A tale of two desks

It’s only taken us about a year of working from home, but finally we’ve sorted ourselves out a desk each. Up until then each day we’d based ourselves at our kitchen table, and it worked well for us and our circumstances then. With MOH starting a new job we knew that having us both on the phone, or on Teams calls at the same time wouldn’t work so well, so we needed a new plan. But it needed to be flexible. We are fortunate to have the space to set up work areas outside of our bedroom and living space. I knew that I needed to avoid working in the craft room/study as there would be far too many distractions, and it’s the room where our wifi has the worst reception.

MOH opted for our spare room, we have futon in there and he has a dartboard and records there - he has much less of an issue with distractions than me, clearly - which left me the top bedroom, which was more than ok with me, as it’s a light and bright room and somewhere we spend very little time. We don’t have the space for two desks to remain in place all of the time, alongside our other furniture and so one of the desks needed to be foldable. I was keen that they were both something we liked, would use again and could be repurposed - and not look out of place - in other parts of our home.

Not quite the mission impossible you might be thinking. The folding desk was the easiest to source, and by looking at many desks I learnt a lot. The desks were mainly a metre wide, the depth more variable. Compared to our kitchen table most of the desks were about 10cm wider, depth at the kitchen table wasn’t an issue. In our spare room the alcove is 110cm and could take a deeper desk, so our plans were on track.

Then I saw, and fell in love with, the desks on the Hairpin Leg Co. Smitten. The sizes didn’t quite work though, so I researched custom made options. I knew I could buy the legs on the hairpin’s website, so I looked for laminate tops, and I found many which involved varying degrees of assembly and drilling. Then I struck gold on Etsy, finding The Laminate Top Company - given the company name where I started, the irony on where I ended up isn’t lost on me.

I ordered my desk and it was delivered within a couple of days from one of the larger delivery companies that sells just about everything. I ‘sold’ the ply and orange legged desk to MOH, who didn’t take much persuasion - as “a desk’s a desk” - and I impatiently waited. It arrived on schedule, though given our current troubles with deliveries I was keeping an even closer eye on this one, and at one point one of the parcels (it came in two consignments), according to the online tracking had had a failed delivery. Thankfully in the end it was pain free, and I couldn’t wait to check it over.

The ply top. The chamfered edge - oh, just look at that edge. The legs. Perfection.

MOH was impressed too, even more so when he put it together. And so his desk is in place - and in use - too. The original plan was to put it in the alcove by the window, however with the change in weather - and the WFH coldness setting in - sitting next to the window isn’t the most sensible thing. When we make use of the futon it will move into the alcove, and in the warmer weather being closer to the window and overlooking the garden will work too. I bought a throw for the spare room, and put it handy so MOH could make use of it. I never thought he would, but today he let on it had come in useful - but only after he laughed at me for having a blanket over my lap…

It suits him, he’s minimalist. And as he says, a desk is a desk.

It may just be a desk, but it’s gorgeous - and longer term I’ve got my eye on it for my craft room. But sssshh, don’t tell him.

My desk isn’t as gorgeous and stylish as his, but it’s just as useful and has the potential for future use too.

You can tell our different approaches just by looking at our layout can’t you? I have headphones, a notebook and plenty of pretty stationery, and a lamp from the bedside table which has temporarily been displaced. I left it there to save unplugging it, as the plug is behind the bed, but actually it’s great to have a table lamp for those duller times of day.

I read recently that the view from your desk should be inspiring, in both our cases neither could be called that. In my case the wall slopes and if I’m honest it’s not a view I spend much time looking at. With the amount of time I spend on Teams calls and in meetings, the view behind me is one I see much more often - and that one’s pretty stunning. A few weeks on, it’s still receiving comments from the people I meet.

