We’ve just had the first of three phases of plaster restoration carried out on a ceiling of our very old house. Not being partial to grit in my food, lime clogging up my computer, ancient dust settling on my library of books, I spent many hours sealing doorways, radiators, cupboards, alarms and fixtures, to prevent the murk penetrating the entire building. But the expert restorers were just that: expert. The task was completed in just seven hours, minimal mess, superb result.
Watching them at work (yes, I did sneak occasional breaks) was awe-inspiring. I mean – have you ever tried getting plaster to stick upside down? But any plasterer or plumber or electrician or tree surgeon or human surgeon will tell you that an essential first requirement for any tricky job is to have the right tools. A real expert can probably improvise if necessary but any skilled procedure is effected more efficiently and successfully with exactly the right implements.
Which leads me effortlessly to writers. Certain established and famous authors trumpet their absolute need for a certain brand of pen or pencil (always expensive, you’ll notice); others simply cannot function without a luxury Italian paper or a specific make of book to write in (top of the range, unpronounceable name, of course). But not me. Dare I confess? I write straight onto a humble desktop computer. Bog standard Apple Mac; not even made to my specifications. I think that slots me into a group just a whisker above the bottom of the evolutionary scale.
BUT … a new world has now opened up. I’ve been given a brand new laptop. I’ve tried them before but quickly slunk back to the comfort of my tried and tested Apple. This is in fact the first such keyboard that’s the perfect design for my style of typing (idiosyncratic) and my size of hand (lanky) and my level of technical know-how (allergic) and my kind of travel (spasmodic). I don’t have to think about the mechanics; all my concentration can go on getting what’s in my brain and imagination into written form. No distraction, no time-lag. Brilliant. Thanks, Jo! Absolutely the right tool for the job.
Actually I’m newly grateful for the use of my very fingers too, these days. I managed to sever the top of the middle one, left hand, with secateurs when I was pruning a copper-beech hedge without due care and attention last autumn – the day before I had the bottom tier of a wedding cake to ice too! The sensation is only now starting to return. Maybe it was all that nifty juggling with plastic sheeting and masking tape last week. Whatever. But I can confirm that, as with any other tool, it’s only when you lose a faculty that you really fully appreciate it.
Tags: expertise, tools of the trade