Workspace Blog Hop
Pamela nominated me to take part in the Workspace Blog Hop back in September last year, sharing where we each work and write. Recently Alienora also passed along the baton. And I am afraid, I am going to cheat and share again some of the post I wrote last year… with a few additions… as there are one or two things demanding my attention just at present.
Just minor things… like the upcoming workshop… and the possibility of an unexpectedly-timed house move… My younger son has a small, one bedroomed place and a growing daughter and I have a family home all to myself. We thought we should try and do something sensible about that…
For me there is no spectacular space, just the small corner of the living room that has become my focus. The desk and sideboard, once upon a time, were a modern ‘Welsh dresser’ that was converted to fit in the corner as an occasional space to work. At that point in time it mattered more that the place looked tidy. Comfort took second place; I didn’t spend that much time at the keyboard after all. It was only temporary.
Several years on, that temporary measure is possibly the most uncomfortable desk in the world. My kneecaps sit nicely on the shelf in the centre but as my feet don’t quite touch the floor, the lower shelf does, at least, give me a convenient toehold. I dream of spacious desks and big, padded, leather chairs… footrests and space…
Dreaming be damned. If we manage to pull this move off the desk will remain in the new living room…and I will find one with knee room if it is the last thing I do :)
That centre shelf, by the way, doubles as the gym. It generally holds an assortment of Ani’s toys, stuffed under there periodically throughout the day by a hopeful small dog who has worked out that even when I am typing away I may be induced to throw a ball or squeak a stuffed toy if they are placed within reach.
I can’t see there being any change there…
On the desk itself there are, even given the restricted space, a variety of crystals I have been gifted, a photo or two that make me smile, reference and notebooks, and a small door through which I can escape. There is a story attached to that door… remind me to tell you sometime! There is also a sprig of Yorkshire heather, keeping the colours of home close beside me. There are candles too. I like to write by candlelight rather than putting the lights on in the evening, and the phone is always handy.
In fact, if the move goes ahead I can’t see me having the lights on much at night. The new garden has open fields behind it… no streetlamps… just stars…
Also within reach is a window onto the garden for procrastinating inspiration, the odd book or two and the kettle for the necessary coffee. And usually a small dog for company, comfort, exercise and dietary assistance (she eats everything). She also doubles as a footrest.
The kettle will be a little further away, but the walk to the kitchen will be good for me. If I can resist the french doors into the garden… which I will have to create. The books? I have no idea at all how on earth I am going to fit them in! I may need a carpenter…
The back door stands almost permanently open, day and night, just behind me. I can hear the birds sing and the flutter of their wings as Ani chases them out of her garden.
If the move goes ahead of course, this will all change. The new living room has large french windows through which the small dog can wander in and out to her heart’s content. Probably still both in winter and summer. She will be able to watch the kites swooping over the field onto which the new little garden opens out. A field which will hold horses and cows in summer… and hopefully not a curious small dog.
On the other hand, I have bits of paper, notebooks and pens in every conceivable nook and cranny these days from handbag to bathroom. You never know when you might come up with something after all and need to write it down before it vanishes!
This too will doubtless stay the same.. though it won’t be so far to hunt in order to find something. No stairs… and I’ll be able to clean all the windows without dangling out of them! Did I mention there were red kites too? They even come down into the garden…
And that is just a blank canvas at present, nothing but grass and the occasional mole. I will have to start from scratch… which gives me free rein once I have the inside sorted… doubtless the small dog will help. If she would only dig holes where I actually want them though, that’s the thing…
It might just be heaven :) Keep your fingers crossed for me!
