So it's funny, being surrounded by packing boxes but not moving for a while. It has been a fun exercise in Indoor Camping, and I've been seeing whether I can live without many objects.

I was surprised that I cannot do without a spatula. I can, however, live for at least a week without butter, pepper (not salt), and a sofa. I have kept two books out - The Blasphemer by someone or other, and Wolf Hall by 'er ladyship. Wolf Hall's enjoyment is tainted for me, because we have published better books than that, in the same vein, to a fraction of the acclaim. The Blasphemer is a bit daft and a bit rubbish, but good bath reading.

Obviously I have not packed away the power cable, the Macbook Pro, the iPhone, the Kindle, the ADSL box and the label printer. Let's not get silly.

Ro is doing wonderful things in the absence of many toys: sea shanties, twirls, turning shoes into trains. He's in charge of putting labels in boxes. He is also the one who's job it is to make sure that once the box is packed, it stays packed. Responsible position for a boy. Not one he excels at, truth be known.

So essentially I'm all a bit Desert Island Discs this week. Only the barest of essentials. I have my spatula, though, and I know how to use it. Not that it's anything to do with publishing, but what can't you live without?