I've been taking a blog holiday. It seemed like a good thing to do. Most days I sit at my computer in the window corner of our one-time dining room with its large table awash in the paraphernalia of writing: research literature, various drafts I'm currently involved with, colour proofs for covers, a pot of pens, notes-to-self, junk mail that somehow was put down and forgotten instead of simply binned, flyers for N & H, magazine reviews and articles for both books, a manuscript stand, a laptop, a couple of diaries, and a cordless drill (Huh? Believe me I've absolutely no idea!). This is the room where on a daily basis I happily spend between four to six hours a day (my word quota has quite a variable time-frame!). My backside may occasionally show signs of dissent, and complain of its discomfort and confinement, however, in truth, my general contentment is only ever marred by the sight of a few jobs (viewed through aforementioned window) that go on requiring my
attention.
Just visible from my daily seat, I could glimpse the far end of a large stack of bricks that had accumulated and grown over the years and had become an increasingly irksome sight. I've always found it difficult to throw good stuff away. Frankly, the thought of sending potentially useful building materials off to landfill, only to find myself one day purchasing new bricks, is anathema. The bricks themselves are over a hundred years old, made from the local Wealden clay, formed and fashioned by the once esteemed High Brooms Brick Company, Tunbridge Wells, who manufactured their product about a mile and a half from where we live. The bricks were exported because of their high density and imperviousness to the ingress of water. Because of this they were used to construct the Aswan (Low) Dam in Egypt (completed 1902).
As we head into the Autumn, I knew this would be the very last chance I'd have this year to make those flippin' bricks disappear. I'd always had a plan up my sleeve for how to use them - it was just a matter of time, energy and willingness to put it into operation. The timing seemed ripe, because I also needed to get a bit of research time in on the book I'm currently engaged in writing. I've never been much of a multi-tasker, so wall-building and reading are more than enough to keep me occupied! And at the end of it all (soon I hope) we should end up with an attractively terraced new sitting area. Who knows, I may even complete it in time to enjoy its pleasant situation for a final bit of reading/research if we're lucky enough to get a few days of Indian Summer!
attention.
Just visible from my daily seat, I could glimpse the far end of a large stack of bricks that had accumulated and grown over the years and had become an increasingly irksome sight. I've always found it difficult to throw good stuff away. Frankly, the thought of sending potentially useful building materials off to landfill, only to find myself one day purchasing new bricks, is anathema. The bricks themselves are over a hundred years old, made from the local Wealden clay, formed and fashioned by the once esteemed High Brooms Brick Company, Tunbridge Wells, who manufactured their product about a mile and a half from where we live. The bricks were exported because of their high density and imperviousness to the ingress of water. Because of this they were used to construct the Aswan (Low) Dam in Egypt (completed 1902).
As we head into the Autumn, I knew this would be the very last chance I'd have this year to make those flippin' bricks disappear. I'd always had a plan up my sleeve for how to use them - it was just a matter of time, energy and willingness to put it into operation. The timing seemed ripe, because I also needed to get a bit of research time in on the book I'm currently engaged in writing. I've never been much of a multi-tasker, so wall-building and reading are more than enough to keep me occupied! And at the end of it all (soon I hope) we should end up with an attractively terraced new sitting area. Who knows, I may even complete it in time to enjoy its pleasant situation for a final bit of reading/research if we're lucky enough to get a few days of Indian Summer!
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