So a year on, two desks later and we may just have cracked this working at home malarkey. Some things still don’t change, and MOH is still the chief tea maker in our relationship, now he has an extra flight of stairs to deliver it - or occasionally I get a call to collect it, either works for me. The only challenge? When the door bell goes, the front door is much further away, but I’ll cope…

Lockdown learnings #2

The first post of this series covered food, this takes the next step and covers shopping. At the start of lockdown there was a focus on buying only essential items, which some took to extremes, with reports that Easter eggs weren’t deemed essentials. They were in this house, and we were fortunate enough to have thought a little ahead and were able to buy and leave eggs with my parents on our visit to see them before lockdown started in March. They were equally as forward thinking and we were able to swap eggs way in advance of the day. We were good, and managed not to eat them until Easter Day, I’m amazed, you’re amazed, but it’s also true that they were demolished in a just a day or so.

But back to shopping, and how it’s changed and how we’ve all quickly adapted.

1. Queuing to get in

Shopping during lockdown has become very different, even as more shops have started to open, and probably especially so. We are excelling at queuing, this time to get into shops, who’d have thought? The queues for the shops near us are orderly, everyone does it, keeps their distance and is polite - in some ways it’s quite the revolution. We’ve learnt that the best time to visit our local small-ish supermarket is around 6pm, which is fine, unless we want to go to the butchers too. He’s now closed on Mondays and Wednesdays so it needs some planning in advance, and knowing which day it is, which is another of lockdown’s challenges.

We’ve seen more and more people wearing masks while out shopping, and I think that’s what will continue to happen, with the government extending advice - or maybe stronger - to wear them while in shops as well as on public transport. The fact that Boris has now been pictured in a mask seems to indicate this, and is quite a departure from the early stance of wearing them not being backed by science.

What we noticed in the early days of people wearing masks in shops was a sense of invincibility. Theirs, they seemed to think wearing a cloth or more substantial face covering gave ultimate protection and they would swarm around people taking care to socially distance in aisles. Looming in and reaching over you as they picked something off the shelf. It’s true that face coverings protect others, but so does socially distancing and I think respecting both is a better approach all round.

2. Baskets vs bags

Queueing to get into shops isn’t the only thing that’s changed. We’re still not using those metal shopping baskets, or trolleys, instead we’re using our own bags, and no one bats an eyelid. It feels odd, it feels wrong, and I feel guilty, but we’re still doing it, no one’s objecting, and we’re not the only ones either. We are of course honest and do that very British thing about making a big show that our shopping bags are empty once we get to the till. I’m sure no one notices, but we feel better for it.

TALKING OF BEING BRITISH: TEA AND A TEAPOT HAS BECOME OUR AFTERNOON TRADITION

3. Tactics, and a waiting game

In the earlier days of lockdown getting an online shopping slot was hard, to say the least. It required skilled tactical moves, late nights and often quite a bit of luck. I was happily tasked with securing online slots for my parents too, and once we’d sussed out when their supermarket released their slots, it was easier and more of a waiting game. Waiting to see what slots they had, which would be available and how long the virtual queue would be to get into the online shop. Another queue.

I had more luck with Tescos than Ocado, which having been an Ocado customer for many years was pretty frustrating. And that’s when I realised that…

4. Loyalty is different for everyone

And while I might have been loyal to Ocado over many years, they weren’t as loyal to me. So much so that at one point I wasn’t even able to get onto their site. I was all for taking my online shopping elsewhere, and I did. Tescos online shop booked and delivered. The only thing is, I wasn’t so keen on their products, partly because I wasn’t so familiar with them.

With Ocado splitting from Waitrose later in the year, my split from Ocado was always likely. Our local supermarket is an M&S store, and while it’s good for top up shops, it’s not somewhere I want to do my monthly shop. Tescos was being tested as a replacement too, and let’s just say they’re no longer in the frame, well not for everything.

What’s changed is that I’ve realised I can shop around, even with online deliveries. Tescos didn’t sell the Quince Jelly I was after, or in their online shop at least, and so I went direct. I bought a little more than I would have in one go, but the only jar that I’d not bought before was the salted caramel spread (which we’ve yet to try), but otherwise these are all things we buy.

I can see that this will be a way for me to shop in the future, going direct to buy the products I want. We already use a local butcher, greengrocer and veg delivery company, and so it’s just a further extension of this. I do wonder if the bigger supermarkets will start to see a downturn from a way we’ve shopped for the past twenty or thirty years.

