Jill and I have got an office. We’ve got desks together for the first time in 12 years. Let’s see who finds whom most annoying (clue: experience tells me Jill will tire of me first). There is literally nothing there yet, otherwise I’d show you a picture. We don’t even have a bin. But I will show you a picture of the first office I ever fell in love with instead.

It’s from Arthur Ransome’s kids-turn-detective story The Big Six. It had lots to obsess over as a child: kids allowed to sail boats on their own. Kids being framed and having to clear their name. And best of all, kids getting to set up an office of their own to conduct operations from.

What I learnt, early on, from this little picture is that all you need for an office is a room of your own, a map to pin on the wall, a big table, and a sign. They put up a sign naming their office ‘Scotland Yard.’ Jill, what shall we call ours?

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