The joys of freelancing ... #4 Sport

I'm a big sports fan and, despite England's ignominious exit from the World Cup at the weekend, I'm still loving all the summer sport. I always work with the radio on anyway -- if I try to work in silence, my mind just seems to wander -- so keeping up with the football and the tennis doesn't seem to have a negative effect on my work rate. I generally follow online, listening to the commentary as I work and flicking to the video when the commentator's voice goes up a notch!

What's more, a recent patch of overwork has caused my RSI to flare up, so I'm trying to be strict about limiting my hours. Thus, a mid-afternoon break on the terrace with the TV set up just inside the doors is perfect for keeping me away from my desk for an hour or so. The heat's great for easing my aches and pains -- the tan's not coming along too badly either!

Leaving on a jet plane ...

No, I'm not off on holiday again! But this afternoon, when I was out having a tea break on the terrace, I noticed the most spectacular pattern of vapour trails across the perfect blue sky. I just couldn't resist a photo or two ...

Sharing my office

I'm very lucky that, unlike many freelancers, I don't have to share my office space. I'm not squeezed into a spare room, but have a lovely little space just for my desks and a couple of shelves. At the moment though, I'm temporarily sharing some of my deskspace with some beetroot seedlings!

As I'm up in the roof, it's nice and warm and with a Velux window right above my second desk (i.e. not the one with my computer on), it makes a perfect nursery space. I only planted the seeds at the end of last week, but they're growing right before my eyes - very exciting for a novice gardener! They'll soon be big enough to be planted out on the terrace to join the beans and spinach.

Favourite words

A couple of days ago, I came across voluminous as an answer to a crossword clue. I was on my own at the time, but couldn't resist saying it out loud, just to enjoy rolling the sounds around my mouth! I think some of my favourite words are the ones that sound good.

I have a feeling that I've written in a previous post about the joy of getting allocated the "squ..." section to work on in a dictionary - it's just so full of wonderfully evocative words. There are the soft, soggy ones - squash, squeeze, squelch, squidgy, squirt, squishy - and the grating, high-pitched ones - squawk, squeak, squeal.

Forget the meaning, for me, it's all about the feel!