...or so I thought! Two weeks ago I was out in my garden in shorts, playing with bricks. This week I don't think I've been out once without a scarf and I've been lighting the smoky old Rayburn in my kitchen to keep warm in the day.
Still, what can we do about it all? I rarely bother with weather forecasts because we just have to take what comes. Which is why the washing I put out to dry this morning is now having a second rinse! And here we are in April with its showers sweet - or shoures swich - or however Chaucer spelled it. I've come to realise that April is a 'down' month for the business, what with the Easter holidays, and gardens starting to show serious signs of growth. Many of my clientele are of the gardening/off-peak break/golf type....oh let's face it, they're retired! So bookings tend to drop at this time of the year as they rediscover The Great Outdoors.
But I don't let that get me down now. I can take advantage of it and give myself a break. It's very hard as director of a one-man self-employed business to tell yourself to take time out. Yes, time is money, as they say, but what is life if you're just living to work and working to live? So I'm taking a break for a week. All the Easter singing ends for me at about 1645 on Sunday and on Monday I shall be flinging a few essentials in a bag (man's packing!) and - as our US cousins say - outta here.
March has been a tolerably good month - the best this calendar year. That doesn't say very much, since March is only the 3rd month! March 2010 and 2011 were boom months - KER-BOOM months - and I'll need to do some serious advertising and promotion work when I get back to make sure the business picks up again. But for the moment, it's happy holidays!
April Charity
I've spent some time tidying up loose ends at the beginning of the month, which makes me feel good. And I've made sure I got this month's charity sorted promptly. I was on my way back from the bank in Hereford - I swear these lovely people stake out the banking areas of towns - and I got 'chugged' again!Katerina caught my eye. I tried and tried to avoid her, but......well, as usual I got my spiel in first. She was inviting people to support Concern Universal, which is based in Hereford. I've supported them before, but it must be over a year ago and anyway why should that stop me doing it again? They are still a good cause. So that solved the monthly charity choice.
It's a very small office in Hereford, so all these people couldn't possibly fit. This must be a conference or something similar. Whoever and wherever...they look a happy bunch!
Colin
