Unexpected features of the at-home editing life

Wood chopping

Keeping warm is a big deal when you work from home in an old villa in a cold (sorry, temperate) city. Nothing happens till the fire is on. When there’s no kindling, you have to make your own. I’m not too bad with an axe now. Follow Annie Dillard’s advice and aim for the block.

Bird rescue

I was in the shower this morning when Rabbit announced from outside the door that Simon (the cat) had a bird. I thought about leaping out and resolving things but the 9-year-old is actually better at that sort of thing than me so I said I’d be there as quick as I could. The updates came swiftly.

“I’ve put Simon in my room.”

“The bird is in your study.”

“Simon isn’t happy.”

“Where are the cloths?”

“I have the bird wrapped up.”

“It’s still alive because it was flying around.”

By this time, I was clean and dressed. We took the bird out to the top of the bank and gently unfurled the cloth. Ruffled, she waited a moment, then flew onto a branch. When I checked later, she had gone.

Bird feeding

We have a beautiful and highly functional Pekapeka bird feeder. Filling it with sugar water is easy and it attracts heaps of tauhou and korimako. They can drink though! Add it to the workplace chores list.

Snacks

You’re going to eat everything in the house so you might as well make sure you have good supplies.

Background noise

While the home environment is generally quieter than your average large open-plan office, the conversations you overhear can be more surprising and less comprehensible, especially during the school holidays.

“Do you want me to disenchant your pickaxe and have it on fortune not silk touch?”

Work/life balance

Ha! As if! All I can say is that there will be life and there will be work. And it’s up to you where you draw the line.