By the end of the weekend I will still have spent one evening in the house.

I will have spent two evenings performing, one rehearsing, one in a pub catching up with an old friend back in Oxford for the week, and pretty much all weekend making a music video.

While doing a more than half-time job and having to be entirely practically self-sufficient (no partner / parents (well I have them but 200 miles away / cleaner / etc. to take any of the domestic load).

I’ve also been watching my bank balance with ever greater alarm and checking nearly hourly to see if I’ve been paid for anything – the month’s wages are probably due today for my desk job, I’m also owed for two gigs (shortly to be three) and I really don’t want to dip into my savings again this month. Which hasn’t stopped me spending over a hundred quid investing in light string quartet arrangements (on the questionable assumption that by the time the direct debit pays off my credit card, there will be that much money in my current account). It had better pay for itself, but it won’t be doing so overnight.

Maybe this was the wrong Lent to give up coffee. Thank goodness I decided to let myself have tea. Do you think I could sublet my bed for short naps and weekend lie-ins?