Wednesday 9 April 2014

Dreaded year end.

Well, we are round to the first week in April again and here on the farm that only means one thing - the financial year end; the date when all the 'books' have to be balanced, all the receipts and such like sorted, numbered, clipped together and put into a folder.   Then the whole lot is taken to the Accountant and I can heave a sigh of relief.

Every year I promise myself that I will balance each page of the ledger when I get to the bottom of the page, but I never do.   Consequently, I now have about four pages of figures to add up and - worse still - balance.    The first page worked like a dream but the second page - oh dear - I struggled with it all afternoon and finally gave up at tea time.   I should have known better than to continue once it didn't balance.   Experience tells me that it is better put away and seen afresh the next day.  So today's programme is plan the lunch and then get out the ledger.

Yesterday was the exercise class for the over sixties in the morning.   It doesn't get any easier, that's for sure.   One hour's concentrated exercise, non-stop, and we are all glad to sit down for a cup of tea at the end.  But it definitely is good to move about in an ordered way, stretching and exercising each muscle, taught by someone who knows what they are doing.

Two hen pheasants are mooching about the front walled garden.  I suspect they are both nesting somewhere in the undergrowth, like one did last year.  The vegetation is growing so quickly that there is plenty of cover for them.

We have a fine crop of baby rabbits in the fields.  I can see some of them gambolling in the paddock from the kitchen window, and one, braver than the rest, pops on to the lawn for his supper every night.  He is so pretty.  He had better watch out for the farm cats who at the moment seem to be existing on a diet exclusively made up of rabbit.   Their food is uneaten and when the farmer went in to feed them last night, both were stretched out asleep on the hay, both had huge stomachs and neither moved when he went into the barn.  There were numerous rabbit skins on the floor - they are certainly good at skinning their prey.   Pity the rabbit skin man doesn't still come round - we would make a fortune.

Ah well, the ledger calls.   Might have a coffee first - anything to put off the evil moment.   We are having bacon and egg for lunch so I can't make preparing lunch an excuse.

14 comments:

Heather said...

My head aches at the thought of balancing business books - it's a good job the farmer isn't relying on my book keeping skills. You have my admiration and I hope the columns balance for you this time. I'm glad you feel the benefit from those exercise classes. I wish there were some near me - I could certainly do with them.

Dartford Warbler said...

Oh dear. That sounds a stressful day when you have to balance the books of a busy farm business. Wishing you luck with the figures Pat. It`s a job I would NOT enjoy.

Pretty baby rabbits here as well. Food for young buzzards very soon....

John Going Gently said...

The rabbit population here has exploded again.....
I love watching the babies
Little scraps of fluff

Willow said...

A god cup of coffee and I can tackle anything better, hope that cup worked for you.

Arija said...

Commiserations Pat, I'm in the same way but only with the quarterly statement. I have to do three quarterly statements and then the whole kit and caboodle at the end of June.
At the moment I have Peter's brother here for a week from Colorado to strew his brother's ashes, so the GST statement will have to wait and get rushed afterwards.
Good luck with yours!

JoAnn ( Scene Through My Eyes) said...

Ahh but the wonderful feeling when it is all done and off to the accountant. Have a great day!!!!

angryparsnip said...

I can somewhat understand your stress.
I too am doing some tax work. For me it is getting on the computer and trying to pay online, my 1st quarter taxes OK an extension that my tax man needs.
My taxes are never done in April but sometime in the fall. So complicated.
Good luck to you !

cheers, parsnip

Crafty Green Poet said...

Hope the rabbits are safe!

I was watching a pair of pheasants today, the male fluffed himself up as big as he could, stood on his tiptoes and rushed at the female, who ignored him.

Good luck with the accounts

Rachel Phillips said...

Being a morning person I would get up and do it in the morning starting at 7 am and finished by 10. Good luck.

Virginia said...

I feel for you! My husband stepped 'into the breach' to do the annual accounts for a charitable trust he's chair of, when the single employee had to resign, and he's been driven demented (and me with him!) over them. It's a specialist task, and he's a law academic, not an accountancy one, and isn't planning on a career move I can tell you!!!

Rabbits are a major problem in farming areas over here, and have had a huge impact on some hill country properties.

Cloudia said...

Though I adore rabbits, I can;t help smiling at the slumbering hunters in the barn.





ALOHA from Honolulu
ComfortSpiral

=^..^= <3

Cro Magnon said...

Don't you eat rabbit? I love it, and it's very low in fat.

The Weaver of Grass said...

Cro - the reason we don';t eat rabbit is that myxamatosis is rife on our farm and it has put us off rabbit for ever.
They are so pretty too - don't think I could bear to eat it.

Em Parkinson said...

I DO NOT envy you that task one bit Pat! I'll be thinking of you though.