Here's yesterday's post, only a day late!
I spent a good deal of Wednesday going through the process for creating a Power of Attorney document. Or rather, two of them. At first I was a bit overwhelmed; any legal document or contract does tend to spook me (even after 20 years I'm still a bit wobbly when it comes to tax returns).
In fact, providing everyone is in agreement about everything it is all relatively straightforward. I have been through all 24 pages of both applications and think I know what has to be completed, or ticked, or witnessed, or can be disregarded in each of the 15 sections.
Why two? These days one creates a Health and Welfare version and a separate Financial Affairs version.
Now all I need to do is complete the various sections online, which they recommend so make it easier to correct mistakes and print them off to collect the signatures IN THE RIGHT ORDER, this us Most Important (although how would the 'powers that be' know if I didn't?). Finally it all has to be sent off, with the money, to register them.
These are for my father; I shall then set about doing another set each for me and Himself.
Needless to say (so why am I saying it?) I shall use an ordinary black pen for signing, not a quill!
Did you know quills come as left- or right- handed, according to which wing of the bird they are taken from? The left-handed ones were cheaper, as the end of them curled in your face when you were writing. I am left-handed, but of course that wouldn't have been allowed back in the olden days.
I was allowed to write with my left hand at school, but the sewing teacher at the convent resolutely taught me as though I was right handed back when I was about 6 years old. No wonder I found stitching from right to left while holding the needle in my left hand such an awkward business, and took so long to produce such untidy work. My report cards read 'poor' or 'fair', 'very slow progress', and eventually, and unsurprisingly 'makes little effort'.
Huh!
How things can change over time!
Everyone should have POAs, so important. We did the finance one with a solicitor, but later I did the health ones myself. I made a tiny mistake despite checking, and then had to wait to redo for some months, so do check and recheck.
ReplyDeleteI shall take your advice! I think I might write it all on a rough copy first before typing... and then check, double check... check again...
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