Who would work in a coffee shop - it must be a grind. And you have to make the coffee for everyone every day, not just while you're a junior... and this is not why I started writing this bit.

I'm now back in the office following what feels like an immense weekend away. In fact, apart from the 4am bedtime on Saturday night, it wasn't especially an extreme weekend away. I was out on Friday night, slept in Saturday morning, chilled out with friends, had a nice day on Sunday, and managed to fit in some "me time" while on trains bracketing this adventure.

There's no doubt that GNER's policy of providing power sockets at ever pair of seats is a good one. I managed to watch a Jimmy Carr DVD on the way to Edinburgh and then watch nearly 3 episodes of Black Books on the way back, after I'd written a whole bunch of emails and even sketched out an ending to Episode 2 of a sit-com/comedy drama that I've been working on. I'm not incredibly satisfied with it. In fact, I'm quite unmoved by it, but perhaps it'll grow on me. But I still wrote about a third of an episode on a train, so at least I was motivated enough to get the damn thing done.

I arrived in Edinburgh at 8.30ish, Friday night. I arrived back in London at about the same time on Sunday night. So the travelling didn't push me too hard. Hell, I was in bed at 11.30pm last night, chatting to a friend (I wasn't lying down - I was sat up, as my bed is also my sofa, realistically speaking).

I think I've finished justifying why the weekend, despite its ridiculous quantity of travel, wasn't stressful. Indeed it enabled me to release a lot of pressure that had been building up in my mind and body. I nearly even shifted my cold. Nearly. I need a bit more time on that. Hopefully, I'll be totally cured by Wednesday when my next gig is.

Now, however, I've got to face the realities of DIY and planning a lot of interlinked jobs. I'm feeling good about it. Tomorrow I have people coming around to give me a plastering quote (not coat, as I nearly typed - I don't want a coat of plaster on me). Tonight I have to get my new floor tiles grouted up and ready to go. I hope that this will make me feel better about what I consider to be a fairly poor job of getting them level and lined up. I did the poor job, so I can't resent anyone but myself. They're lined up in 2 dimensions, it's that darned 3rd dimension which got me - the one against the plane of a level floor. D'oh!

I went to B&Q this lunchtime for some knee pads and a few other useful supplies. I checked out ladders that might be suitable for painting my house in Newcastle with. I think I know what might do the trick - the 4 way combination ladder. The question is whether I could get such a think in the car with the 40 litres or so of paint that I'm planning to get onto the walls somehow in the space of 4 days with 3 people. Ah... those are the words of stress.

Back to the plan. Tonight I'll grout and, if there's time, I'll maybe paint the hall ceiling again, or maybe I'll sand the bathroom door, ready for when it's refitted and painted. Tonight will be a busy night, but it will be good.

Other tasks are out of the way. I've made a reasonable effort to pay my council tax. My road tax is paid. My other bills are being covered too. I'm on top of things, pretty much. Time is not friendly to one's bank balance in two rental properties with only 1 tenant between them. I am going to put his rent up, but not by that much.

Tomorrow night I will teach myself how to wallpaper. I hope.