I can’t ever remember having waited until almost April 30th to file my income tax return.  This year’s different.  Not just for me but for everyone in my immediate sphere.  I have been using the same firm of accountants for almost forty years so I can’t pretend to lose confidence in them.  Granted we’ve had delay because the T3 slips didn’t arrive until after April 1st.  But everything else was in the hands of the accountant long before that date.  Seemingly they don’t move until it’s all on the table.

Anyway as usual it’s probably just me needlessly fretting about things.  It doesn’t help that others have been pestering me about the same time-line. Add to that the delinquency of the accountant in returning my plaintive phone calls.  And there are several unusual issues this year involving capital gains tax liability so even making a guess at what is owed is impossible.  And the atypical estate considerations for my late father.  More obsession, I know, I know!  However we really have no more than six business days before it should all be finalized, and I have just confirmed with the financial advisor that no less than three business days are required to route funds from the investments to the chequing account.  That doesn’t include the time required to process a payment to Canada Revenue Agency.

Apart from that annoyance all is well.  My sister and I agreed this morning that the retirement home (Colonel By) on Aylmer Avenue in Ottawa would be a good fit for my mother if and when the time comes for her to move out of her house.  That’s half the battle, just knowing where she might go.  We like the neighbourhood of course because it’s within several blocks of my sister’s residence.

We’ve been doing a bit of a dance between banking partners in the past several weeks.  One more round to go in June, then we’ll nestle in for another year until the next maturity date.  Much of our financial planning turns on the report from the accountant about our collective current tax liability. This is another reason I’ve been anxious lately.  I tried to make that clear to my accountant but apparently it fell upon deaf ears.  At least we have the comfort of knowing that April 30th is the final date for settlement of these “taxing” issues.

Meanwhile all else is unfolding as it should.  My latest venture into the world of bijouterie is sitting well with me, very well if the truth be known.  Adjusting to a new piece is surprisingly easy when the design and fit are perfect, not always an easy achievement.  This production echoes the very satisfactory recollection I have of the first work I purchased from the same company years ago.  Considering the few matters of importance I have on my plate these days, it represents significant progress to have this particular lark behind me. The weather has surprisingly remained cool even to this date and now we’re being deluged with rain.  Nonetheless we’ve maintained our cycling routine fairly well until just recently.

Since our return from Hilton Head Island we’ve communicated with or met with all our closest friends.  The importance of close friendships frequently surfaces in our casual conversations.  Like most people our close connections are narrowing all the time especially perhaps on the heels of my retirement. In the past six weeks I have tried various adventures into the public orbit in an attempt to “keep involved” but public meetings, like fairs, are proving generally to be for the disadvantaged.  In spite of the appearance of accomplishment little gets done during these congregations which are more appropriately described as shoulder-rubbing for bafflegab and gobbledygook. We thus maintain that our private perambulations and sorties are sufficient diversion as insular as that must sound.