Hi everyone,
I have just emerged from one of the 9 million packing boxes that still seem to be hanging around nearly a month after we moved. For the first week I didn’t know where my glasses were. Second week: couldn’t find the spare sheets or towels. Now it’s more annoying things, like the headphones for my iPod or the paper counterpart of my driving licence. Yes, moving is a pain in the neck - quite literally in fact. But hey, we’re in, and it’s a HOUSE, with STAIRS. And a GARDEN (where all the spiders in the world appear to live and then, come evening, stroll casually into the kitchen. Fact). So haven’t been updating stuff on the website or doing anything useful lately, partly because I couldn’t find my notebook which has the password to get into the admin section of the site. (Anyone still reading or have you died of boredom?)

Anyway, I hope you’ve all had good summers and are OK about autumn coming. I am kind of enjoying the long sunny mornings with the mist in the air and that chill come evening, I like September, I try and wear my flipflops for as long as possible and never ever fall victim to what I used to do which is, the moment 1 September rolls around, break out the tights, boots and polo necks and then wonder why I’m sweating like a pig when it’s still 22 degrees out. Damn you fashion pages of magazines, tempting me with your Sherlock-style capes and delicious brown suede
boots. I resist you, till 1 Oct.

Things that are good about moving house:
1. Sorting out wardrobe. OK, I haven’t done this yet, but in my mind I am going to arrange all my clothes in the big built-in wardrobes in the room with the bamboo sliding doors, built-in jacuzzi and leopard-print lined drawers (it’s like a badly done advert for Lombok in our house - the owners 8 years ago or something obviously loved the Balinese / Thai resort look. I do too, but in Bali / Thailand, not N1). I’m going to order my clothes by colour, event (evening? Daytime? Formal?) and put mothballs in and proper hangers - it’s going to be lovely.
*checks this a month later and realises clothes are still on floor*

2. Having a kitchen you can sit in. Never had one before and it’s BRILLIANT. Kitchen table! What are they! Always had tiny galley kitchens before and so to be able to sit there and chat while someone else makes dinner or vice versa is brill. Plus we have an internet radio SO YOU CAN LISTEN TO BROADWAY SHOWTUNES RADIO 24/7 EVEN IN THE BASEMENT. Yes, amazing.

3. New area. I moved from West London to North / sort of borders with East London - Islington. Always thought Islington was a bit polenta-and-smug and how wrong I was. Chapel Street Market! Essex Road! Mr Hatt’s and Steve Elliot! (fishmonger & butcher, not poncy, cheap and really good quality). The Charles Lamb pub! (best pub in London, try it and see). We are right by the canal and on Sunday we walked to Shoreditch, it was 15 mins. I barely know myself, I’m so trendy. Also being able to walk to Exmouth Market and coming into the centre of London a different way, ie from the east rather than west, is really interesting. Lived here all my life and Clerkenwell / Holborn / Bloomsbury not that well known to me.

4. I HAVE A STUDY. Never had one before. Always wrote either in bed (which is why my back is screwed and my RSI is so bad…), on the sofa, at a table in the sitting room. Now have my own room for my books and everything. It was a little girl’s bedroom before and she wisely decided to choose to paint it lavender. Which is fine if you’re 9, but not my bag. We painted it over the bank holiday weekend and I have scratches on my legs still from trying to get the paint off my feet. Check out the photos on the left of the transformation (check out the Pano app if you have iPhone, it takes a mean panoramic photo)

1. purpletastic (and Chris drinking tea)

2. 1.5 coats down and it still looks kinda purple. And by this stage we were so high on paint fumes that after 1 glass of wine we were hysterical (unfortunately it was at the neighbour’s house and we looked like painty loons)

3. 3.5 coats later we ran out of paint and then we (or should I say ‘I’? YES i should) painted the skirting boards & the shelves and the window frames with gloss after we (or should I say ‘I’? Again, yes I should) taped everything up correctly so it looked all nice and cleanly done.

4. At this stage it was going to be a spare room, but then Vicky who is one of my best friends and who lives in Paris came to stay with her french boyfriend Nicolas and at breakfast they said: This room is too nice to be a spare room, make it your study. Plus the other room is small and right next to the builders who drill all day never ceasing and it was doing my head in. (As it is right now as I sit here typing this. I’m going to wait till the house is completely ready and they’ve moved in and then buy a drill of my own and just randomly drill all day as payback.) Anyway, Vicky was right, or rather Nicolas was (he is very wise). I absolutely love it.

When you work at home it’s important to have a bit that’s your office that you physically go into and write in. I miss the office so this is something of a substitute (although I have to make up chats with myself at my own imaginary water cooler).

I’m just going through the copyedits on my latest book, LOVE ALWAYS, which is out in the UK in January 2011, EXCITING!! Argh, can’t wait. And I’ve just started my new book, in my new office, which is very exciting.
As ever, thanks for your emails. If I haven’t replied I’m super sorry. I have a backlog and because my wrist has been really bad I haven’t been typing much at all. I will reply. THANK YOU to everyone who’s been in touch, it is so so great to hear from you. There’ll be more here soon so check back. Have a great September, and love to you all,
Harrie x x x