Friday, July 13, 2012
Rainsongs reducks
I advised Jacintha to compile this Rainsongs playlist for 2012. Now do you believe in me?
Mystic Mavis
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Catchy
Black Heart - Stooshe
All the way from London. If you're searching for this you might think it's called "Daddy I Fallen For A Monster"; it's one of those songs that needs another title in brackets after the official title. (By the way, utterly sinister lyrics.)
All the way from London. If you're searching for this you might think it's called "Daddy I Fallen For A Monster"; it's one of those songs that needs another title in brackets after the official title. (By the way, utterly sinister lyrics.)
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
More street wildflowers
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| Bistort?* Wildflower with spotted leaves. Garden wall today, July 11 |
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| Poppies beside St Andrew's church Saturday, July 7 |
* Suggested by C. Edmunds
Competition 2010/11 & 2011/12 accounts
We're in the black this year, I think, but only if the venue hire is waived, which it appears it has been.*
Allocation of Kickstarter publishing project funding
I am accounting separately for this to satisfy the backers that the money they put up was used for the purpose intended. The Kickstarter project raised £575.75 after Kickstarter's commission and dollar conversion. One backer has proved uncontactable and so one more book is due if he or she (pen name "Shakespeare" ever comes forward). All other backers have been sent their chosen rewards. In total all but £8 of that has been used up on:
a) Title setup & proof copy
b) Flyers for the launch/results event
c) Author copies (5 x 10) + postage
d) Other contributor copies x 3 + p&p
d) Kickstarter backer rewards + postage
e) Review copy
In accounting I am deducting, i.e. putting back in the value of six copies sold** around the launch time and write off a few sale or return to the local bookshop (no sales, written off) and it all balances out at £8.45 remaining. If anyone wants the exact details, I have it all on a spreadsheet.
Allocation of sponsorship of the results event funding
Similarly, I want to account for the results event sponsorship separately here to show that the money was used as intended. Willesden Green Writers's Group sponsored the results event for £300. Sound and lighting was £258. Wine and snacks were £75 minus a few bottles left over. The venue hire was to be £140, which I have kept in reserve as it appears for the time being that there may be no charge since the space was lent to us by Library Lab, which is already accounted for to the council. However, I have not had a definitive answer on this despite several enquiries. If free venue, we were probably just about on target, i.e. approx £300, after taking away the cost of a few bottles of wine I took home. If not, £140 in the red, carried forward to allocate against the entry fees.
Allocation of entry fees received etc.
The other income was from entry fees, which were 387 x £2.70 after taking away PayPal's 10% commission (average, it varies slightly depending on the exact transaction details), total £1,044.90.
Of that, £600 went in prizes. Then the website with PHP and MySQL used for the competition entry database costs £17.99 x 12 months = £215.88. The website is used all year round for membership registration etc.
If the council needs paying for the venue, which seems unlikely (see above), another £140 would be for that. Some books went walkies at the results event (one packet of five that was meant for one of the authors and three others). There was income from six copies of the book sold at the results event and shortly after.
Totals for 2011-12
Taking into account everything and carefully not double-counting the Kickstarter items we are either £9.69 in the red or that plus £140 unused, i.e. £131.31 in the black. I have separate spreadsheets for Kickstarter and Overall. Again if anyone needs the gory details, let me know and I can forward them.
Totals for 2010-11
In organising an Accounts tag I see that last year's accounts were never published, or if they were, I cannot see where. Accounts for the other previous years when there were entry fees have been published (see Accounts tag link).
I have last year's spreadsheet here and it adds up to a loss of £383.89. The number of entries and event sponsorship were almost the same as 2011-12 (380 instead of 387 entries, £300 event sponsorship) but we didn't have any money from Kickstarter.
Conclusion
If the £140 is not needed for the venue, which it seems it will not be, I will use that for a Google Adwords campaign promoting the book and the competition. If I'd taken the previous losses as brought forward, we'd still be in the red now. On the other hand without investing in advertising, things might go downhill. Oh the joys of double entry bookkeeping.
