I wish I could say I have some gorgeous, luxurious home office set up... but I don't. It's mostly a collection of what I could afford and what I needed at the time. But, even though my computer desk is not glamorous and decadent (as my ideal home office would be) it is functional and affordable. It actually looks similar to this one from Amazon. But, mine is showing the odd sign of age now. I could dust it a bit more too.

These days I could call my computer desk, which is the focus of my home office, bohemian. I like bohemian, it gives me some slack for not being especially clean or tidy. Bohemian allows some clutter (in a fashionable way) and even the dust bunnies fit into the Bohemian lifestyle. At least that's how I see it.

I have an assortment of stuff scattered over my desk. My old mousepad has now become the coffee cup coaster. Beside that I have a back scratcher because I don't really have another good place to put it and, I got a bit lazy last night and did not move it somewhere else. I also have the two remotes for the TV because I like to have it on, babbling away in the background. Some people work to music, I work to random conversations it seems. I've got assorted tubes and bottles of cream for my face and hand sanitizer which I squirt over my hands and the computer mouse too. I have my new hand-held scanner which I need to buy a micro SD card for still and I have my old photo scanner which is much loved but does not like my new computer well enough to stay plugged in to it. The rest is clutter I have to admit. You might think some of the above it clutter too... and you could be right.

Yes, I would love a hardwood desk for my home office. I can see it in my mind, lots of drawers and cubby holes. Heavy and dense, the sort of desk it would take several men and perhaps at least one horse too, just to move it into my room. A dark wood in colour but maybe a stain like cherry wood to make it look less serious. Curved lines on some of the drawers because I don't like a lot of squares and unrelieved straight lines. A romantic, almost shabby chic look to it. Likely some fabric somewhere, maybe a desk skirt, if that wouldn't be going too far. A desk like that should have some mystery to it too, not be just girly looking.

It would be a great desk... but I've got my bohemian computer desk right now, in the real world that is my life. I like it and I'm going to keep it. After all, it puts up with me and all my stuff.

I really like the gargoyle bookends which I found on Amazon.

As a reader (and keeper of books) one thing I especially like are bookends. I have some standard black wire bookends which do the job of keeping my books from falling over. But, they just do the job, nothing more. I prefer bookends with some drama, some personality and some mystery even. Sometimes I like a romantic style, sometimes architecture catches my eye and I have bookends which are not really bookends but chunks of rock and stone from old buildings.

Whatever bookends attract you they still need to be functional. The purpose of bookends is not to pose fashionable at the end of a row of books. Bookends need to hold up your books, keep them from falling over on bookshelves and then slipping and slopping their way onto the floor. Bookends are great.

I have a lovely bookshelf but... the sides were not designed with the idea of keeping books in place. The sides are left open and my books fall through if I don't use bookends to hold them in place. I also use this for my very small collection of video games and my even smaller collection of movies on DVDs. So, bookends aren't just for books and book readers.

Don't those gargoyles look great. Sitting there, quiet, still and supposedly made of rock with rock for brains too. However, I suspect when you head off to work, school, or whatever it is you do with your day, the gargoyles will read your books. I hope you pick something good for them to read. Change around the books they hold too. You don't want to leave them with nothing new to read.

You don't need to leave your gargoyles milk and cookies, that would be silly. You're just thinking of Santa. But, a well placed bookmark would be a great idea to keep them from turning down pages to mark their place in your book.

You can find good photographs of gargoyles and other vintage and mysterious things at Gigi Pandian, Gargoyle Girls blog.

Does a dragon count as a gargoyle? I think so. Dragons have been seen on the sides of buildings among the other odder looking gargoyles. I wonder if they all have their books tucked away up there, hidden from public view?

I didn't even want to play Carmageddon the first time I was asked. I was the type to play city building games, not shooters and anything bloody and violent or aggressive. The game grew on me. When I didn't take it too seriously I had a lot of fun, stress release and a dark sense of humour and it was soon my favourite game. I still like my city building games but, there are times when city building is just a bit too tame and nice.

Carmageddon, the first game, looks pretty rustic by modern game standards. But, if you can get it working on your computer, Carmageddon 1 is still a lot of fun. It came out in the late 1990's and was restricted in the UK. You had to buy extra software to have the full effects of the game. It has never been a fluffy bunny type of game.

In Carmageddon you need a dark sense of humour to drive recklessly while keeping control of your car, smashing and racing your opponents in a demolition where you get extra points for pedestrian and animal carnage. Or, you can stick to the paler, less bloody, version where the pedestrians and animals are all robot creatures.

Carmageddon 2 came along and was called Crashopalypse. It was a smoother looking version of the same game. Arguably, it is the best version so far. Better graphics, more tracks and more challenges.

Carmageddon 3 never got very far. The gameplay was not as smooth and the controls were awkward. I could not get past the first level because I found it impossible to get enough points. I would not be surprised if I had also had trouble with the other versions. But, I didn't. I was able to beat both games, without resorting to the cheat mode. But, the cheat mode did add to the fun when I wanted to repel cars and and shock pedestrians. (Did I mention Carmageddon is not for the faint of heart)?

Carmageddon 4 (going by the name Carmageddon Reincarnation) is due out soon. The date has changed a few times but we are finally getting a new version of the game. I have signed up for it, contributed to it and now I'm just waiting for the day I can download it and play.

Did you know Ian Fleming, the James Bond writer, wrote Chitty Chitty Bang Bang? That was a surprise to me, years ago when I first noticed his name in the credits of the movie. I love Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, the movie. I have yet to read the original story from the book. There must be differences, things changed for the movie version of the story and things added or skipped. How does it end? I have wished for a continuation to the adventure with Jeremy and Jemimah since I was a little girl and watched the movie for the first time. I wanted my own Dad to become an inventor, instead of an Electrical Engineer and I am sure my love for tiny houses started with Grandpa living in the outhouse in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. I love the scene where Grandpa sings about "the traveling life" while stepping his feet out of his outhouse and into the ocean. Posh!

My favourite song from the movie is still 'Hushabye Mountain". Every now and then I pull it up online somewhere just to hear it again. Do you remember the music box/ machine which Dick Van Dyke starts to play at the start of the song?

I haven't watched the movie since the last time I put it on for my nieces and nephew, a few years ago now. It is one of the well-worn videos in their collection. I originally bought it for my nephew, Zack, who is now away for his first year of university and about to turn 18 in just a week.

I found books with the further adventures of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. These were not written by Iam Fleming, the original author. But, they would be fun to read and see where that car takes them next.

Small Town Girl's Adventures as a Coffee Connoisseur (Keeping it Warm)

I like my French Press coffee maker. But, it has one flaw. It doesn't keep the coffee warm for very long.

This wouldn't really be a problem but I'm usually making coffee when I'm working on other things and want to sip while I work. Once I get into my work I often forget the time and when I do remember I made coffee, it's cold in the pot. If I'm lucky, or less distracted, it will still be lukewarm when I push the plunger down and actually drink it.

I began thinking about using a smaller coffee mug too. The big ones cool off fast. Plus, I could make less coffee. In theory I'd drink it sooner, before it's cold in the mug.

In this case, a coffee mug warmer would be a bonus too.

I do have a coffee sleeve which I keep in my purse for those times I get a latte when I'm out and the paper cup is too hot. It's really good when I remember (or bother) to use it.

Good communication is just as stimulating as black coffee, and just as hard to sleep after. - Anne Morrow Lindbergh