Mooloo's little tapestry of life, 2016

Savvy_sewing

Weekends are usually OK as her Partner comes home. Tuesday's is the day she teaches dancing again. That's why I am needed so early.
I have asked her to seek other help, but today couldn't be helped.
I got through the day. Seamstress was helpful and polite etc to me, and if the other staffs name came up I just went away to do something else. I was not as productive as I normally am though. Interruptions serving in the shop and fittings.
This morning a girl fainted on us! Bit of drama. She says she's never fainted before. Her poor mum had an awful fright.
I'm going to be glad to get to my bed tonight. Then tomorrow the builders are back. So a frustrating day stuck at home and unable to work. But then hopefully that will be it for a while and I can gain my world back.
The thunder has just arrived here.
Save me watering all those plants I suppose.
The cats have dived into the garage for cover.
Just heating some spaghetti to go with the meatballs for the kids and me. Although I'm not in favour of meatballs at the moment!!

Savvy_sewing

Home at last. Don't like driving in thunder and lightening storms.
Now I have stopped I am really tired. A cup of tea a little Spring watch and then bed.
Alarm set for 6am so I can empty the kitchen again.

Savvy_sewing

Morning, I managed an early night and 30mins of positive hypnosis that I haven't listened to for quite a while.
My plans for today are based around the builders. I have to make the kitchen clear, but also upstairs they need access to the floor boards in the second bedroom. Unfortunately the contents from the under stairs cupboard, the overflow of the washing and ironing and DGDs things were all moved into there.
So this should be fun!
I do have the morning to do this as housing said they would come after 1pm when the shop is shut. However I have decided to just get the home etc sorted out and staff will man the shop. Then tomorrow I will just get on and sew as much as I can. Hopefully it means that I will have peace of mind and be able to focus on better things rather then all this worry and stress.
I need to continue having faith that I'm finally at a turning point in my life, that I can make the right decisions and move on.

Savvy_sewing

Where is my luck?
Plasterers came, electrician came, put a hole in the roof for wires and Avnet then he left. Went away laughing that I wouldn't be getting my extractor fan in today! Fuming, and conveniently housing are not answering their telephones as the staff are on a training day!
Smoke signals anyone? There is enough steam coming out of my ears.

Savvy_sewing

A call to arrange a further appointment for 1.30 next Wednesday now. Then I will have to redecorate myself they said. I said I want decorating vouchers then as I can't afford to redecorate again. We will see.

Savvy_sewing

Time to face the day. Although I have been awake about an hour I was trying to relax and not be all stressed and tense.
Today is going to be a good day, I intend to knuckle down and hit my target of £150 worth of work. Then this evening I have our next sewing lesson. Pattern adapting, and cutting out where necessary.
The builders won't be back till next Wednesday so I can just put the kitchen back together till next week and empty it all again next week.
I will need to get paint etc sorted to do the decorating but it may have to wait until I have the time.
Time for a quick shower to wash my hair as I couldn't be bothered yesterday but it's too long now and needs cutting, so it's easier to style when washed.
Have a good day, let's blow the cobwebs away.

Savvy_sewing

Yesterday went quite well. With staff helping me prep the jobs we got through £258 worth of sewing. But today was not so good. Just less than £100 as I had to redo the hem on a prom dress ( old seamstresses work), so can't charge for that.
Lots of fittings.
Time off for the dentist where I ended up loosing my tooth. Slowed me down then!
This evening I've been out to dinner with the friend I often go with, but tonight it was budget on an envelope time.
I have helped her to start her budget, etc
Gave her MSE website, told her about the various money saving tips, approved foods, setting up a housekeeping account and several other starter tips.
I've done a YouGov survey this evening. I feel really tired now.
Working on my own tomorrow to keep staffs wages down to manageable hours.

Savvy_sewing

Saturday was fairly quiet in the shop. A few collections, mostly prepaid, and a few jobs in. One man brought 7 pairs of trousers in to be shortened.
DGD went to staffs house, her husband took her to the carnival. I met up with them after work. Biggest of Mooloo and her daughter were dancing in the carnival, I was lucky enough to get there just before their display in the main arena. Although she went over her ankle in a rut in the field made by the artillery guns previously. Not so good. How she carried on dancing until the end of the display amazed me.
Dgd and I have come over to friends in Oxford, ( my kitchen is out of sight and theoretically out of mind).
I've woken with a thumping headache. It's the weather, oppressive atmosphere.
We will be going home soon.
I may let DGD go play with her little friend and try and have a lay down.
Tomorrow I'm on my own in the shop again. I will probably look for all the easier jobs and bring them down to sew in the shop. If I make it "trouser" day, I can probably get through quiet a few pairs between 9 and 5.
If I'm not disturbed much I can do about 4 pairs an hour. That's where I make my money.

dktreesea

It's good your house is shaping up. Do you have a preserved right to buy (i.e. a council home transferred to a housing association after you had moved into it) or was it already housing association when you moved in? If the former, it is well worth, imho, sitting out the five years or whatever it is now to qualify under the scheme, as you would be able to buy the house at a heavily discounted rate.

dktreesea

I read in one of your earlier posts that with your staff's retirement coming up in the future, you were deciding whether to renew the shop lease or downsize and return to working from home.


The best thing might be to negotiate a proper longer term lease and then sell the business. For example:


http://www.daltonsbusiness.com/clothes-shops-for-sale/well-established-clothing-repair-and-alt-ramsgate-kent-uk/392166


This particular shop has rent of £10,400 a year and turns over around £1,000 a week, so maybe some similarities to your business.


This would, I think, be a better option than not renewing the shop lease. You may have to pay capital gains tax on the sale price of the shop, but already established businesses set up in a bricks and mortar shop aren't exactly cheap. It could be something to look forward to as a way of compensating yourself for all the time it took to set up and establish the business.