Eeeek.....!

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a woman in possession of a good idea must be in want of a damn fine plan.

And so it is, that in recent days, from my convalescent spot on the sofa, in front of a roaring fire, plans and ideas have been flowing onto my notebook.  Having finally made the decision to wind up Tower House Dolls I now have to make it happen, and thereby hangs a curly tail.

Apparently (who knew?) you can't just close your business doors and that's that. 

No by no nonny no.

There are no end of bureaucratic hoops to jump through and it's going to be much less painless and more involved than I'd hoped.  Having perused all the information on the HMRC website about closing a business it's clear that it will take most of the remaining 110 days to sort out if I'm to get it right and not incur any financial penalties.

Things like closing the website are relatively straightforward.  It will simply disappear into the ether when my hosting package expires in April, triggering a point of no return.  At that point my Tower House Dolls email address will also expire.  That will then render my business PayPal account invalid and a cascade effect will ensue.  I will then have to close my business bank account.

To fulfil my statutory obligations to the taxman I will have to inform him/her/it in advance, of the date of closure and submit final year trading accounts.  I will need to do a final stock take of all the business assets (hopefully there won't be any left) and tie up all the loose ends. 

There's a LOT to do, on top of the practicalities of clearing my workroom.  Unbelievably, having listed my kiln and all my dollmaking equipment for sale yesterday I already have a lovely buyer, who will take possession in the New Year.  That will free up loads of space and I can then downsize my storage units.   I've also made a start on my last ever sale list which will be hopefully be ready sometime in January.  It will be a doozer.

I can't deny that I've been fantasising about what to do with the liberated space and transforming my workroom into an occasional hobby/craft room.  That's the fun part which will take some of the stress out of all the other 'stuff to do'.  I already have Pinterest on standby. 

So the plan is, by my 65th birthday in April, to have everything done and dusted and be sailing off into a well-earned retirement.  And by sailing, I'm thinking 'luxury cruise'.... 😉

It's time.....

I've been teetering on the brink for a while now, but my recent emergency hospitalisation for one of two ongoing, chronic conditions, coupled with all of PP's health trials and tribulations over the past 16 months have finally made up my mind and Tower House Dolls will be permanently closing its doors on 5th April 2023.

I set up my fledgling small business in 1987... almost 36 years ago, and it has been one of the very best things I've ever done.  Through it I've met some amazing people, some of whom have become firm friends.  I've travelled far and wide throughout the UK to exhibit at specialist miniatures fairs, and have developed and taught workshops and classes to hundreds of enthusiastic students over the years.  

I've grown and developed as a miniature dollmaker.... I even fulfilled my ambition to write and publish a book.   All in all I've thoroughly enjoyed it...even the stressful times when deadlines have loomed and I've been tearing my hair out!

However, the past three years have been very difficult.... Brexit has decimated my EU customer base,  the Covid pandemic caused major supply issues and also hit sales, then PP's cancer diagnosis completely pulled the rug out from under us and our lives have had to be put on hold throughout her treatment, surgery and ongoing recovery.

I still intend to indulge my creative impulses but no longer want the constant merry-go-round of running a business with all that entails.

So, for the next three months I will be concluding my epic downsizing exercise with a vengeance, aiming to completely clear my workroom so that supplies for my creative endeavours will ALL fit into my lovely, upcycled bureau cabinet.  All being well I will be able to dispense with an entire wall of storage cupboards and shelving and my room will hopefully subsequently look less chaotic and more like a proper room, albeit with a rather gorgeous cabinet containing my remaining dolls, fabrics, trimmings etc.   

Having made up my mind to make this leap of faith I definitely feel a sense of calm.  It's time to do the things I really want to do, rather than the things I feel I have to do.... not a bucket list exactly but not far off. 

So.....in January, I will be preparing my final sale list.  

And literally..... Everything. Must. Go.

Here's hoping that 2023 will be a much better year all round, with new adventures, and a renewed optimistic outlook on life.*

*what could possibly go wrong....?

Sh*t happens..... literally

 

It's a long (and messy) story.

Cut short.... massive IBD/Colitis flare, ambulance trip from GP to hospital, emergency admission.

All. The. Drugs.

Tests, test, tests.

Finally stabilised.... discharged home after 4 days.

You honestly couldn't make this sh*t up. 

Bottom line (no pun intended).... zero energy, zonked out from weird drug interactions, disorientated, and feeling like it's all a horrible dream.

Will our Christmas be cancelled for the third year in a row?

Watch this space

*sigh*