There are many things I enjoy about being self employed. Although I work more hours now than when I was PAYE I like the feeling of being in control of my own destiny. However, I don't like the uncertainty of scrambling around for that next client or job. Or that gnawing in your gut over financial insecurity.
There are moments of unexpected joy when working with your husband. On Tuesday we had to see a prospective client in Winchester and instead of pulling over in a lay-by to eat a hurried pack lunch and the debate of whether or not this guy would come on board. Or the desperate search for free Wi Fi connection so we could check our emails in a cafe. My husband took me to eat our packed lunch at The Hospital of St John of the Cross, an ancient almshouse.
Legend has it that the Hospital’s foundation originated in a walk that Henry of Blois, a grandson of William the Conqueror, took in the Itchen Meadows. He was supposedly stopped by a young peasant girl who begged Henry to help her people, who were starving because of the civil war. The parallel with the Virgin Mary was not lost on Henry, who was so moved by the girl’s plight that when, a little further along the river, he discovered the ruins of a religious house, he resolved to use the site to establish a new community to help the poor. Wayfarers can still request their dole of bread and beer, which I did.
It is also an ideal location for part of the YA novel I'm planning to write in November. Unfortunately we could only spend an hour there, it was a wonderful place. I hurriedly took as many photographs as possible before we had to move on. It is surprising how uplifting these moments are. I know my husband is currently working hard to achieve his goal of competing in a bodybuilding contest. I just hope that he doesn't look back at his nine to five life with complete rose tinted glasses and is able to see the freedom that our goal of running a successful business will bring.
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