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!

The joys of freelancing ... #3 Long lunch

Hmmm, looking back, it seems that many of the joys that I associate with the freelance lifestyle also involve food! Today, I had a yummy lunch inspired by Sophie Dahl on TV last night - a baked potato with the insides taken out and mashed with goat's cheese, creme fraiche, an egg and a spoonful of fresh pesto (my addition, not Miss Dahl's), then popped back in the oven with a few rashers of pancetta:

I love food - as regular readers may have gathered - and it's lovely not to have to make do at lunchtime with a snatched sandwich. I 'cook' lunch most days - sometimes it's a bowl of simple pasta, a hot salad, some stir-fried noodles or like today, a baked potato. Usually, it involves, and is often inspired by, whatever leftovers I find in the fridge (today's goat's cheese, pesto and pancetta all needed using up).

Not only is the process of planning, preparing and eating something different for lunch each day an enjoyable one, but it creates an important break in my day and gets me away from my desk for an hour or so. I think routine is especially important when you work from home - clear breaks and time away from your workspace are essential to keep the work-life balance. I try to switch my brain off from whatever I'm working on too, with the lunchtime news and the Guardian quick crossword - the only one I've got left today is 12 down "German capitalist", 8 letters, _E_L_N_R, I'm always better at the language clues than the general knowledge ones!