Introduction
The study is my favourite room in Loch Angur House.
It retains much of its original Victorian charm. There is shoulder high panelling made of dark wood with green and white striped wallpaper above it; the ceiling is painted in the palest of baby boy blues with the original plaster mouldings highlighted in white.
It is up on the first floor and the broad bay windows provide an unparalleled view out over the gardens and shore. In particularly fine weather, you can even see down to the open sea at the end of the loch.
There is plenty of space for the three separate work areas that I require. On one side, there is the computer with its multiple screens that I use for developing the embedded= firmware that is the core of my job. This is, of course, kept scrupulously tidy.
The other side is dedicated to my hardware test configurations. Here, there is inevitably some disarray with my current projects attached to oscilloscopes, power supplies and logic analysers by a maze of multicoloured wires. Whilst I appreciate the overarching pattern, most other people would not understand it and they might consider it messy. A high resolution video camera directed at the bench and a set of wireless headphones allow for cooperative development work with colleagues who are scattered around the country and, indeed, the rest of the world.
And, at the back of the room, there is the top-of-the-range online conferencing system that I use for meetings. It is deliberately positioned so that my colleagues can appreciate the magnificent view behind me as we talk.
I am generally satisfied with the arrangements and am able to conduct almost all the functions that are required for my business rôle without ever having to leave the room.
It certainly beats commuting.
And commuting anywhere from this particular corner of Western Scotland would be utterly impractical!
With the perfect ambience, I normally enjoy a laser-like focus; however, today, I was having significant difficulty in concentrating.
Because, upstairs, under the roof, in the old servants’ quarters, a pretty little thing would soon be waking up. And then she would be discovering her fate.
She was now my slave.
Please note, this is a grown up book with grown up themes. If you can’t handle this, you might be best to look elsewhere.
Thanks to Grete for her help with the cover and for her review feedback.
