Of course it depends on how cloudy it is to be able to see the comet. At present it's so cloudy here that I can't see the sun let alone any comet

Like you EL there is so much cloud cover, with more to come, that my chances of seeing a comet lie between zero and zilch

Happy New Year Buddies.....health , happiness and peace 

Aw that's cute baz

Very cloudy here too so no comet sightings tonight.

Much the same here. Where I live, the weather is such that night times are generally cloudy and I'm not expecting to be able to see the comet.

 

Thanks Velvet, Dame and Baz, and I hope 2015 will be a happy and healthy year for you.

 

It's blowing a gale and pouring with rain up here, so no chance of seeing the comet.

 

Family have all gone home and the dishwasher is on its second load.

Steak pie turned out well.

 

 

Off for a bath then bed.

Goodnight and sweet dreams everyone.

 

Ros, I keep missing you. Wishing you a very Happy New Year.

Leaving hugs for the night owls.

aww night lovely yogi CBB soon

Good morning everyone.

 

It's still blowing a gale and pouring with rain up here.

 

I've got to empty my car of all personal possessions today, as it's being picked up tomorrow to be repaired (after that elderly man reversed into me). I'm getting a courtesy car while my car's being repaired, so at least I'll still be mobile.

 

Have a good day everyone.

Good morning everyone

 

Fairly sunny here though forecast to cloud over by early evening just in time to miss tonight's comet spot. No rain today but plenty tomorrow morning.

 

Yogi, you may find things which you had thought you lost when you empty your car I keep very little in my car so emptying it would take only a couple of minutes.

 

Hi El.

Apart from a hairbrush and some CDs, it's mostly the mountain of "bags for life" I have accumulated (since they brought in the 5p charge for carrier bags) that need to be removed.

Yogi, in England the charge for plastic bags doesn't start until after the general election and then only for the larger stores. I've been re-using them for some time now so the introduction of the charge won't affect me as much as some people.

 

I've got loads of  "bags for life", but I keep forgetting to take them with me when I go into shops, so then I end up buying another one!

Good morning everyone, loads of rain overnight, much more than they forecast, still high winds though.

 

That's odd EL I am sure I have been paying for plastic bags for years, in fact I know I have.  I too switched to 'bags for life' ages ago, a good system as they just change them when they get worn out.  But on the odd occasion that you need one they always charge.  I am glad you will still be mobile Yogi but it's still been an awful faff for you.  We had a car stolen once and it's amazing the little things you leave in the glovebox which you realise years later you don't have any more, like a certain map, I think there was a very good mock chammy that we bought at the Ideal Home Exhibition too.

 

Did anyone catch Esio Trot last night on BBC 1, I absolutely loved it, wonderful cast too Dame Judy Dench and Dustin Hoffman, charming and soppy it was In my view worth a catch-up if you missed it.

 

Enjoy your day everyone

Squiggle, it may be that your local council has implemented a charge for plastic bags?

 

Yes, I watched Esio Trot last night and as you say it's charming. I agree with you, it's worth watching online if you've missed it. Dustin Hoffman and Judi Dench are well matched in this gentle romance.

In case you wonder how to pronounce the director's name Dearbhla Walsh, the bh is pronounced as a v. So it's pronounced Dervla (as in Dervla Kirwan).

 

Happy New Year Buddies  

Moonie, a Happy New Year to you as well

Royal Mail has a new website where you can look to see what special stamps they printed in the year of your birth:

http://rmspecialstamps.com/

The only snag is that they only started printing special stamps on a regular basis from 1965 so that rules me out.

Good afternoon all it's sunny, bright and wild windy here today! I'm feeling much better than I did yesterday and am very pleased about it too

Yogi I hope all goes well with your car repairs. I too have accumulated a collection of shopping bags that live in the boot of my car, in the exact same forgetful way you have. I also have a couple of souvenir ones too, the best being from chatsworth from a visit several years ago. It's very strong and deeper than the the others so it's perfect for cereal boxes & large bottled items

Last time I cleared out the car I duscocered that I somehow had 3 ice scapers

P.S. Happy new year moonie that cake is gorgeous

 

Happy New Year to you too Sweet

Glad you enjoyed it  

Happy New Year to you too, Moonie.

