Book Review: Paxton’s Protégé, by J.P. Craddock

I desperately needed a break from the latest OU module, and came across this new book by John Craddock.  Having enjoyed one of his previous biographies (Jim Puttrell: Pioneer Climber & Cave Explorer), I knew I was in for a remarkable ride.  It did the trick, and now I’m back on course for the next OU assignment with renewed vigour.  Please click on the Book Reviews tab above to find out more about this fabulous book!

Probate – Week 11, and that’s it. All over!

The last letter has been sent, the final cheques have been written and the estate accounts are complete.  The heap of paperwork on my desk has been carefully filed away in case of any future queries.  That’s it.  Probate complete.

Check out the Probate DIY tab above for a run-down of the closing activities.

Probate – Week 9, two calls to the bank and nothing else!

What a frustrating week!  Haven’t moved forward with the probate one little bit.  Still awaiting the statement of tax paid on mother-in-law’s accounts since the date of death, so I can work out whether there is anything more due to the Inland Revenue from the estate.  Phoned the bank twice, and last Friday was delighted to hear that it had been sent.  Until, that is, I heard the end of the sentence.  Today.  So, not only did it not turn up early to midweek as promised last time I phoned, it wasn’t even sent until the end of the week!  Tried again to get them to give me the figures over the phone, but they refused.

As I had always suspected, the time that probate takes is little to do with the amount of work involved (remember I have only spent about 33 man-hours so far), and everything to do with waiting for organisations to respond.

I have no idea, then, whether the estate accounts can be completed without further ado, or whether I am going to need to fill out a tax form (R27) and wait for the tax man to work out the amount payable.

Hopefully all will have become clear in time for next week’s blog.

Haven’t updated the Probate DIY tab this week as everything is here, but click on it if you’re a new reader and want to see how straightforward the process of probate can be!

Probate – Week 8 and a couple of loose ends to tidy up.

Turns out I was being a trifle optimistic last week using the phrase ‘drawing to a conclusion’.

Nevertheless, there are only a couple of loose ends to tie up, but one is dependent upon the other and could turn out to be quite a bit more work!

And there was a hiccup with the funeral account, which I found a bit embarrassing even though it wasn’t my fault.

Please be sure to click on Probate DIY above to read about this in more detail…

Probate – Week 7 and closing in !

Believe it or not, everything is falling neatly into place and my DIY journey through probate is drawing to a conclusion.

Not quite, though.  There are still a few loose ends to tie up, so do click on Probate DIY above to see how this week has panned out!

Probate – Week 6 and moving on a pace

Although not much has happened this week, the last of the private pension payments has come through and the insurance claim which I had queried has been settled.

Now it’s a matter of waiting for the sealed grants of probate to arrive from Leicester.  At the interview, the commissioner said they would take about ten working days, so hopefully they will drop on the doormat sometime next week!

Please hit the Probate DIY tab above this post to read about what has happened this week in more detail…

A363: Advanced Creative Writing….. Result!

I’ve been awaiting the result of the level 3 module I completed back in May with some trepidation.

As any of you who were reading my progress throughout the module might remember, I received a very mediocre mark for my stage play adaptation in TMA02.  That completely scuppered my chances of achieving a top rate pass for the module.

The overall result was expected to be published on 3rd August, but it turned up yesterday.  Much to my relief, as I’d been clicking on the student home page like a mad thing since this time last week just to see if it was there.

The final assignment (I submitted a piece of life writing) mark was pretty much along the lines of the average for the whole module, and overall I managed a Pass 2.

Must admit to feeling a bit deflated, even though it was the best I could hope for after the stage play.  Probably more so, because I unlinked the module from my degree.  I have sufficient points under my belt to claim the BA I’ve been working towards for the past three years if I tick the box to link the module back in.  However, I am now in the position where I can take two more level 3 modules under the OU’s transitional fee arrangements, because that’s what I would need to complete the BA(Hons) if I leave A363 unlinked.  It would give me an extra year of less expensive learning (about £750 instead of £2500 per module).

I think I’ll see how the new module goes.  Signed up for E301, The Art of English, a couple of weeks ago.  If I find I’m no better at writing essays about creativity in linguistics than creative writing, I’ll link A363 back in and settle for a 2.1 !