Sunday 27 September 2009

My WiFi Nextdoor


Now that we are well into our second year of running our own business from home, our friends (if we had any) would lean over the bar of the local pub (if we had one) and ask the following question : "How on Earth do you cope working together all day as husband and wife?".

Well, the short answer is that we don't.

Thanks to the magic of Wireless Internet I am able to work in my back bedroom office and back bedroom photographic studio whilst Mrs Rine "hot desks" it with the laptop in the kitchen. We haven't reached the stage of corresponding by emails yet but we do use the internal phone for important business exchanges such as where a particular item of stock has disappeared to. (Every room in the house contains a certain amount of stock - or "old shite" as Oz refers to it).

When we do have to meet up it's a bit like we are working in a "proper" organization where the office politics come to the fore. For example, when I have my imaginary "Head of Warehouse" Brown coat on and am knee deep in corrugated cardboard, I base my character on a dangerous amalgum of Stan from Dinner Ladies, Arkwright from Open All Hours and Victor Meldrew from One Foot in the Grave. When Mrs Rine appears with a query that something cost twice as much to post because of the excess packing weight I turn to my imaginary colleagues (or Oz) and say things like "Those girls in that office just have no conception of the need to add protective packaging to our valuable items. They were moaning last week because I got through 17 rolls of brown plastic tape! I ask You!".

Mrs Rine bases her working persona on the entire female cast of Dinner Ladies with the exception of Twinkle, who is played by Lily.

Honestly, the days just FLY by!

8 comments:

Geoff said...

I bet Walkies time is like The Rag Trade.

"Everybody Out!"

Z said...

When my son lived at home I used to email him to say when dinner was ready.

I've never seen Dinner Ladies so have no idea what any of that means.

Dave said...

Be honest: which one is Harold, and which Albert?

Roses said...

Both Boy and I love Dinner Ladies. I think Lily must be a magnificent Twink.

KAZ said...

I bet you have a clipboard and a pencil behind your ear.
Both digital of course.
I'm a bit worried about who staffs the canteen - is it Julie Walters?

Sarah said...

Two way radio's work well in these situations.....until of course one party refuses to answer.
It's all jolly good fun, until the time comes when you have run out of stuff to say at meal times...that's where the dogs come in handy.

Richard said...

I remember being in a similar situation when Skype first started. "Bring us up a cup of Bovril and an egg mayo sandwich". Indeed.

Seeing old John Alderton/Bernard Hedges there reminds me I saw an obituary for Peter Denyer, Dennis from Please Sir, over the weekend. Didn't realise he was a Dartford boy, went to school in Erith and started acting at Erith Little Theatre in the High St.

Rog said...

Geoff: More like Steptoe & Son with Oz sitting on the cart.

Z: You are really lucky to have the treat of Victoria Wood's "Dinner Ladies" series to look forward to.

Dave: I'm the one with reduced teeth quotient. Thanks for reminding me!

Roses: Spot on! And I am a magnificent Stan the Maintenance man grumbling about his cones.

Kaz: I do have an Ikea drawer set for my dockets. Julie Walters the bag lady only appears occasionally. Big Nana normally plays that part.

Sarah: That sounds like the authentic voice of experience to me! I bet Tilly is about as useful as Lily in making polite conversation over meals.

Richard: Oh that's shocking news! You really drank Bovril with an egg sandwich??!!! Dennis did have the dopey dartford twang to him I recall.