Caz counts it down

cazmanian_minx

DebtFree2012 wrote: »

Great update Caz but I have to say rather you than me on understanding this lark. You sound well in control. Are we expecting scores today?

It's been mostly Mr RPC this week, with one for NEL and I still have about 4 hours to get through for Journalist #1.

Off for a meeting with the bank this afternoon. They won't let me change the name on my bead shop bank account, I have to open a new one, so I thought I'd add up all my typing/VA invoices for the last financial year.

£13,665.12!

I seriously wasn't expecting it to be that much, given I was invoicing under £1,000 a month for most of the year. Just shows how much it's picked up in the last couple of months. I haven't worked out the bead income yet, but it looks like my hope of getting the July self-assessment payment on account cancelled is fading fast. Might still be able to get it reduced if my total income is under £19,000, and that depends on whether I'm allowed to offset the currently-loss-making crofting venture. If I am, happy days, probably no tax to pay at all.

Pippilongstocking

Well done on working that hard! I added mine up last week and was seriously impressed at how much I've managed to add extra to things from last years move......

You'll have home office expenses etc to decuct and other things I'm sure.

castlelough

Well done Caz! Sounds like you have the farming bug!
Interested in how Finn is going to be an agricultural pony?!

JustAboutThere

'So Here I Am: 100 Years of Crofting'

Not sure if you've seen this on the schedules, but it's described as:

'Documentary from the BBC Archives in which writer and historian James Hunter examines the state of crofting 100 years after the crofters of Braes in Skye fought for land rights'.

No idea if its in English or Gaelic, but I've set the planner.

Anyway, I thought I'd mention it.

cazmanian_minx

Pippilongstocking wrote: »

Well done on working that hard! I added mine up last week and was seriously impressed at how much I've managed to add extra to things from last years move......

You'll have home office expenses etc to decuct and other things I'm sure.

That's interesting, Pippi - do you think that's down to being on the mainland with more opportunities available? Oh yes, a few home office expenses, travel expenses for the meeting at Mr RPC's office last summer, and a LOT of expenses from the croft!

castlelough wrote: »

Well done Caz! Sounds like you have the farming bug!
Interested in how Finn is going to be an agricultural pony?!

Well, with the three crofts I hold, I have 4 grazing shares on the village common grazings, so I can let my sheep out there to wander around and graze away. Sounds very charming and pastoral, but the whole area totals 832 hectares and there's no fence between our common grazings and those of the next village, which are about the same amount of land. So my sheep could be anywhere on that and although you can take a quad bike up there, just about, it's steep hills and peat banks and so most people go up on foot past a certain point. It's going to be much, much easier for me to go up and check on them on a sure-footed native pony, so Finn will become an essential piece of shepherding equipment and therefore an allowable expense for tax purposes Must get his saddle out when the weather dries up and see how he feels about it.

JustAboutThere wrote: »

'So Here I Am: 100 Years of Crofting'

Not sure if you've seen this on the schedules, but it's described as:

'Documentary from the BBC Archives in which writer and historian James Hunter examines the state of crofting 100 years after the crofters of Braes in Skye fought for land rights'.

No idea if its in English or Gaelic, but I've set the planner.

Anyway, I thought I'd mention it.

On Alba it'll be in Gaelic. Thank you for pointing it out :beer:

I have got a ridiculous amount of work to do today, so I shouldn't still be sitting on the sofa in my dressing gown, but it's horribly wet outside at the moment, so here's a small list before I go and get dressed.

• Check inaudibles on NEL's file and send back
• Type up remaining 90 minutes of interview for Journalist #1
• Do urgent set of meeting notes for Mr RPC

Mr Minx is away all next week, so the rest of my typing queue will hopefully get knocked out in the evenings, as Mr RPC is keeping me pretty busy during the day at the moment.


House is going well, we've uncovered an ENORMOUS fireplace in the kitchen :j:j:j:j:j but sadly there's no matching one in the living room at the other end of the house.

Pippilongstocking

Goodluck with all of that.

Work wise - I think in some ways opportunities have opened up down here due to my skill set and geography. But, if I'd stayed up north that was coming on too - so who can tell. Its risky moving your life 300 miles south (or north/west/east) but I think if you do show that you are keen to work hard, and give anything a go, eventually you'll get to where you need to go.

But, as I tell my inner pessimist I appear to have an outer-optomist-overcoat.

I remember picking whelks one winter on a tiny island on the west coast - happy as larry I was able to stay and work.

I'm never one to turn down an opportunity - bit like you Caz - if you want life to work, you work hard at it.

YAY to fireplaces. I love a good fire.

Hope your day brightens up.

brizzledfw

All sounding so promising..and loving Finn's new role..you'll have to get OH to take a photo of you all out on the croft with your truly nomadic sheep

Fireplace sounds great too

Well done Caz...

Verbatim

All gathering pace and getting very exciting Caz. I'm so happy for you but also very jealous!

milasavesmoney

I'm wondering how you tell which sheep are yours. Do you tag their ears?

DebtFree2012

We need a Finn blog now surely