Firstly a Happy New Year to you and here’s wishing for a prosperous 2018.

Right, got the nice “stuff” out of the way, now I can get back to normal…

The break did me good. I seem to have banished the worst of the “man flu” thank goodness after around seven weeks. Still the odd cough and splutter but in the main just a memory. And not a good one at that.

However, after a couple of weeks of more or less getting to bed at the same time and getting up an hour later, it’s now back to normal and the rapid descent into sleep deprivation.

And on the first day back I did a day trip to Somerset, around 90 miles each way!

Actually the way down was fine, half the level of traffic as usual, and everything just slipped into place while I was there so everything got done in good time and I had time to do the twiddly bits but then I came back. Straight into stationary traffic at the first piece of dual carriageway I come to.

So the old brain cell cuts in and I follow the roundabout round and head in the OPPOSITE direction on the principle that there is another parallel road 5-10 miles further south which should enable me to avoid whatever was causing the trouble.

After a quick stop at the first lay-by I come to after turning off at the first place name I recognised as being in a southerly direction to squint at the atlas I still carry in the car (surmising that the SatNav might try and take me back into the snarl up I’d just avoided) and off we (I) go.

Of course I then remember that the more southerly road goes THROUGH all the major conurbations en route whereas the congested route doesn’t really go through anywhere and I also discover that it is, in the main, not the straightest of roads to be driving in the dark with a fine intermittent rain when you don’t know where you’re going. But hey! At least the traffic was moving (most of the time) so it was probably the best option, all things considered.

And what the heck’s another 40 minutes in a nine hour day…

The other blessing in the week between Xmas and New Year was the virtual cessation of incoming emails. Two days reducing my unread and un-dealt withs by 1/3rd a day and an impromptu day off (I lie, it was booked off ages ago) where the incoming were less than a normal Sunday. Do YOU remember the early days of email and the way you looked forward to receiving one? What do you mean you’re not old enough?

Well that continued on Tuesday while I was on my gallivanting but it ceased yesterday with a vengeance… It took me TWO HOURS this morning to deal with a day’s emails! This is bl00dy ridiculous! Virtually NONE of it was of any serious import – maybe two or three – and, no, I wasn’t pootling about. My back tells me otherwise. And the same amount have poured in today which means, I suppose, another two hours tomorrow. Except that I probably don’t HAVE a spare two hours tomorrow as I need to squeeze a networking meeting in to see someone at said meeting which could be positive income-wise from my point of view. Bless.

Actually – must remember to book that before it’s too late.

Done.

Wasn’t that easy – give or take I can’t work out how to get all my bookmarks in the same place or get the Chrome ones to be in alphabetical order. I’m sure some bright techie out there knows the answer but I sure don’t.

Oh well, that’s enough for this week.

Oh, and a big shout out to one of my newer clients who, me having dropped him a tax saving tip, agreed without hesitation. I’m MOST impressed!

Nose back to the grindstone. A tax return preparer’s life is never done at this time of year…