Gill Fitzpatrick

Researcher and Book Reviewer for Simply Changing

Hi from Gill – a Sage Bookkeeper by profession and Finance Manager and recently appointed Researcher and Book Reviewer for Simply Changing.

I’m so excited, I never considered myself a writer being only moderately good at English at school but then I came to accounts late in life too qualifying when I was 42 as likewise I was only ever moderately good at Maths! Like Lou I left school too soon, I passed my O’Levels but progressed no further due to problems in my teens so, after I had my lovely daughter Alice in my late 30’s, I decided to retrain. I gained various IT qualifications including Sage Accounts and Payroll and after completing the Association of Accounting Technicians course became a full member of the AAT in 1999.

However, bookkeeping is only what I do in the mundane world – yes it pays the bills and keeps me grounded but my real interests lie in Astrology, Psychology, Complimentary Therapy, Horticulture and Esoterica in general. As a dairy intolerant (since birth) vegetarian  (since 1969) Nutrition has also played a significant part in my life.

A couple of years ago I received a most fortunate but out of the blue telephone call from Lou, who at that time I had not yet met, she was looking for some help with a cash-flow spreadsheet in her role as Director of an engineering company.  I kind of helped her with her spreadsheet and became Finance Manager there but, after our initial chat, I think we both realised that although finance and engineering are fine we shared a common belief in personal development (my soul’s profession) and that we would work together in this capacity one day – and lo and behold here is that day!

I look forward to meeting you soon on what will be our day.

One Of My Changes

Life has made many changes for me but of the ones I have chosen for myself I would say that they share a common theme – when something is over it’s over – everything has an end date the key is to recognise it.

Lou has asked me to supply an example for this statement. For me it relates to relationships, which admittedly I sometimes hang onto longer than I should, but primarily to work. As a bookkeeper I have undertaken many small assignments, and like my great friend, mentor and accounts tutor Dr Barbara Dexter I am a minimalist. I like minimal fuss and maximum efficiency in my work I like to take on a job, work through the challenges and create a clear and easy to understand process. If I then start to resist getting out of bed or ‘accidentally’ take a wrong turn on the way to work then I know the time has come to leave my well trained people so that I can go and get my teeth into a new venture.

This may sound as if I am a bit of a bookkeeping nomad but I’m not, I truly believe that this way is fairest on all concerned, I always give plenty of notice and train my successor to the best of my ability. Lou is now thinking that one day I shall leave her, but you know what, I reckon that’s highly unlikely because she will keep me so interested and challenged where else could I go?

Gill X