Red Nose Day has nothing to do with the nation's alcohol problem

The slogan for this blog used to be "Borah's cultural learnings of London for Make Benefit Glorious Novel of Sex and Horror". Since I moved to Cardiff, I've changed my blog title to "Debbie Does Britain" and my new novel might not contain as much sex and horror as Bek dicht en dooreten! But I would still like to use this platform to share some of my 'cultural learnings'.

If I wanted to tell you about the British sense of humour, I would either bore you with clichés or have to come up with some really good examples. I don't intend to do the first, and if you're interested in the second I recommend you read my novels. But one thing I would like to tell you about the matter, is that it's one of the few things of which the British are unabashedly proud. They even have a national "do a good deed, be funny"-day. Or, as they call it, Red Nose Day. The whole nation is trying to use their sense of humour to raise money for charity before on Friday 18th March. Many high street fashion stores are selling Red Nose Day T-shirts, Walkers has offered comedians the opportunity to create their very own flavour of crisps in an attempt to raise over £1 million (resulting in Stephen Fry's Stephen Fry Up, Jimmy Carr's Jimmy Con Carrne, Al Murray's Steak and Al Pie and Frank Skinner's Frank Roast Dinner), and even British Airways are joining forces with Comic Relief to transform the lives of disadvantaged children at home and abroad. As part of BA's Flying Start campaign, Dara O'Briain, Jack Whitehall and Jon Richardson will be setting the world record for the 'Highest Stand-Up Comedy Gig in the World' at 35000 feet.

With this sponsored post, I would like to draw your attention to the fact that you could be one of the 75 lucky people flying over the UK enjoying two-and-a-half hours of stand-up comedy for charity, free champagne and refreshments! All you need to do is text 'Fly1' to 70300 or visit www.facebook.com/britishairways to enter the competition. Full terms and conditions are available from the Facebook page.

Optimize your efficiency while working from home

Offices seem to have a magical atmosphere in which working seven hours a day comes naturally to all those present. While the regular office hours are suitable for early risers, people with a natural preference for evenings are forced to work when they're not performing their best. Working at home allows employees to schedule their day according to their biorhythms and plan their breaks around their personal concentration span. A lot of efficiency can be gained this way.

However, contemporary explorers who have left the office in order to work from home have to navigate between the Scylla and Charibdys of slacking and overworking themselves. The only way to pass these dangers is by planning your time carefully and sticking to your plan. The hardest part of working from home is getting your work-life-balance right. In order to allow the ideal middle way to emerge, your home will have to undergo a metamorphosis, whether you're setting up your own business at home or telecommuting for an employer.

If you've got a family, you'll have to communicate clearly to them when you'll be available for shopping, small talk and other distractions, and when they're not allowed to disturb you. Especially if you’ve got young children this might be difficult. One way of dealing with this is setting up your office in a separate room which is to be used for business purposes only. If a family member wants to ask you something, (s)he’ll have to wait until you come out of your room.

Being able to shut a door behind you (both when you enter and when you leave your home office) will also help you recreate that special office atmosphere that helps employees focus for hours on end. Some may argue that this defeats the whole purpose of working from home - a more flexible mixture of private and working life - but it's a fact that having a separate work space improves your concentration.

If you don't believe in ergonomics, working from the sofa might seem appealing. But where will you sit when you want to relax and watch TV? You'll start to feel as if you're always at work and can never really take a break. It will get harder and harder to motivate yourself if you're slouching on the sofa all day long, which will eventually lead to stress that you can’t even forget about in your spare time. Making a habit of working in your living room is a one way ticket to the burn-out clinic.

Regardless of whether you're reserving an entire room for your home office or just a desk in the corner of your bedroom, it's crucial to have a comfortable work space with daylight or indirect light which is bright enough but doesn't glare in your eyes. This may mean investing in some office furniture. If you're working for an employer, keep in mind that you're saving him a fortune because he doesn't have to rent office space for you. Therefore, it's not unreasonable to ask for financial support in order to buy a solid desk and a straight but comfortable chair. Getting the right office supplies will help you avoid distractions and get on with your work, so your employer will benefit from furnishing you with the right equipment.

Even if you're starting up your own business from your ensuite flat and your office consists of your laptop on the dinner table, you can turn your home into a proper work space with no more than a desk lamp, a printer and a good stationery set. Professional writing paper, a sharp hole punch, a good supply of staples and paper clips, binders, laminators, writing utensils and post-its will give you the feeling that what you're doing is important. That's what working from home is all about: allowing people to work under the conditions that work best for them.

Staying over

"Push your hair back," Dominique said to Freddie, "so I can see your face when I'm talking to you."
Freddie and I were doing the dishes when his uncle, Dominique, came into the kitchen to say good night and explain his morning-ritual so that we wouldn't get in his way the next day.
It was the first time I met his uncle. He didn't seem like a bad guy, though he had been a bit grumpy most of the evening. Or, as Freddie put it, 'he just needs a shag'.
"Good night," Dominique said. And then: "why do I have to stand on my toes to kiss my little nephew good night?"
I smiled. "Because otherwise you would be kissing his nipples."