Working at home hasn't been the wrench that some of my colleagues assumed I'd discover it to be. It has still only been three years since finally achieving the near impossible and having a roof over my head with my name on the mortgage. The novelty of having a place to call home that no one can take away from us still feels very recent. Being able to spend time there is something I relish more and more. I do get a little cooped up if I've spent 15 hours at my laptop for three days on the trot, but my peripatetic work life means I've often alternated between weeks at home and weeks freelancing in offices.
I thought I'd spend more time in the garden, but it was a lousy year for growing fruit and veg and my herbs and chillies required very little intervention. Creating a raised bed for beans, carrots and onions was a good idea, but the nearby conifer continued to suck moisture away and has already left the soil lacking in nutrients. The offending tree has been earmarked for removal when we finally get the overgrown eucalyptus tree cut down to size next month. My guilt is assuaged by having planted seven saplings at the Ambassadors Wood in Addington, near Croydon, as one of the volunteering legacies from London 2012.
Sometimes it's better to start over again rather than tinkering with what you've got. A fresh start looks set to be the Hattersley mantra for 2013 as we knuckle down and plan our planting year as well as making changes to our flat. Bigger kitchen ahoy!
During a fairly relaxed summer spent at home enjoying the Olympics and the associated events we painted and rearranged our front room. Replacing the dilapidated floorboards and sorting out the endless dust is the next big job. Noticeably, since becoming a home worker I've continued to sneeze but have deftly avoided the colds, flu and novovirus that were staples of my office-bound winters.
Interruptions, procrastination and inefficiency have also been largely banished. I still thrive on a deadline and have routinely ensured I've had too much on my plate, but I don't miss the meetings, email deluge or the succession of phone calls. There's a lot to be said for a quiet life, it seems.
On the other hand, I'm a lot less involved in writing about tech. Rumours, leaked photos and companies point-scoring bore me, so I'm a low-profile person now. Showing people how to use technology and how to make the most of it is another matter. I've continued to write how-to guides, bookazines and reviews and am just about to send to press my first ever book – a guide to the ‘iPad for The Older And Wiser’. John Wiley Publishing will be publishing the third edition (of which I am co-author) in February.
I've taught myself quite a lot too. I took on the task of updating and maintaining the website for the Brockley Max festival. The non-profit event was fantastic fun to be involved with (we ran free knitting and pom-pom workshops for adults and kids as part of it), and it gave me the chance to learn Wordpress. I also got my InDesign skills up to snuff and spent many enjoyable weeks working with Muireann and Clair and the design team at Antiques Trade Gazette, as well as getting to do the layouts (as well as lots of writing) for IDG's Complete Guide To The iPhone 5 and to the iPad Mini.
The best thing I did this year, though, was volunteering during and after the Olympics as a London 2012 Ambassador. A week welcoming visitors to a gloriously sunny Greenwich, followed by the infectious excitement of the Olympics and Paralympics meant I spent July and August on a permanent high. I love London and the people who make it such a fantastic place to live. It was an amazing privilege to share our unique city with the world this year.
2012 itself has a been a highlight for me. 2013 has an awful lot to live up to!
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