There is something so satisfying about……

On a part-time, in fact it really is an “as and when” goods are required basis, I manage my daughter Lisa’s tiny little factory business. The tiny little factory is situated in the guest room and it takes about 45 seconds to convert it from a bedroom to a hive of activity with sewing machines buzzing away and snippets of lycra, elastic and thread littering the carpet.

I am in charge of sourcing the fabric, purchasing the best quality at the very best prices, cutting, pinning, sewing, packaging and dispatching the goods. Lisa’s website is, more often than not, how the product is sold. It is a very simple system. All done via email and money is transferred via eft. The most frustrating part of the whole process however, happens to be standing in the incredibly slow queue at the post office and then having to deal with the lady who really doesn’t want to help you and never makes eye contact at all – not even when she is barking words at you.

In case you are wondering what it is that requires this flurry of industry every so often, well, we make gaiters…… for off road running/hiking/walking. Some time ago Lisa began making her own gaiters because the bought ones didn’t work properly and she was fed up with sand and all sorts of other debris ending up in her trail shoes. Over a period of time she has refined the pattern and they work so well, are exceptionally light weight and one size fits all. She has also developed a kind of “super-gaiter” for running in the dessert and this has proved really successful in Abu Dhabi where the sand is superfine, almost like powder.

At the moment I am making another batch because we suddenly got in a number of orders. 99% of the orders are for black gaiters – I am not sure why. We can make them in any colour at all and even floral patterns….but black seem to be a firm favorite. I can only assume there are a lot of conservative trail runners out there.

But I have really digressed with all this….what I actually wanted to say is that there is something intensely satisfying about making something from scratch and selling it….. all your own labour. Lovely!