I mentioned recently that my new study/office furniture was being delivered after a 6-week wait. Here’s a sneak peek into where I spend most of my time at home and do most of my writing/blogging. A few of you have been asking how the cats are – they are very well, thank you! They’re featured in this post.
I haven’t finished unpacking all my stuff – it’s mostly still in boxes in the guest room. But I’ve set up the essentials.
Here’s my new desk. In the photo below, starting from the end closet to you and moving along the “L” to the other end of the desk: Gilmore Girls DVD, a tray for my daily bits and pieces like my train pass and keys, my iPod Touch (in its leather case), my black and white laser printer (not networked, sadly), router, 7-USB port hub, water bottle, another tray for pens and note paper, DVD/VCR player and TV, de Blob figurine (on top of the TV), my laptop, my second monitor (22-inch widescreen LCD), ladybug mouse and Homer Simpson mousepad, Bamboo drawing tablet (which I need to use more), clock radio with iPod dock.
I will be replacing my red office chair with a leather executive-style one soon. Next to the desk is my new matching bookshelf, which is still empty. We got the desk made with holes for cables at each corner – and I have used those cable holes at all three corners! There are lots of cables and plugs under the desk.
On the opposite side of the room I have a matching credenza and a hutch which can fit on top of the credenza or on top of the desk. In the photo below, from left to right: a box of stationery I am yet to unpack (JetGirl may recognise the box as the one she sent me for Christmas :)), a tray for TFP-related paperwork (restaurant menus, receipts, correspondence, notes to myself for review posts etc), a tray for household paperwork (bills etc) – yep, with Pixel sitting on top, a shopping bag and the handbag I take to work each day.
Pixel has really taken a shine to my household paperwork tray. For some reason she’s not interested in the TFP paperwork tray. She’ll happily sit and watch me from “her” tray, or shut her eyes and take a nap.
We bought a large whiteboard on wheels from the Reject Shop for AU$60. It came in a box and we had to assemble it – surprisingly, we only got a little cranky with each other while doing so! :D. I write notes to myself on the whiteboard – appointment and event reminders, posts I’m working on currently, places to eat at next, random ideas I have for the blog etc. Yes – I’ve blurred out the writing on the board – sorry, I don’t want to give everything away! ;)
Behind the whiteboard is my old 3-drawer filing cabinet which is full to bursting and will be upgraded soon to either a 4-drawer or two 2-drawer cabinets.
I’ve been using the oil heater a lot lately as it’s been so cold. Billy Lee is sitting on the floor, and Pixel still sitting in her tray on the credenza. You can see part of a pink round rug next to the heater – Billy Lee has claimed it for herself – she sleeps on it for hours, next to the heater, while I’m sitting at the desk. The room gets really toasty and cosy when the heater’s on. There is a foot stool under the desk which Billy Lee likes sleep on as well. Quite often Pixel will hang out with Jac in the kitchen or the garden while Billy Lee hangs out with me in the study.
I still have a lot of unpacking to do and plan to put up some pictures and maybe my degrees on the wall on the desk-side of the room (doesn’t every office need an “ego wall”? :)).
So anyway, there you have it – the place where I do most of my writing, blogging, tweeting and updating of Facebook. :) I love my new study and I’m pretty sure the cats are happy with the new set-up too.
It feels like this week has gone really quickly – it’s Friday already for us here in Australia. I’m hoping to do a lot of catching up this weekend: unpacking my boxes, computer data backup, filing paperwork, working on the blog (photos, drafting posts, responding to comments and emails).
Don’t worry, the next post will definitely feature food.
For the cat fans: more posts featuring the cats
I'm TFP, a food blogger from Perth, Western Australia.
{ 24 comments… read them below or add one }
Nice Digs… I love my L desk at work… No room for one at home… but looks nice…
You’re such a neat person! Hope you get all comfy with your new stuff soon.
I love the kitty pics. I have two fur babies myself and it is makes me laugh how they both have the spots that are ‘theirs’. I am surprised that they let me live in ‘their’ house sometimes!
