Up here in Brum..

Working for Peters Books today and decided to come up by train instead of driving and I think I have made the right choice. It’s a longer day but with organisation and once I have found my feet I will be able to leave their offices on time and then catch up with other work for clients. It also means that I can use the travel time more effectively – although updating my diary probably isn’t the most effective use of my time!

Got the 7.36am journey up here, bit of excitement near Birmingham as a fare dodger got caught out and was arguing with the guards, lying git! Really full on day in the office, I hardly spoke to anyone, they’d asked me to get so much done, still not finished when I left. Might do some tonight, haven’t decided yet. I think they like what I have to offer so hopefully my position is secure…for now.

Left around 5.30pm and then wandered through the Bullring to the station and got the 6.33pm train home. Might look at Bicester as it’s cheaper next week. We’ll see.

All in all a decent day, busy couple of days ahead but that’s fine, that’s what I get paid well do to!

Back to Work with a bump

So it’s been two days back and it’s been hard work. Had such a great time over the Xmas break and could easily not work!!

Yesterday I worked from home and it was okay, loads of data work and today I travelled into London to see Ruth Miskin and train with them. Really good session that we all enjoyed. I was pleased that they were so positive – doesn’t happen too often! It was an early start and I drove into London for once, I won’t be keen to do that again in a hurry I must admit.

Normally I would get the train but I needed to go to St Albans in the afternoon for a meeting so took the plunge. The weather has been awful and true to form it pissed with rain all the way there and also caused an accident on the M40 before the M25 which meant everything was a standstill. Finally got passed it but driving in Central London was an eye-opener. I am confident and comfortable driving anywhere but I realised after 20mins that my jaw was aching and I’d been clenching my teeth so tightly and concentrating…

It was a good plan though because it meant that getting to and from St Albans was so much easier

Got home and collapsed. Nice dinner and then worked on my laptop in the front room and watched a couple of programmes that Tash wanted to catch up. There was a second part of a drama called The 7:39 which was about a romance on a train, for some reason Tash then gives me stick whenever these sort of stories are on and accuses me of having a secret life and it would be so easy for me to do what’s on the TV. I have to take it but it’s a shame!

Anyway, meant to get an early night but stayed up watching the news and then played Jack’s GTA 5 – it’s addictive I have to admit and it was soon 1.30am…time for bed I think!!

So, back into the routine all too soon but with the target of the Thailand holiday on the horizon it’s all worth it

Busy Saturday

Got bloody loads done today…

Up bright and early (around 6.45am) and went downstairs and worked on my Accounts for an hour or so in terms of raising invoices and making sure everything was balancing. Jack stayed at Danny’s last night so I went and did the paper-round for him and then when I got back finished off the Accounts – the work I’d done a couple of weeks ago paid off because I got the balancing and the updates done perfectly, no messing about with finding lost money!

I also took the chance to update the investment prices that I have been keeping an eye on. Lately I have been interested in dipping my toe into the Stock Market so I have been doing some research and checking the prices on stock recommendations to see if the Brokers are successfully advising Buy proposals. I have an account set up and today the PIN came through so I’ve uploaded £500.00 to start investing on Monday…bit nervous, going to keep it quiet and see what happens.

Once all that was sorted I got out into the garden with Tash and worked on chopping the trees back and then got to work on the bathroom tile that got broken in Charlotte’s party, all was going fine as I was chipping away the grouting until I got a little impatient and chipped another tile, so I had to start digging that one out, and I went and chipped a third one…couldn’t believe it…managed to reign in my enthusiasm and got the three out with no further problems. Realised as I was about to put the new ones on that one of them had been cut to size and it was the key one so I couldn’t proceed. Spoke to Mum and will collect the tile cutter tomorrow after Jack’s football training session

I then went out and worked on the bikes that were broken, fixing Jack’s puncture and then popped round to Sue’s for a scone and jam and then I managed to catch up with the last hour of Django Unchained before going home to take Tash, Lucie and Chrissie into Oxford for a girls night out. Charlotte then asked me to take her and Rose to Rose Hill to see her friends and the lad from school who’s joined the army – Linus.

Got home and Jack was watching, and really enjoying Beverly Hills Cop and I then sat and worked. In fact I worked all night until 11.00pm when Charlotte text to be picked up and Tash did the same so I got them all in one hit.

Busy day like I said at the beginning, nice sense of achievement though and work is getting more up to date by the minute. What was interesting, I was ‘happy’ to sit there in the front room writing emails, getting work up to date and not watching TV or drinking, sometimes I wonder how much I do prefer working…

Oh, I won’t say how much I raised invoices for, but it was a very good month, can’t see me matching that for a long, long time – but I want to start ‘hiding’ funds from Tash so that I can surprise her in a couple of years time with a lump sum – aiming for £5k first in 2 years…I wonder!!

Exciting times ahead…self employment here I come

So…what’s the state of play?

I’ve been made redundant and after various considerations I am going self-employed and intending to work with existing customers to cover admin, projects and SPIRIT. After some initial set backs I now have the following:

1. One day a week with a customer to carry out email campaigns and the like – 12 month contract

2. Projects with another existing customer who has a lot of work in the pipeline to discuss with me – ad hoc

3. Couple of days a week with a third customer – 6 month contract

4. Brand new venture with Jim Austin’s company who do Financial Services, need to get up to speed with their the Finance area but they’re interested in me working with them after I did a training demo and interview on Monday – ad hoc

Needless to say I am absolutely delighted by this turn of events, can’t be happier, in fact, I am a little concerned that I will have too much work…ah well, if it means late nights and weekend work then so be it. Hopefully putting this into print isn’t going to cause a collapse in the promised work but all in all very, very excited for what the future holds…

Mum’s coming round later for my birthday so might open something more fizzy than lager tonight!

Watch this space!