Steve
* I have updated and corrected the text of this report several times since first published. The main item I omitted initially was the cost of the web server.
** Profit from sales of books via Amazon go to the publisher, Pretend Genius Press, as also from sales via the PG shop. If books are ordered via Willesden Herald links, a small amount of commission comes back from Amazon to Willesden Herald.
Oh, and finally, in case such things keep you awake all night with worry, this all goes to the Inland Revenue as part of the accounts for my software and publishing company. If I'm ever going to save some tax on the loss, it hasn't happened yet but only due to a technicality because the income is in one year and the expenditure in the next; maybe next year I will. (Steve)
Allocation of Kickstarter publishing project funding
I am accounting separately for this to satisfy the backers that the money they put up was used for the purpose intended. The Kickstarter project raised £575.75 after Kickstarter's commission and dollar conversion. One backer has proved uncontactable and so one more book is due if he or she (pen name "Shakespeare" ever comes forward). All other backers have been sent their chosen rewards. In total all but £8 of that has been used up on:
a) Title setup & proof copy
b) Flyers for the launch/results event
c) Author copies (5 x 10) + postage
d) Other contributor copies x 3 + p&p
d) Kickstarter backer rewards + postage
e) Review copy
In accounting I am deducting, i.e. putting back in the value of six copies sold** around the launch time and write off a few sale or return to the local bookshop (no sales, written off) and it all balances out at £8.45 remaining. If anyone wants the exact details, I have it all on a spreadsheet.
Allocation of sponsorship of the results event funding
Similarly, I want to account for the results event sponsorship separately here to show that the money was used as intended. Willesden Green Writers's Group sponsored the results event for £300. Sound and lighting was £258. Wine and snacks were £75 minus a few bottles left over. The venue hire was to be £140, which I have kept in reserve as it appears for the time being that there may be no charge since the space was lent to us by Library Lab, which is already accounted for to the council. However, I have not had a definitive answer on this despite several enquiries. If free venue, we were probably just about on target, i.e. approx £300, after taking away the cost of a few bottles of wine I took home. If not, £140 in the red, carried forward to allocate against the entry fees.
Allocation of entry fees received etc.
The other income was from entry fees, which were 387 x £2.70 after taking away PayPal's 10% commission (average, it varies slightly depending on the exact transaction details), total £1,044.90.
Of that, £600 went in prizes. Then the website with PHP and MySQL used for the competition entry database costs £17.99 x 12 months = £215.88. The website is used all year round for membership registration etc.
If the council needs paying for the venue, which seems unlikely (see above), another £140 would be for that. Some books went walkies at the results event (one packet of five that was meant for one of the authors and three others). There was income from six copies of the book sold at the results event and shortly after.
Totals for 2011-12
Taking into account everything and carefully not double-counting the Kickstarter items we are either £9.69 in the red or that plus £140 unused, i.e. £131.31 in the black. I have separate spreadsheets for Kickstarter and Overall. Again if anyone needs the gory details, let me know and I can forward them.
Totals for 2010-11
In organising an Accounts tag I see that last year's accounts were never published, or if they were, I cannot see where. Accounts for the other previous years when there were entry fees have been published (see Accounts tag link).
I have last year's spreadsheet here and it adds up to a loss of £383.89. The number of entries and event sponsorship were almost the same as 2011-12 (380 instead of 387 entries, £300 event sponsorship) but we didn't have any money from Kickstarter.
Conclusion
If the £140 is not needed for the venue, which it seems it will not be, I will use that for a Google Adwords campaign promoting the book and the competition. If I'd taken the previous losses as brought forward, we'd still be in the red now. On the other hand without investing in advertising, things might go downhill. Oh the joys of double entry bookkeeping.
Steve
* I have updated and corrected the text of this report several times since first published. The main item I omitted initially was the cost of the web server.
** Profit from sales of books via Amazon go to the publisher, Pretend Genius Press, as also from sales via the PG shop. If books are ordered via Willesden Herald links, a small amount of commission comes back from Amazon to Willesden Herald.
