I’m absolutely sure that no-one needs to be reminded about the postal strike and the need to get your 09/09 paper returns and payments to HMRC by tomorrow. HMRC have not indicated that they will allow additional time to pay or submit because of the postal strike. They may show some flexibility when it comes to treating late returns/payments as defaults because of the strike but we can’t rely on that. So you really do need to be sure that any paper returns and payments reach them by tomorrow.
More information on ways to submit returns and payments to HMRC is here http://tinyurl.com/yjcelzf on the HMRC website. I always advise clients to switch to submitting electronic returns and payments as you get an additional seven extra calendar days to submit payment returns and payments to HMRC and of course it means that you don’t have to worry about postal strikes.
Balmy Autumn and plants update
In the meantime, it’s been a very balmy autumn up here in Leeds and I still have a few lilies, clematis and raspberries blooming on my balcony! I get lots of sun anyway as my apartment faces south but I really hate it when all of the plants have died over the winter and the balcony is bare. So this year I’ve bought a load of evergreen plants and winter flowering pansies, hellabores and have planted dozens of spring flowering bulbs so that there are plenty of pretty things to look at in the colder months.
I think that I personally fund most of Ideal World’s gardening budget with the amount of stuff I buy from them. I’m addicted to their gardening show on Sunday morning at 11am, even if I’m not buying anything I love getting all the hints and tips from their gardening expert, I really am a bit sad! And the best thing about it is they deliver right to your door, so you don’t even have to trudge to the garden centre and lug the stuff home yourself. QVC do great plants too and their gardening shows are great, although they stop them in the winter, which is a shame and I suspect looses a lot of potential customers to the competition.
I’ve had some wonderful plants by post from Thompson & Morgan and Haylofts as well. I’m addicted to colour and watching plants grow, I have to check everyday to see what is coming up and whether I’ve got any new flowers. And thankfully, this year I can now do it during the winter months as well!
And in the meantime…
This week I was planning to blog about partial exemption and already have a half written rant about the problems inherent in the standard method. But this week I’m being a bit self-indulgent, talking about plants and things, for a very personal reason. This weekend I have a MASSIVE birthday. I mean MASSIVE. The one where you realise that you simply can’t escape describing yourself as middle aged and that your pension savings start to become much more important than all other financial considerations.
I’m not having any huge celebration this weekend (doing that later) but a few little treats in store. Yes, you’ve guessed it, including more new plants for my balcony. Plus a fair amount of chocolate and champagne. But I will be pleased when it’s over with. I’m not someone who dreads getting older as such and in fact there are several things about being young that I’ll never miss. However I have felt this sense of “dread” about it over recent weeks. I don’t know why, age is only a number and at the end of the day, it’s how you feel and act that matters. But it does feel like a milestone and I’ll be glad once the day is done and over with.
Feeling different with age?
The thing about getting older is that you don’t feel any different really. When you get to 30, you don’t suddenly feel different to being 29 and I’ve felt the same about subsequent decades. Your attitudes and thought processes are part of your inherent character. I know people who have been middle-aged in attitude since being teenagers. Likewise I know people who behave like teenagers in their sixties.
What is interesting is how the cumulative events of our lives shape us as individuals and how they affect our character. Very few of us can hope to reach middle age without some sort of emotional, physical or psychological “baggage”. Most of us have life plans that can’t possibly take into account just how hard you have to work at times to get that promotion or how difficult it is to raise children or anticipate unexpected ill-health or family problems.
I’ve often heard the phrase that we get stronger through adversity and it probably is true that our characters develop more through difficult times than happy times. And that’s certainly been true for me – my life has included an unexpected series of events particularly during the past decade, the sort that I could never have anticipated and they have certainly strengthened my resolve. I think, though, what is interesting is how your focus can change through life and how that is affected by events. These days, I am significantly less bothered about being a size 12 (okay you can all stop laughing now!) and much more bothered about having a good night’s sleep.
Either way, I am glad and relieved to still be alive and be part of this amazing world and universe. Whether I’m walking along the street or simply talking to another human being, I’m fascinated by the whole caboodle of life and the universe. So I hope I get to do it for a long time more yet as long as I’m fit and healthy enough to appreciate it!
But that’s enough of me waxing lyrical about life and stuff. I promise next week to rant about partial exemption. And in the meantime, get those VAT returns and payments in on time and have a great weekend!
Marie