Lincolnshire Treehouse

As a child reading Secret Seven I longed for a treehouse like this but we didn't have a suitable tree and my Dad was not that way inclined. Luckily for my daughter, Daddy is a tree surgeon and very clever with making and carving things in wood.

And how fortunate we are, you might think, to have a tree like that in just the right spot? Actually no. Jim has been on the look out for the right kind of tree that he could fell all in one go. He dug a huge hole and 'replanted' the tree to create the base. Our talented carpenter Rick, from Silverbrook of Lincolnshire, made the base and framework with a little trapdoor so you have to climb the tree to get inside. Such fun and much safer than ladders! Jim did the rest with rustic timber from Jonny Waterman's Woodyard at Nettleton Gap and put in a woodchip base to tidy it all up. He even added lovely old ropes for swings and climbing practice.

Best of all, my daughter loves it. And so do I. It's solid, safe, rustic, tasteful and fits perfectly in our riverside garden without a hint of nasty coloured plastic in sight!

Copywriters love Macs

When I set up my copywriting business back in 1994 I bought a tiny little black Apple Mac laptop with a roller ball mouse in the centre. I can't remember how much if cost m or what it was called but to me it was priceless. I had previous worked on a PC with no pictures, no pretty icons just coloured type and a black screen. It amazes me now looking back. Although copywriters deal in words, as commercial visual thinkers we like graphics too. Since then I've had iMacs, Powerbooks and an iBook. And loved them all.

Over the last couple of years I've discovered KRCS. The guys at HQ in Nottingham have been so helpful. They gave me great prices for a whole load of new kit in 2006, set it all up for me out here and continue to provide me with very reasonable (and incredibly patient) technical support over the phone (thanks guys)! Anyway my Mac Mini was slow - always had been - so off I went to Leeds (multi-tasking with a hair cut!) to get some extra memory fitted. One email prior to going to deputy manager Robert Hull confirmed it would be a doddle. And it was. Not only are Macs friendly and efficient, Mac people are very friendly and efficient too and the KRCS Mac people are a delight to deal with across every aspect of the business. Well done.