, a beautiful baby girl. Named Eleanor, (or Ellie in shortened form and an easy Chinese version) joined the worldwide AW family.
Tomas (our marketing Guru) - was in Malaysia with our IT Wizard (he lives there in KL) and tomorrow he flies to Yiwu in China to work on the next batch of products - it was planned to be with me and my wife.. (sigh) I hope I can still make it.

Then there is this quite amazing Theresa May cock up, she gambled and lost or at least ended up worse off not better - a big waste of time and resources. But something good may come of it, who knows.
We live in interesting times.

So I'm a bit stuck here in Spain against my wishes, but I'm not the only one.
Rodrigo.. if you are regular reader you will know is stuck here also, he is a hardworking (employed at AW) Brazilian guy married to Jess an English girl - and yet is struggling to get a visa. They wanted to send him back to Brazil to reapply from there. An atrocious heartless system probably dreamed up by Mrs May when she was Home Secretary. We launched a petition and campaign and got a minor concession that he could apply from Spain, where at least his wife can join him when possible.

He jumped through every possible hoop paid huge fees and sent his passport off for processing. Maximum 15 days they said it would take... now we are on 40 days and no news, nothing, zilch. Everyday we check the online system, to find nothing has changed.
The huge irony is that Rodrigo's passport is residing in an Home Office, office actually walking distance from Ancient Wisdom HQ in Sheffield. The week before last, Jess popped into the AW offices, we was chatting - and I had the idea of just going there and just seeing what might happen.

And so on that lovely summer day Jess and I trundled along and tried to walk in to the HO offices. Five burly guards in shades on duty blocked our way. "Sorry Luv, you can't just walk in here without an appointment"..
I explained that this young ladies husband was stranded without a passport and we just wanted to check it wasn't lost, or fallen down the back of the photocopier or something. "Sorry Luv - you need an appointment". So I put my phone on speaker, and tried to make an appointment (it's easier to see the Pope) - after pressing a few buttons you get an engaged tone, which times out after few seconds. Jess is a bit emotional and I'm like - guys..see what I mean.. please help...
Then we got some glint of humanity, one of the guards said, OK OK.. give me your case number - I'll go and look.

Half an hour later he came back with the news that the passport is indeed there, in a pile marked 60 days, that it was already 32 days in that pile... "Try not to worry Luv" he said "They are working all hours upstairs" he added but I have to say not very convincingly. Considering they paid the HO £2000 for a fast service, it shouldn't be delayed for lack of funds. Anyway that is life, and as I always say when things go wrong - if you keep a good heart - something good will come. At least these tough as nut security guys, turned out to have big hearts, in the time we waiting we made some new friends.

So here we are, I am me stuck with my leg up - quite literally hamstrung, and Rodrigo no passport. At least we can work on our laptops.
The thing I learned about being incapacitated, is that it gives you time to think.

Hopefully I'll be back on my feet soon and off to see my family in China, and hopefully Rodrigo will get good news.
Poor old Nick Clegg, who has been trying hard to help Rodrigo, lost his seat in Sheffield. Sorry Nick, Chin up. You really don't deserve that.

Sometimes you win sometimes you learn..

So seems like we all have a lot to learn.

Like don't mop marble floors wearing rubber flipflops.

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