I was SO excited when I did my home office :) my desk wraps around 3 walls of the office, its just so lovely to have so much room! I have in excess of 1000 cookbooks and I have most of them in the office, with the overflow running into any other room I happen to be in for more than 5 minutes lol no cats though, but our recycled poodle loves to come in and sit on my lap while I blog. Biggest advice for the new office is to file everything away sooner rather than later or a big pile of STUFF just grows and grows and NEVER goes away lol. I currently have one of these big piles of stuff which I promised myself I am going to tackle this weekend……sure i can see it happening…maybe next weekend :) enjoy your new space!
1000+ cookbooks? OMG! I thought I had a lot, and we have maybe 30!
Recycled Poodle? Please explain, I’m intrigued! :-)
lol yes 1000 + the one 1 got for my birthday last week ….and don’t even go there with the foodie mags….last week I bought 4, only one this week tho so I have been quite restrained! I leave a trail of cookbooks behind me where ever I go. And I wonder why I’m poor!
Our darling poodle is recycled (he also looks homeless at the moment and due for a doggy day spa) as we got him second hand out of the Sunday Times for $250 :) he was our best purchase ever! and we can’t imagine why the people didn’t want him! we also have a ghost poodle that leaves his footprints on the couch, because our real one would never hop on the couch for a nap when no ones looking..
Heh! I think that’s called a cookbook addiction. I hope you do actually cook things from those books! :-)
Ah I get it. Then we have a recycled cat! The best part is that she was free. You can read about that if you want: http://cats.craigandcarolinehind.info/about-mumble/
We also have a ghost cat. We have one cat that likes to do their business outside of the litter tray (sorry foodies!) – we’ve seen all three of them using the box so we know they all use it. But someone is a double agent. Or maybe we have a ghost cat? :-)
I choose to call it a little idiosyncrasy :) I also have the same problem with shoes….
I have started cooking from my books and magazines recently and then thought I would write a little blog about my cooking adventures so my kids and friends could share :) it’s fun! and we are eating so well we are going to have to start running marathons…but really who has the time ha ha.
I read you are moving to Oz soon? where will you be living?
Yep you read right. We’ll be in Sydney. From April next year we’ll be living there permanently. For 3 weeks from July 1 we’ll be there for 3 weeks looking for a place to stay, opening bank accounts etc. It’s all very exciting.
And as TFP says we’ll be eating our way around Sydney. First stop Harry’s, then Ikea perhaps! LOL.
Karen,
I felt quite excited when we were in the office furniture shop and I chose the pieces to go in the study. My excitement died during the six weeks I had to wait for the furniture. But then on delivery day when I came home to a study with the new furniture in it my excitement returned. :) Yes – I agree – avoid the piles of stuff. Unfortunately, I have a history of creating large piles of stuff despite my best intentions! I am a naturally untidy person, you see.
Love the room! You’ve got everything neatly in order. My fav is Pixel sitting in the tray! So adorable :) Enjoy the rest of the unpacking!
Very nice space! You must be happy to finally get it the way you want it. I’m happy to see the kids. Missed hearing about them. So cute and such different personalities. You can see it in the pictures. Duke fell in the pool in the dark Sunday night. Ric was watching baseball in the breezeway, hears a splash. He was barking at other dogs and his body will actually jump. It did and he went in backwards. He can swim; but, he doesn’t like it. Plucked out like a little drowned rat!I wrapped him up and loved on him. Ric was too busy laughing! Just like a child, Dad for roughhousing, Mum for comfort. He’s never out there at night by himself. Just so you know we aren’t negligent parents! As for your “ego wall”, You deserve it, Doc!
Hey TFP!
I love seeing your cats! We just adopted a cat today!
Nice office! I love how cats find the strangest things to sit on (or in!). Puddy will always sit on a piece of paper if it’s on the floor (or desk or chair or table) rather than on the actual surface itself. So strange!
That first picture of Pixel makes me laugh – I can just imagine her saying, “What. I like my basket.” :D your cats are so cute!
