Barely more than two weeks now until my Independence Day. All the withdrawal agreements are drawn up and out for the final vote. Like the Brexit vote in parliament it will be Deal or No Deal; either way I'll be leaving my employment.

I selected the option before I knew the terms but unlike Brexit I've been preparing for it for two and a half years, representatives have been in place, due process has been correctly followed and signture of the final agreement is now only a technicality.

Sad to think that within a few years my successors in the world of UK employment may not have such protections as I have enjoyed. The Rees-Mogg race to the bottom will almost certainly affect even good employers like mine.

But I digress. My preparations have been continuing at a steady pace.

Inspired by the Brexit idea of falling back onto old agreements to see me through after emploment I have been searching through my archives. Boxes and draws full of old papers stacked in an outbuilding when I did major rennovations nearly ten years ago have been dragged back into the house, dusted down and dried out.

So what did I find? Pictures of the kids when they were very young and oh so cute, reams of old purchase orders and bills, the terms on which I did trade all those years ago. Heating oil at 12.98p per litre is definitely one to resurrect. Another is for Council Tax, at much lower than current rate. It was so far sighted of me to keep these old papers although I never realised it at the time. Tomorrow I will call the oil company and the council and explain that my Independence negates the current deals and I want to reinstate the old ones. Just think how much I'll save. 

But unfortunately a lot of the old agreements won't work now. Some are in my first husband's name (it was a bit more sexist back then) and sadly he has since passed away; some of the agreements are for mobile phones with companies that no longer exist; some are for for club memberships for my daughters which they have since out grown. I doubt my twenty somethings will want to return to their Kids' Club.

There were some bonuses: a box of Christmas decorations including two wires of fairy lights, which amazingly still work, a tube of knitting needles (and even some recycled balls of wool) which I can use to knit my own cardigans (a definte revival of good times) and an old pin cushion I made with my grandmother over 50 years ago.

I can see it now: Christmas day sitting by a coal fire, wearing my hand knitted pullover, next to a tree decorated in the rediscovered fairy lights. What could be better? The future is bright.