Paul Morris

Devon

Bid Manager

The trouble with you city slickers is that you're all so-o-o-o last century - some you still haven't even discovered the benefits of fresh food and farmers’ markets yet! So it's no surprise that you have such problems with new-fangled concepts like WFH.

Here in Devon it's de rigueur for many of us, at least for some of the time. My 13 mile commute to Exeter, by car, can take 40 minutes, what with the narrow roads (if you meet someone coming the other way one of you has to reverse into a layby) and there’s always the chance of a sheep or a cow blocking the road.

The house is peaceful and quiet and the BT broadband logs on at 54Mbps (although quickly degenerates) and works perfectly every time. It’s an ideal environment in which to think and write – interrupted only by the occasional lowing of cattle, baa-ing of sheep or, once or twice, a car might go by. When it’s time for elevenses you hear the bell tolling above the thatched school roof over the way.

Wander round the corner to the shop to get a pasty for lunch and then sit in the garden, up by the pond, to eat it. If I need to think hard, it helps to be able to get up from my laptop and pace about a bit – a luxury hard to come by in the office.

Nevertheless, it’s still good to be in the office with everyone else for some of the time. It’s up to you to get the mix right.