Wei-Wei
Aww, it’s lovely that pixel and Billy Lee have made their little nests in your study. The heater is definitely an essential to stay warm. Have a good weekend TFP!
That desk looks really nice. I have an L-shaped desk myself which I’m currently selling in anticipation of our move. I sold all our computers desktop and laptop and bought two new laptops for Caro and I, so now we do most of our work from the couch in the lounch. We look like a right couple of geeks sitting there at night next to each other on the couch with the cats in-between both doing our own things – sometimes both reading this site at the same time! :-)
Of course the desk I want I saw at a woodwork gallery in Bungendor, NSW South Coast (http://www.bungendorewoodworks.com.au/) – It isn’t on their site unfortunately, but it was a very nice, solid wood, futuristic Star Trek like desk. Alas it was $10,000! A tad expensive for a desk!
The Wacom Bamboo looks really nice. I see they use the term multi-touch which I thought was an Apple term. I wonder if they licensed it from them. All the gestures seem the same. Our new notebooks have hugh trackpads and use all the same gestures – I really like them – you really should give it a try. Did you get the finger or pen based bamboo? I can see how this would be very useful on a desktop computer that doesn’t normally have a trackpad.
Billy Lee and Pixel are so cute and look like they are enjoying the new study. I think our cats are going to enjoy living in a place where we can actually have a fire/heater. Durban gets chilly in winter, but not quite cold enough to need to buy heaters, and when it does get cold it’s not for long enough. The minimum at the moment is about 11˚C and only for a month or so.
Nice! :-)
Cheers Bryan,
I can’t say I love my L desk at my work – simply because it’s at work! :P But I love my desk at home.
Boon Lee,
Anyone who knows me personally and has seen my study probably had a good laugh at your comment, because they will all tell you I am very messy! No matter how neat and organised it is to begin with, my stuff always ends up a big mess – piles and piles of stuff! I always know where everything is, but it looks like a rubbish tip. :P It drives Jac crazy to see my messy study.
Linda,
Oh yes, our two babies definitely think we’re their lodgers. :) Or is that live-in servants?
Christine,
Heh. Well, Saturday is almost over and I still haven’t looked at my boxes or done any unpacking. Ooops. I haven’t wasted the day though – I’ve been doing blog-related things all day. Oh well. Yes, I love the pics of Pixel sitting in the tray. In fact, as I type this, she is sitting in here watching me… from the tray. :P
Thanks kathy,
Yes, I’m stoked with the “new” study. 6 weeks waiting is a long time, especially when you’re an impatient person. :) Oh no, poor Duke! We had a spa in our old house and once when we had some dogs over they played this boisterous game of chasey and there was an almighty big splash when one of the staffies jumped into the spa. Apparently the three dogs (two staffies, one German shepherd cross) were chasing a ball, which fell into the spa. The look of surprise on the staffie’s face was priceless. Rescuing her was hard work between her sheer weight (heavy when dry, even heavier when wet) and all our laughing (like Ric laughing at little Duke). Heh, I don’t think much about the Doc thing until someone reminds me of it. :P
Hey Nina,
I thought it was time the cats made an appearance! Congrats on your new cat. What’s its name?
Thanks Katie,
Billy Lee’s favourite place to sit is on top of a Woolies or Coles shopping bag – if we’ve put away the shopping and have left the empty reusable bags on the floor, we’ll find Billy Lee sitting on them shortly after. We leave rugs all over the house so the cats will find them and enjoy sitting on them. They never fail to sit on a “new” rug.
Wei-Wei,
Yep. I think she did think I put the tray there just for her. Just like Billy Lee thinks the foot stool under my desk was especially for her.
Thanks gcroft,
I spend many hours in the study and the cats spend many of those hours in there with me. When I keep the door closed the heater does a brilliant job of keeping the room warm. The cats love it when the heater is on. Sometimes Billy Lee will sit right in front of the heater and keep looking at me as if to say “Well? Are you going to switch this on or what?”
