91Èȱ¬

They say that poets and writers are usually rather capricious and have their peculiarities. Both in relation to the rest of the world and with regards to their occupation.

I can't talk on behalf of the whole trade, but I will give some examples from my own life and experiences.

In doing so, let me leave aside my relationship with the world, which is reflected in my books anyway, and concentrate on the trade of writing.

I can write anywhere: on the plane or at an airport, in the kitchen or a hotel room, but...

And here my oddities start: if I am writing a poem or a novel, I would never use a computer or a typewriter. I recognise just handwriting as the true form of writing.

Better than a computer!

Moreover, I can't use just any type of paper or any type of pen. I must write on a page of cross-hatched paper with a fountain pen.

So in a way it's a ritual, though there is a certain rationale behind it. For me typing is a discrete and broken act, in which every letter comes on its own, whereas handwriting represents a flawless flow of my thoughts, though shaped by the grid on the paper.

A counterpoint to this incessant flow and something to shape the form is all you need. I feel completely lost in front of a blank white page.

Why am I telling you about such minute details of my writing technique? Just to make the point that a human being is a subtle instrument, whose tuning is sensitive to the smallest details of the outside world.

As you might know, the 91Èȱ¬ World Service, including our team, have moved from Bush House to New Broadcasting House. It's been a major change for thousands of my colleagues. New building, new technology, new systems, a new way of working.

We moved at the beginning of this week and my assessment is that we are adjusting to the new place, but at the same time the new place and the new - extremely clever - technology is adjusting to us.

Lots of jokes, catchphrases, anecdotes to tell. One of my colleagues pointed out: "For people who moved five thousand miles to get this job another mile shouldn't matter too much!"

Another one commented that even the chairs in the studios make you feel more authoritative. In one of our programmes we've had a couple of minor glitches because a studio manager couldn't see the hand signals of the producer in the studio because the screen in front of her was too high up for her height.

However the keywords along with the mutual adjustment are 'buzz' and 'excitement'.

New Broadcasting House

Since the entire World Service is now placed on one open-plan floor of what seems to be the biggest media hub in the world, it feels as if we have found ourselves in the middle of an oriental bazaar (I'll explore this metaphor further in one of my next entries).

I have already mentioned a word of caution: how subtle is the fine tuning of any human being.

But at the same time a human being is the most adaptive and flexible creature of all.

Personally, I have started to notice how with more and more of my entries - including this one - I am writing on my handheld device, either on the train or on the tube.

So we are well and truly on the move...