Decorating

Funny isn't it how a small re-working of a room can turn into a major redecoration project. This was not my intention to start with but one thing led to another. I sold my childhood piano - I was never very good, didn't practice enough and now don't have time to play it at all, besides which a piano in a flat isn't that neighbour-friendly! Great I thought - I can buy a couple of large bookcases and move all my books into one place- nearly! Before I fit them I'd better buy a new carpet though - the one in the room must be 40 years old - since it was too difficult to change with a piano in the room - but then there is no point having new carpet without giving the walls a fresh coat of paint...and so on and so on - so now - everything I am meant to be actually working on is spread all over my flat. I never realised how much a small (very small!) room can hold till I had to move it all out!

So I am typing this in my sitting room, while waiting for the gloss paint to dry. It's not condusive to a coherent thought process, but the talk is taking shape - and that is the more urgent of my list of tasks at the moment. After the day job tomorrow, I'll try and emulsion the walls and then the carpet should be able to go doqwn and I can get straight again. 

On the plus side it all made me have a really good declutter. I have weeded out two bin bags of paperwork and taken a car load to the charity shop, so that has to be a good thing. I always seem to be submerged under pieces of paper - notes, letters, research etc.  Hopefully my next post will be from my wodnerful new smart library!

And if you are wondering what decorating has to do with ships - I need a place to store my research, reference material, collections, as well as to sit and work on the next volume!

And to finish - a nice photo of my all-time favourite ship...so far
My beloved QE2 - her lines were just magnificent!

Great news

Yesterday we discovered that the P&O 175 book had sold out of its first print run. This is great news and we are really delighted.  After all the hard work it is good to know people are enjoying it so much as to recommend it to their friends.


The past weeks have been spent getting up to speed on the next publication - following research leads, gathering photos etc. I have a pile to scan from Mr W. who was so helpful with the 175 book. That, and preparing a talk, will keep me busy this weekend, not to mention the redesign and decoration of my office.  Having "made do" with the spare room, stuck between the piano, bureau and filing cabinet, I felt it was time I got sorted and comfortable.