A new Gateway 

New Enterprise Allowance ~
 .. an adventure in madness ... or magical success ?

Picture taken at El Kab, Egypt Winter 2009. 

During the next 8-12 weeks I'll be writing about my experiences here in the UK, as i start and complete the NEA scheme. It's for anyone wanting to set up a new business and who has also not been able to work for a while. The accident which broke my jaw and ripped my shoulder last yr has taken some getting over. I am left with a lower jaw that is still fractured, though it sits in place supported by muscles. There is joint damage in my left shoulder. I have had to accept a need to change the way my work can happen safely. So there has been that process of resistance to change, uncertainty ~ how do i do this ? can i do this ? will it work ? blah, blah ....... throughout this, inspirations have come to be considered and many elements have synergised to bring me this far. Almost 2 weeks ago, a meeting was held to introduce the scheme to people like me who want help to restart work. A woman attendee crocheted all the way through the event, every now and then she interjected with comments which eventually revealed she was not entitled to be in the group !  Hmmm do hope this is no reflection on the usefulness of this scheme and the journey to works for self and "general dogsbody" status that so many of us including myself crave lol

We sat patiently in an old railway station building, trains roar past drowning out all in the room, some screech to a stop & we hear people chatting and dashing about, whistles blowing and tootings. We're in a horseshoe arrangement of desks; one desk didn't fit, there were empty seats at the horseshoe but still one couple choose to sit at the extra desk which faced the wall. They remain there with their backs to all throughout the laborious listening we had to do.  The woman, sits at a top desk, apparently uninspired by her role today, she reads rules and conditions from 4 sheets of A4 paper. Only when she reached the end of page 3, did some group members realised they were not eligible for this scheme.We were not asked to introduce ourselves; and so it is that i have sat in what could be a roomful of potential entrepreneurs and have none of their details and they have none of mine. Due to the nature of the way they work we may never meet in this group again.

After filling in forms giving only name, contact info and National Insurance number, it was time to leave, room rented for the hour i guess. "We'll be in touch" she called to us, that was 12 days ago, nothing has happened.....

So, I continue to develop plans, write, dream and vision this new working life and where it may lead .... far off lands ... or a dog around the street corner, can never tell. The process of this scheme is unstoppable, so this could be my new place for venting and loving the whole of it.  It is time now for me to pick up all the threads of my work and life and weave them into a beautiful new landscape..

Shanti to the Universe and to everyone who brought me this far .... 

Adventure on, the ship is Sailing !!!!  

Ahoy there new animals and people in new vistas, I'm on my way !!