Now that's how you do it

Success!

Something was wrong with the first batch. The two big suspects are a) the baking soda had been open for too long and was no longer active? and/or b) I noticed while washing up my measuring spoons (a kiddies' set shaped like little fish) that the smallest one was 1/4 teaspoon. I had thought the smallest was 1/2 teaspoon. So I may have put in 1/2 +1/4 teaspoon of baking powder instead of 1 + 1/2 teaspoons. Oops.

Anyway, they're quite heavy, smell delicious (the ricotta mixture smells lovely even when it's being prepared, especially after the vanilla goes in) and are very tasty indeed!

In other good news, I did my tax return over the weekend. As I've been freelancing for over a year, I am now in the "payment on account" system in the UK where I pre-pay 50% of my estimated tax bill for that year in advance every 6 months. I did the tax return to check if I owed Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs the full figure for the second payment on account for the year - only to find that they owed me! It's a combination of the agency I worked for overcharging me on Pay As You Earn (always happens, I regularly got large tax refunds when I worked as a temp), not having my personal allowance taken into account... and business not having been so good this year. But I will be getting both the overpaid tax and the whole of the first payment on account back! I went out and bought a new mixing bowl (keep using our salad bowl to make cakes), cooling rack and some multicoloured silicone mini-muffin cases to celebrate.

Other than that, it's cool and overcast and I'm still waiting for progress on the permit. My accountant has advised me to wait until one week before the deadline from the Immigrationsamt and then chase the national insurance people and ask Immigrationsamt for an extension. There is still a possibility I will have to create a GmbH and employ myself, so I'd better sit on the money until then!