Oh, and finally, in case such things keep you awake all night with worry, this all goes to the Inland Revenue as part of the accounts for my software and publishing company. If I'm ever going to save some tax on the loss, it hasn't happened yet but only due to a technicality because the income is in one year and the expenditure in the next; maybe next year I will. (Steve)
Saturday, July 07, 2012
Friday, July 06, 2012
Wildflowers update
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| Various, Willesden meadow, July 6 |
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| Ladies' Bedstraw, July 6 |
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| Yarrow, King Edward VII playing fields, July 6 |
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| Hollyhocks (July 6) wild beside garden wall |
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| Thistle, tall type, Willesden meadow (July 6) |
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| Unknown. Donnington Road (July 4) Tufted Vetch? |
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| Unknown. Poppy? Nicole? |
Sunday, July 01, 2012
This is what you missed
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| In the space in front of the library centre |
 |
| There were more stalls along the Brondesbury Park side, the first with white canopy visible on the left. |
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| Between the big tree and the small tree |
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| Grange Road viewed from beside the small tree |
... if you didn't go to the French market at the doomed Willesden library centre this weekend. And a lot more besides: hot food, delicatessen specialities, vintage music (which added a lot to the atmosphere), artisan soaps, handbags, charcuterie, rugs, etc etc.
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| Pick and mix "biscuits" by weight, patisserie buy one get one free £3.50, rhubarb and pear tart (don't ask, I haggled). Also got three cheeses for £5 and five Danish for £4.50. Goodbye diet. |
ropey video part 1
ropey video part 2
Breaking news in the back garden
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| Bindweed flowers are out today |
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| Bindweed with bee |
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| Common Fleabane? Still growing. 95cm now |
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| Unknown dandelion-like flower on a very long stem. Herb Robert is still there too. |
Saturday, 1st of July, 2012
Saturday, June 30, 2012
Friday garden weeds
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| Cat's Ear? |
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| Chickweed*. Tiny white flowers. Five deeply-cleft petals, hairy stems, oval leaves. The flower is lovely under a magnifying glass. |
* Suggested by Percy Blower
Friday, June 29, 2012
Out tonight
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| Purple flower to be identified. Beside the big tree at the library centre |
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| White Dead Nettle? St Andrew's Road |
Update: Sunday1 July
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| To be identified. St Andrew's Road |
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| Groundsel? St. Andrew's Road |
BBC Radio 4 - James Joyce's Ulysses
Broadcast for Bloomsday 2012
Magnificent production, highly recommended. Brings the book completely to life. Superb casting and acting.*
Available for a year. Listen online or download with iTunes.
* Sounding like an advert in the Freeman's journal. Effect of listening too long. Gets in your brain.
Magnificent production, highly recommended. Brings the book completely to life. Superb casting and acting.*
Available for a year. Listen online or download with iTunes.
* Sounding like an advert in the Freeman's journal. Effect of listening too long. Gets in your brain.
Thursday, June 28, 2012
More street wildflowers
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| Purple Crown Vetch. Harlesden Road |
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| Groundsel? Harlesden Road |
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| Unknown. I haven't seen the white flower before. (Looks like giant kind of chickweed.) Sorry for the poor resolution. Grange Road. |
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| Unknown. New to me. Purple flowers |
Resurfacing
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| Peter Avenue |
It's almost complete now, after about three days work. It was only a few years ago (five?) when this road was last resurfaced. It was in poor condition but why don't these surfaces last a bit longer? Looks like they have put exactly the same Tarmac again, though that is not an expert comment, so might be wrong.
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| After scraping away the old tarmac. |
Monday, June 25, 2012
Clover time in the fields
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| The lemon coloured flowers/florets? are new this week. |
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| Mugwort? |
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| Unknown. Lots of these in the meadow, and there's a miniature version (?) beside the paths, which doesn't grow such long tendrils. |
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| New since last week: the white clover is out all over the fields. Saw lots of wasps on it and a few bees. |
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