The Study

As you enter this room, you're somewhat taken by surprise. For a small room, it appears to have two very separate uses. At one end of the room, there's a desk with computer and files etc. The other end, however, is taken up by what appears to be a bike workshop.

The study end of the room has shelves of files and books containing four years' worth of engineering notes. Although the more advanced notes appear to be mostly on aerodynamics subjects, the early notes cover a smattering of everything. There's even a Masters project entitled 'The Aerodynamics of Power Kites'. You can thumb through it and look at the pictures if you want. Next to these are some new folders for an Open University course. There's also the very necessary laptop, connected to a scanner, printer, and the phoneline.

At the workshop end of the room there's a nice workbench, with a handy vice and a bike stand. The tools are tidy (can you tell this is a fantasy flat?!). There's a slightly battered-looking green bike in the stand. Ellie appears and looks at it fondly. "I pulled it out of a skip." She says. "It doesn't get as much use these days, because I picked up a better one, but it's useful to have around. I learnt a lot about bikes by putting it back together!" She sets the front wheel spinning, and you both pause to admire the way the light reflects off the rim. It takes a long time to come to a stop. "This is an old Halfords model. Not that you can tell that from the outside! Actually, the frame's about all that's left from the original bike. And even the forks need replacing. I currently ride a Raleigh Record, which I picked up cheap. It was in pretty good condition, just a minor case of rust from having been left in a damp shed for too long." She pauses to spin the wheel again. "If bikes and cycling interest you, you might want to have a look at the bike forums, where a thousand or so like-minded souls hang out."