A Plug for Henley

It strikes me that I am always going on about how wonderful my shed-like garden office is, but I have never given due credit to the people who make and install (and move) them.

So, here is a plug for Henley Offices.  They haven't paid me, or asked me to do this, but I think they deserve a nod.

New home, new garden, same shed

We've moved house.  We haven't actually told very many people about this.  But, what with e-mail and postal re-direction services, who really needs to know where we actually live?

But this has meant that I have been ousted from my shed-like garden office since way before Christmas.  Some very nice men came and tore it down (as gently as they could) and took it away into storage. 

Anyway, it's now been returned and reconstructed.  Electricity and telecommunications have been restored.  Fresh coat of paint on the outside, new carpet inside.  And here it is, in situ...

So, I'm back at my desk.  But it feels a bit strange.  This is how The Doctor must feel.  Inside it's much the same, but the view out the window is wrong.

Same old procrastination though.  Here I am, at my desk, ready to get started.  And what's the first thing I write in my new shed-like office...  a blog post.  Not that I've blogged about anything other than upcoming episodes of Doctors for a very long time.

Maybe I should do a quick update...

Er...

Well, we've moved.  Like I said.

I've been writing lots of Doctors episodes.  Currently on my seventeenth.  Fingers crossed, I'll get many more.

And I'm working on a new thing.  Well, it's been around for a while, actually, but it's building up a head of steam of sorts.  It's a spec TV drama set in Bethlem Hospital in the 1850's.  I got some money from the wonderful Wellcome Trust to do loads of historical research, and now I'm working up a first draft of a first ep.  All I have to do now is write it.  And sell it.

Nice speaking to you all again.  Do pop round for a cup of tea, anytime you like.  If you can find us.

Wireless-less

I think I might have mentioned that I work in a shed in the garden.

When we knocked down the garage, re-did the patio and erected said shed, we arranged for a power cable to be buried under the concrete and supply all the electrical stuff I'd need. But I simply didn't think about Internet access. I thought I'd manage on a wireless connection.

And I did. But it's very patchy. I've tried different versions, and moved the equipment around, and have got fed up with the slow amd intermittent service that results.

And then someone suggested I buy a couple of these...

It's a HomePlug AV adapter, and a pair of them now deliver my broadband connection through that buried power cable under the patio.

After all the fuss and bother of secure wireless, there's something beautiful about this technology. It's plug and play... quite literally. It took less than ten minutes to install and get running. After a couple of weeks, I can say that it's quicker and more reliable.

So, that's a recommend. It's not wireless, of course. You can't use it to access your laptop on the kitchen table. But if you want access around the house, but don't want telephone cables everywhere, and can't be bothered with wireless...

Shaw's Shed

Thanks to the wonderful folks at Shedworking for this.



Apparently, George Bernard Shaw worked from a shed in his garden.

And here it is...





Not so very different from my own little place, I'm sure you'll agree.

The Office

I've been promising pictures of "The Office" for a while. Way back in November, I posted a preliminary report on the glorious construction in the garden. Well, we've finally moved into the digital age with the purchase of a new camera.


And now, we proudly present...


The writer in his lair.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder

We have a beautiful new garden office sitting on the patio.

For those of you in the know, it's a Henley (the Waverley model). In green.



This is just a picture from their catalogue, I'm afraid - not the real glorious thing standing in our garden.

It's 2m by 3.2m, insulated, carpeted, lights, power sockets, double-glazed windows, security locks on the door. Tis a thing of beauty, much to be admired. No electricity yet, but that gets added shortly. The IT equipment should be here within a fortnight. Only the furniture yet to order.

So, have I been doing much writing during this week? This week that is designated by the Academy folk as a "writing week"? What do you think? I've been watching the workmen, making them cups of tea, checking up on them, talking to DELL and putting in my order for a new PC and printer, raiding Staples on-line for a significant stationery order, browsing internet sites looking for office furniture, measuring up the space, and spending far too much time just admiring this wonderous new creation. One day soon, I'll be doing all my writing in there.

In the meantime, back in the corner of the bedroom where my existing workspace is, I'm meant to be writing a "dry run" episode of Doctors. It's getting there, but it's difficult to put all your heart and soul into something you know will definitely never be made.

We're at Week 7 of the Academy. Halfway through. According to the theory, that means we've reached the innermost cave and found the elixir. Now all we have to do is learn how to use it and return to the tribe triumphant in time for the final battle (I think we die and get reborn somewhere along the way too).