 

Squiggle, I've recorded Esio Trot and will watch it during the week. I love Judi Dench!

El, no special stamps for me either as I was also born before 1965.

 I only found one ice scraper when I cleaned out my car today.

Me as well (born before 1965 too, in fact I was married by 1965 )

 

You are in for a treat Yogi, for me it was the best thing I watched over Christmas.

 

Happy New Year to you too moonie, how are you feeling now?

 

I just watched UP again, I love that film.

Squiggle, I thought you might watch Up! again when I saw it in the schedules. It's a great film. As I've said before, the opening scenes where there's no dialogue lifts the film from just a very good film to something approaching greatness.

I agree EL, I love so many things about it - it leaves me with a warm fuzzy feeling and for me that is a good film

I've just rewatched the opening scene and still rate it as the best opening of any film I have ever seen.

Re Esio Trot, did you spot the little references to a mssing cat (a notice on a milk carton near the beginning) and then at the end a notice on a notice board that the cat had been found.

 

I did notice about the cat, there were so many little touches in it weren't they?

Me too

Oh I love UP!

I saw bits of Esio Trot and it looked good, I think I shall watch it again in full. Roald Dahl is always a favourite of mine

Good morning everyone.

 

Weather was very wet and windy overnight but seems to have quietened down this morning.

 

My sons liked Roald Dahl books too.

 

Have a good day everyone.

Good morning everyone

 

Extremely cloudy here and damp. Apparently sunrise here was at 8.15 but I think the sun took one look at the weather and decided to stay in bed

 

Link to Esio Trot for those who missed it:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/e...oald-dahls-esio-trot

 

I think you're right about the sun EL it is unbelievable down here, the rain is coming in sheets and the wind has to be gale force, I'm intending to stay put and admire the rain sweeping down the valley from safe inside

 

No Skylark for a few days, I hope she's OK.

 

Enjoy your day everyone, hope you have better weather than me.

Squiggle, I don't blame you for staying put. It's a bit brighter here now but it's not very nice out there. Although the majority of the cars on the roads have their lights on, there were a couple of drivers who were driving blind this morning

 

I hope Skylark is OK, it could be that her computer is misbehaving again.

 

The church I go to is not currently registered with the Charity Commissioners (as far as I know) as its gross income has been a bit under £100k. However once it gets to the £100k threshold it has to.

I'm the independent examiner of the annual accounts and I'm aware that in the last year the church has received a loan for the new lighting. My reading of the rules is that the loan is part of the gross income for 2014 as the treasurer does the accounts on a cash basis. That will mean that the gross income goes over the £100k level.

Although charities in this position can apply to the Commissioners for permision not to register where it's a one off I don't think that will work in our case. If the normal gross income was under £80k a year the Commissioners would probably give permission but our gross income is typically around £95k so too close.

If the treasurer were to do accounts on an accruals basis the loan would then not be included in the gross income. But the work required to do accounts on an accruals basis is a lot more than when done on a cash basis.

Also the exception to having to register is a temporary measure and is due to expire in March 2021. I also think it likely that the gross income will in any case sooner or later go over the £100k level.

 

So when I see the treasurer next, I'm going to have to drop a small bombshell.

How much monetary difference will it make overall in the church accounts EL?

Squiggle, registering as a charity would have no beneficial financial effect on our church accounts. Being part of the Church of England means that our church is regarded as a charity for tax purposes etc. It's just an extra layer of bureaucracy for the church in that we would have to file annual accounts with the Charity Commissioners. But we already file annual accounts with Church House so there's not much extra work involved. Most of the work would be to do with the initial registration process.