BOUGHT DIRECT FROM TIPTREE

5. Growing numbers of carrier bags and cardboard boxes

During lockdown we’ve amassed more of these than we usually would. Normally we’d hand these back to the driver, but lockdown rules are different. While I know they can go into our recycle bin, I still can’t quite bring myself to do that, yet. We’re reusing some, especially cardboard boxes, but I’ve genuinely less use for carrier bags.

We’re recycling the packing from parcels as we usually would, but the boxes that our veg come in especially, are useful. I’m loathed to chuck these out (in the recycling bin) as the company could reuse these and reduce their costs. I know there’s different rules in this lockdown, but I am reluctant to see the increase of plastic and unnecessary waste, but also I’m close to the point where my carrier bag of carrier bags is overflowing. And besides that, just think of all those 5ps!

Lockdown learnings #1

I mentioned earlier in the week that there’s plenty of time right now for reflecting, and I’m no different. I’m a bit of a list lover (ok a lot) and so I’ve been doing what I do best, and making a list. They are my observations and our experiences, yours may of course be completely different, and that’s ok. I’ve pondered about sharing these, how to categorise, should they be funny or serious and whether to share at all. I don’t have the answers to many of those and have decided it’s important to me to record these, and that simple is often best, so that’s what I’m doing.

A natural grouping happened as I reread the list, and so, I’m starting with food, and food related things. Which, is never a bad place to start is it?

As this crisis started, things started to be in short supply - including, bizarrely toilet roll (why?), something I never thought could cause so much angst for so many, though obviously if you haven’t got any it’s easy to see why.

1 Sourdough breakthrough

Yes, let’s get the lockdown cliches out of the way first. Everyone seems to be making sourdough, and while I’ve been making it on and off for years, often teasing my starter out of semi-retirement in the process, I’ve upped my sourdough game.

The trouble is, as I’ve said before, homemade bread doesn’t hang around for long, it’s too bloomin’ tasty! And in the past few weeks I’ve made some of my best loaves in a while. I’ve discovered, quite by chance, that if I leave my starter wetter, it makes a better loaf.

It also seems to make for a more active starter, as it’s burst out of its ice cream container home a couple of times too. Which in a full fridge isn’t always welcome…

2 A baking cliche too, banana bread

Yes, I’ve made banana bread too, probably in week 1 of lockdown (it’s the end of week 9 as I write this post). It seems to be the cake of choice, and it’s a very good choice too. I am one of those people that’s quite fussy about my bananas, there’s an optimum ripeness for eating, and anything before or after that isn’t enjoyable.

So once they’re past this stage, bananas are either destined to be eaten by MOH, banana bread, breakfast muffins or the freezer (I peel and store in takeaway containers) ready for use another day.

And so far, we’ve done all of these. Some of the frozen bananas have even made it out of the freezer too.

3 In short supply

It’s probably all the baking going on, but here we’ve struggled to buy flour and sugar. Bread flour arrived with our supermarket shop, which was good news and recently we were able to buy some self-raising flour on a local shopping trip too, so it’s ok. I’m not much of a ‘fine and precise’ baker, but my cakes are edible and some flour is better than none.

At one point though I was quite concerned about eggs, or being able to get some, though that was thankfully just a bit of a blip. Butcher’s bacon was more of a disappointment for MOH, but that too is now back to normal, and still much tastier than anything a supermarket sells.

4 We drink a lot of tea

That’s mostly because during the working day MOH makes a lot of tea! I’m not really complaining of course, but I’ve never drunk so much. I think partly because my working day used to involve me running between meetings for most of the day, so cups of tea didn’t happen. Sometimes I’d remember to take a water bottle along, and even sometimes remember to drink it.

MOH was also clearly perplexed by my work day drinking habits, or lack of them, and quite seriously asked if I had a Butler at work to make tea for me. I don’t, but have asked him if he’d consider the position when office life resumes. He wasn’t keen.

