Good Intentions

This was the week that I was to make good on a lot of the maintenance work I still had outstanding, and just generally commit more time to the Bakery. So far things are going well. The electricity meter box is being sorted out as we speak, although I mean paid for, who knows when they'll actually get around to installing it!

The photo's show (from top to bottom): tiling in the kitchen, the outer oven wall going up - and the dodgy temporary roof! and the last one is my 'construction work force' taking yet another break. No one can quite work out how many breaks they are supposed to have, but every time I see them it appears they're not working. Something not right there, but I don't think this a problem unique to Mozambique!

Tomorrow I'm looking to surpass the 10,000 bread sales mark. Will be quite an achievement. Perhaps we should have a little party or something!?

The new Team!

Just been down to the bakery and the two Al's - Alfonso and Alberto seem to be working well together. Its now 9pm and they've done 20 breads so far and another 20 were in the oven.

Tomorrow we'll have to get down to the gritty business of negotiating Alberto's salary. I think it should come in under Alfonso's pay, as Alberto is to be the 'apprentice'. In the end though I don't think it can be too much lower as it needs to be enough for him to live on. Normally in a business one might expand increase sales then increase capacity to match, now I have more overheads and need to get my sales up so that I can cover my expenses. Easier said than done.

New labour

Not Tony Blair's bunch of expense claim stealing cronies, but the new labour(er) at the bakery. Subsequent to my previous labour woes, when I heard that Alfonso had injured himself I feared the worst. It turns out that in the course of killing a snake that was in his house he injured his right hand rendering it useless. Normally this would mean he didn't come to work and then... no bread. Fortunately he has found 'the apprentice' I have been telling him to keep an eye out for. So I now have a new employee; Alberto! (or Bert as he seems to prefer)

Both Alfonso and Alberto arre working tonight, Alfonso directing and Alberto learning the ropes and performing any physical jobs. I've just been on duty to wash dishes for the farm so I'm keen to head down to the bakery now and see how they're getting on!