Bec Zugor

Is it a delf or a shesk? This is the newest addition to my writing corner.

I normally write on an ironing board in a corner of the bedroom, because there’s simply no room for a big desk. I have to fold the ironing board away at night so Mr Z doesn’t trip over it in the dark. Less pain for Mr Z (good), but a pain in the neck for me, because all my writing projects get stacked together at the end of the day and I have to sort it all out in the morning. If only I could leave some of my stuff out, so I could find what I want easily...

My son’s crummy old desk has been stored in our lean-to for some time. It was too long to fit in my writing space, and too full of graffiti to sell or give away, but I reckoned if we cut it down, it’d fit nicely into the corner. After much sanding down, I applied my home-made chemical-free polish to the desk-top and the job was done.

It’s not very deep, and I usually sort my projects into three piles on there, so I use it more like a shelf. Hence, ‘shesk’ or ‘delf’. I still write on the ironing board, but my new addition means I can leave stuff in tidy piles.

So, one desklet/shesk/delf for hardly any cost, and nothing taken to the tip. (And we still have the drawer section of the old desk in our lean-to, to store odds ‘n’ ends).

It passed its first test yesterday, when someone from a magazine rang. I was able to snatch up the relevant stuff from the right pile and zoom downstairs to take the call. No rummaging, no stress. Magic!