Cheers Bryan,
I can’t say I love my L desk at my work – simply because it’s at work! :P But I love my desk at home.
Boon Lee,
Anyone who knows me personally and has seen my study probably had a good laugh at your comment, because they will all tell you I am very messy! No matter how neat and organised it is to begin with, my stuff always ends up a big mess – piles and piles of stuff! I always know where everything is, but it looks like a rubbish tip. :P It drives Jac crazy to see my messy study.
Linda,
Oh yes, our two babies definitely think we’re their lodgers. :) Or is that live-in servants?
Christine,
Heh. Well, Saturday is almost over and I still haven’t looked at my boxes or done any unpacking. Ooops. I haven’t wasted the day though – I’ve been doing blog-related things all day. Oh well. Yes, I love the pics of Pixel sitting in the tray. In fact, as I type this, she is sitting in here watching me… from the tray. :P
Thanks kathy,
Yes, I’m stoked with the “new” study. 6 weeks waiting is a long time, especially when you’re an impatient person. :) Oh no, poor Duke! We had a spa in our old house and once when we had some dogs over they played this boisterous game of chasey and there was an almighty big splash when one of the staffies jumped into the spa. Apparently the three dogs (two staffies, one German shepherd cross) were chasing a ball, which fell into the spa. The look of surprise on the staffie’s face was priceless. Rescuing her was hard work between her sheer weight (heavy when dry, even heavier when wet) and all our laughing (like Ric laughing at little Duke). Heh, I don’t think much about the Doc thing until someone reminds me of it. :P
Hey Nina,
I thought it was time the cats made an appearance! Congrats on your new cat. What’s its name?
Thanks Katie,
Billy Lee’s favourite place to sit is on top of a Woolies or Coles shopping bag – if we’ve put away the shopping and have left the empty reusable bags on the floor, we’ll find Billy Lee sitting on them shortly after. We leave rugs all over the house so the cats will find them and enjoy sitting on them. They never fail to sit on a “new” rug.
Wei-Wei,
Yep. I think she did think I put the tray there just for her. Just like Billy Lee thinks the foot stool under my desk was especially for her.
gcroft,
I spend many hours in the study and the cats spend many of those hours in there with me. When I keep the door closed the heater does a brilliant job of keeping the room warm. The cats love it when the heater is on. Sometimes Billy Lee will sit right in front of the heater and keep looking at me as if to say “Well? Are you going to switch this on or what?”
Craig,
In the week or so before we got the call re: delivery of my new furniture, we packed up all my stuff and I set up a temporary workstation in the lounge. It was nice to be sitting with Jac in the lounge for a change. But I am glad to be back in my space. :)
Yes – I often laugh when I get tweets or comments from you and Caro at the same time or almost the same time. Heheheh.
$10,000 for a desk?! Definitely too expensive!
Not sure about who owns the term “multi-touch”. My Bamboo is an older model to the ones pictured on that page – I can only use the pen on it. I got it mostly for drawing. Still getting used to it – not yet able to draw anywhere near as well with the pen/tablet as I can with pen/paper.
Oh yes – the cats, Billy Lee especially, love the heater. Because Billy Lee’s the bigger of the two, and the boss, she gets the prime spots in front of the heaters. Poor Pixel has to sit off to the side, and even then only if Billy Lee permits her to.
Thanks, Cindy!
@TFP
His name is Nemo : D hahah
Like Captian Nemo.
“Oh yes, our two babies definitely think we’re their lodgers. :) Or is that live-in servants?”
Live-in servants. ;-) Trixie is Queen of this castle, not me. And she gets the vast majority of body rubs too! Small wonder David’s often too tired to massage my shoulders and back, lol. :-p
The new study is gorgeous! Love all the space you guys have at the new house. And that picture of Pixel is too funny! It was the last thing I expected while I was scrolling down (even though I was forewarned by the title of the post!).
Pixel looks so content in “her” basket. :)
Marcie,
She does, doesn’t she? We make sure there are always boxes and baskets and bags for her to discover and sit in. It’s not hard to keep her happy, really!