BY POPULAR DEMAND - MY STUDY

After posting on Thursday a photograph of my old room at University, I received several comments expressing surprise at how tidy I kept my room. The reason was very simple, I had very few possessions at the time. I may well have also done a wee bit of tidying up - I can't remember after all these years. Whatever, I am nowhere near as tidy nowadays. When I was working, my office desk was always a mess. Every few months I would blitz it - disposing of piles of old printouts and memos and sheepishly handing old supplier invoices (and even occasionally old signed cheques) to my staff.

Now I spend many hours a day in my study at home. I've got an old fashioned style pedestal desk and a computer desk, a double height filing cabinet, a cupboard and an old oak bureau. The oak bureau is special to me. It was presented to my great-grandfather on his retirement on 31st December 1940 after 59 years service to one company. That is not a typo - he worked fifty nine years for one company, a textile company called G.Garnett & Sons Ltd. There is an engraved presentation plaque on the bureau.

Having filled ever drawer, cupboard, bureau and filing cabinet I am now using every flat surface to store things on, as well as resting some pictures and folded boat charts upright against the desks. "Don't waffle!", I hear you cry, "Let's see a photo!" So here, as requested earlier by Trixie, is a photo of my study.


You can see my webpage on the computer screen. On my desk is a black and white laser printer. As a retiree, Troy can't afford colour ink for printing (well it is many times more expensive than champagne per litre). I have a month to view wall calendar flat on my desk so I know what I should be doing. You will also see my "Don't blame, me I vote Conservative" [faithfully since 1974] blue mug on my computer desk. A pocket Oxford dictionary is to hand because I sometimes use bigger words than I can spell when blogging or leaving comments. On the wall is a coloured ink drawing of Scarborough Harbour. It only looks odd because it is reflecting the curtains. All my paperwork that needs dealing with is on the pedestal desk. This desk gets tidied about every three months (ok! twice annually).

There are two photos of Mrs Troy on my desk and a photo of a semi-clad Amanda Holden on top of my filing cabinet. Mrs Troy only appreciates 2/3rd of these photos, I appreciate them all. Also on top of the filing cabinets are some "I'm Sorry I'll Read That Again" cassettes of a very funny 1970's radio series.

So that's my study. When I'm surfing the web, blogging or replying to your comments, or trading my shares or gold bullion, or listening to Ipswich Town away commentaries I'll be sitting here. It may not be tidy but it's warm and cosy and it's my own personal space.