Today’s blog is by our new Junior Editor, Ruth Symons, on her first month (nearly) at Nosy Crow. Above: the view from one side of the Crow’s Nest.
You won’t find them in the Book of British Birds or singing in your garden, but the Nosy Crows are thriving in the heart of London. It strikes me that some readers may be curious about what really goes on inside Nosy Crow’s offices. So, nearly a month into my new role, I have decided to share some ornithological observations:
Nosy Crow’s offices, affectionately known as the Crow’s Nest, are suitably perched on the top floor of an old industrial building. It’s only two storeys up, but it feels much higher when you’re climbing the external staircase (especially if, like me, you’re slightly scared of heights). The large windows offer a view across the rooftops of Borough, birds dart to and from their nest in the eaves, and I can hear a pair of pigeons cooing somewhere above my desk. So far, so nest-like.
Inside the nest, everyone sits in one large room, surrounded by books and artwork, and there’s a wonderful atmosphere of hustle, bustle and general enthusiasm. Odd snippets of conversation drift across the room and the topic can swiftly change from whether we should offer for a particular book, to a serious discussion about what noise an anteater makes (Huff! huff!), and then to coos of girlish excitement over a nail varnish WITH FLOWERS IN IT!!
The Crows like eating cake and they like making cake. Treats are lovingly baked ahead of meetings, to welcome newcomers like me (thank you Tom!), or just for the sake of it. And, if all else fails, there’s always shop-bought cake. Generally, if there’s a meeting in the calendar you can bet you’ll get your sweet cravings fixed for the day.
As if to balance the cake habit, the team also go for fairly regular lunchtime runs. I thought I went ‘running’ with my last office, but I have now realised I was only ever jogging, and maybe jogging quite slowly at that. The Nosy Crow girls run fast and they run far. But the route past Tate Modern, over Millennium Bridge and along the Thames, like some sort of running tour bus, is enough to distract anyone from the burning sensation in the back of their legs…
Aside from the Crows’ eating and exercise habits, the main feature I have noticed is their genuine friendliness. In a new job, it’s easy to feel like an outsider, unsure and afraid, but I couldn’t have asked for a warmer welcome. I once dressed up as a crow at university (seriously), but now I’m a crow for real (in a sense) and I’m very happy about it too.
