I’m back at work today, though I don’t know how I imagine last week’s efforts were not work. They certainly were and in many ways more back-breaking and hard-fought than my life as a corporate whore.

Today though, I’ve done the ultimate in combining the world of a corporate whore with the world of a demented fool who got up way before light to paint two-and-a-half walls of the dining room (the other one and a half have not yet got dry plaster)….foolishly, I thought that after three coats, then this evening we could put the radiator back on the wall, switch it on and then the other two walls would dry themselves more quickly.

Foolish hope in all senses. Firstly, the heavy rain over last night made it quite clear that the windows are not sealed so there is new wet to contend with….it’s all a bit gloomy. Secondly, the third coat of paint dried as patchy as hell – don’t know how many coats I will have to do but sooner or later it’s got to be covered properly. I have just completed coat four so both ends of my day have been spent painting.

While I was painting, I knocked the roller tray off the ladder. It did a somersault in mid air, depositing paint all over the ladder, the floor (thank heavens for those plastic dust sheets on our newly sanded floor) and me. I thought I’d got it all off but when I got out of the bath I noticed this – as I am pretty close to the edge of fed-up and the middle of gloom, it’s going to be it for today…..now will the foot-fetishists like it? Dunno, don't care.

Hmmmm - wonder if we'll see any weather this winter like we were having last year....