We now have a new tea regime, which involves drinking ‘funny tea’ as MOH calls it in the afternoons. ‘Funny tea’ is anything that doesn’t come out of the usual tea bag container, and includes rooiboos, chai, green, mint etc.

We’ve even threatened to break open the tea pot and loose leaf tea, but haven’t reached that stage quite just yet. Or not least, during the working day.

5 A pretty plate helps

We used to take lunch to work two or three days a week, and grab something on the other days. Now lunches are a bit more planned, as grabbing something is no longer an option. I’ll admit though, planning lunches and dinner is dull, and I’m the person who likes a plan. But it helps avoid those ‘we’re hungry, what shall we eat’ conversations, when quite frankly no one is at their best.

Some days/weeks I’m more resourceful than others, cooking some extra pasta the night before for pasta salad for lunch; some leftover potatoes for a Niçoise salad, or finally opening some tinned fish which had been labelled as ‘too smelly’ for the office, but actually wasn’t and was rather tasty.

And yes, a pretty plate helps. So does being able to eat lunch in the garden.

6 Husbands and pulses don’t mix

However, a word of caution. It may just be our household, but overloading one of us with too many pulses isn’t a recipe for success.

Just saying. Lesson learnt.

7 The dishwasher is having a fantastic workout

With all this eating at home, our dishwasher is having a better workout than me! Seriously.

There’s another upside to this lockdown that I don’t want to overlook, and that’s we seem to be making a breakthrough in where things go in the dishwasher. I still occasionally have a slight rearrange, for old times sake, but goodness, it’s only taken almost twenty years.

Apparently I’m exaggerating, it’s only 17 1/2 years, and anyway, sometimes the plates, dishes, mugs fancy a change….!

8 More Margot than Barbara

My vegetable growing is off to a slow start this year, only two (late planted) broad beans have shown up, and to repeat what I think I’ve said here before, this year might be the year for broad beans with Christmas lunch at this rate.

My tomatoes are also slow starters, and way behind where I’d hoped they would be, so they will be receiving some attention this weekend. My spinach is just starting to get going, and some turnips which I’d sown after remembering how well they grew on the allotment, and how pretty they were, have been a little munched.

Munching, or selective munching has also happened in the greenhouse with basil, marigolds and one half of the lettuce seed tray left as stalks. I’ve still to work out if it’s the spicy lettuce mix, or the softer farmer’s market mix that’s gone. I bet it’s the latter, as that’s the one I was most looking forward to. I’ve sown more of each, and taking better precautions, so hope to find out relatively soon.

So I’m definitely not feeling very Barbara, I’ll share why I’m feeling more Margot in a future list. And if that sentence made no sense, it’s a Good Life reference.

9 No weekday chocolate ‘fix’

Often while grabbing lunch, I’d pick up some chocolate too, most likely a Twix or Maltesers, or sometimes the very best cherry flapjacks baked in the cafe on site. The sort that are so sweet that you can feel the sugary-ness coat your teeth. And obviously I’d try and choose the largest one, with the most glacé cherries in - quite a skill, and a big decision.

Well, that’s stopped too. And despite having sweet treats each day, and doing less exercise - I am no longer walking an hour each day to and from work, and don’t make use of my permitted hour of exercise, I’ve needed to ask MOH to add a hole to my belt, as my clothes were too loose.

Certainly food for thought there.

10 Fridge Jenga

Eating more, well all, our meals at home, combined with trying to keep shopping trips to a minimum means more food in the house, and the fridge. Our fridge is currently operating at a Fridge Jenga level usually reserved for Christmas. I have found, and expect to continue to find, MOH peering in wondering i) where things are and ii) what’s safe to move to avoid an avalanche. As that’s entirely possible, I usually rescue him, it’s easier all round, and better than retrieving blueberries from all over the kitchen - they’re pesky little wotsits for escaping.

I also have been know to marvel out loud about how everything fitted in. Of course I have a list of what’s in there, just so I know. And yes, I really do.

Well, that turned into a longer post than I expected, but quite a cathartic one too. There’s plenty more on my list so I’m sure there’ll be further posts, in the meantime what’s on your lockdown learnings list?