WT #3

Wordsmith Towers mark 3 is an interesting kettle of fish. Or perhaps I should say squirrels. My street is full of them. It's a full 2 weeks since I moved and I'm still settling in - upstairs remains cluttered with unpacked boxes of clothes, books, CDs and, er, stuff. But downstairs functions.

At the 2 previous incarnations of Wordsmith Towers, my office was at the back looking out onto whatever passed as a garden. That was never going to be an option here for various reasons, mostly technical. My desk is at the front window so I can watch the street. Not much happens - most of my neighbours appear to be OAPs and there's a dead end where the street buffers a railway line. So there's not much traffic and, apart from the postie, not many people either. But there are lots of squirrels racing around, up and down trees and in and out of front gardens (and bins, too, by the look of things). They are an entertaining distraction while I work. There are lots of cats too, which excites my boy. I've not let him out yet as those initial forays need supervising and I've not had the time to nursemaid his exploration of the new neighbourhood.

Unsurprisingly, it's because I am drowning in work. My book MS is 2 weeks late already, I have 3 articles to write and a mountain of PDF proofs to check for a client. I'm behind with the email and have no time to chase up pitches I sent out. Things can only get better...