Tree

Well we have survived another festive period and although we are still eating leftovers the New Year has been well and truly rung in (so my head is telling me!) and the decorations are down – yay!

As anyone who read my last post on why I haven’t read and reviewed your book may remember I am a book-keeper in my other life and therefore my accounts are always the last to be done. My BH is in the same situation. As a decorator fully booked well into the future, and with a waiting list of clients, as you can imagine our house is understandably also the last to be done.

However, there is one time of year when other people do not want him in their house doing his thing and that’s when it is the turn of our place to get a little love and attention. So over the years, while I have images of spending Christmas Eve getting the house tidy, relatively clean (at least in all the places anyone is likely to look) and smelling festive with all the food in various stages of preparation, the reality is rather different. Because this day is usually the start of…The Christmas Project.

Colour charts

Over the years this has been many things. In the early days it could be quite major building works as we renovated our house and lived with bare cement floors and no plaster on the walls. Then as things moved on decorating was needed throughout, adding rooms as the children came along. There have been a multitude of projects to be undertaken in over 25 years of our life here. I’m used to dust sheets covering the carpet as tools and materials get carried in and out, the dining room table being used as a staging area for whatever action is taking place and vast amounts of dust and debris being created and spread everywhere. After all what is Christmas dinner without a little brick dust in it?

Decorating

The reason I am writing about this though is that this year it has been all about me 🙂 This year’s Christmas Project has been about setting up my new office. Our tiny bedroom has become vacant, as our oldest now has her own house, and I have claimed it.

For over 19 years I have worked from home, setting up business in the corner of the sitting room where I have built a fortress of paperwork that is going to take some dismantling – I see weeks of work ahead of me.

In recent years this corner has been where I have written my books as well and I was rather alarmed to have to show this overly cluttered area in an interview with Stacey of the Whispering Stories Blog. Here is the evidence of 19 years’ collection of stuff…

Desk

But now my friends I have a new place and for the moment it is beautifully clean and sparkly fresh. Newly decorated and clutter free it is all clear lines and surfaces, see for yourself.

New office

It looks yellow…it’s not…it’s just a creamy warm colour 🙂

Marvel at the acreage of those surfaces, imagine the possibilities for organising and laying out work, I feel almost heady with excitement at how organised I am going to be… and at all the new stationery I am going to need. Happy days! I have taken this photo now before I put any actual work in the room – there is a filing cabinet lurking behind the door as well. I may well post another photo in a few months and we shall see if there is any spare space on the desk by then. I fear the worst.

With this new office has come new equipment so as to make the most of the new start and as my old desktop computer has been limping along for months years. But herein lies a little problem as I am having certain technical issues with getting emails set up and in the general coordinating of stuff. I have two screens showing different things and feel much of the time that I’m doing that rubbing your tummy while patting your head thing. I also now get so many notifications on so many different gadgets I don’t know if I’m Arthur or Martha so if I’ve ignored you recently then I apologise, it’s going to take a while to catch up. I find I’m dashing between floors (a great start to the new year new exercise regime!) trying to remember which email address is working where and which work I have already transferred over to the new laptop – such fun!!

Pen, pad and kepboard

So there we have it. A new year and a new start and I’m sure all will be up and running smoothly soon eventually. I wish you all a very Happy New Year, many thanks for reading my posts and for all your support. I’m looking forward to everything that 2016 brings 🙂

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16 Responses to My Christmas Project: Out with the Old…
  1. The new office looks brilliant! Good luck transferring all your stuff 🙂

  2. Oh, congratulations! What a great Christmas present for you. Your new office is lovely and I’m sure those new books will just pour out of there.

  3. Lucky You! Looking fab!!

  4. Your new space looks great!

  5. Here is a lovely comment from Terry Tyler:

    I love the idea of your husband’s year ‘Christmas Project’!!! But surely your office is the best one of all – it looks terrific and I am sure you will find a peace and calm as yet unbeknownst… now your problem will be not spending hours and hours staring at the sky with a dreamy smile on your face!

    • I know all of the projects have been for the good of the whole house but this one feels very personal and I’m hoping that although it looks like a whirlwind has gone through the room today it will eventually become a calm working place 🙂 Thanks Terry.

  6. Is there going to be an office opening party? Are you going to cut the ribbon yourself or get a local celeb to do it?

    • Due to the lack of space, probably not Andrew. However you are welcome to come and view if you wish – just make sure you give the doorbell and good enough ring to get the dogs barking as I’m now unlikely to hear it otherwise 🙂 Oh and bring the car at some point I’m boxing up a load of stuff for your garage – happy days!!

  7. Oh my, what a gorgeous space… I’m a little jealous; in a non-begrudging way. Lucky, lucky you! Enjoy 🙂

    Happy New Year. Kimmie.

    • Thanks for stopping by and commenting Kimmie, much appreciated 🙂 I have waited a long time for this and am now finding whatever I need next is not yet in this room – I have never been up and down stairs so often in such a short space of time! Still that’s got to help with the New Year weight loss programme hasn’t it?? A very Happy New Year to you too 🙂

  8. Your new office looks lovely. Wishing you many happy and productive hours there. 🙂

    • Thanks Wendy. It’s going to take some time to get settled in as I’m moving stuff over as I need it, so that I only put things in there that I do actually use. I’m certainly hoping to eventually be more productive though:-)


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