7.45am stagger out of bed, harass children into getting washed dressed etc
8.45am in junior school doing reading session with daughters class
9.15 on the road, to the studio, pick up milk and tea bags
9.45 frantic scouring out mouldy mugs and cleaning disgusting stinky shared kitchen at studio because I have a guest coming
10.30 reporter from Huddersfield Examiner arrives. Talk about my New York trip, APT, my family – forget to offer tea.
10.50 feeling a bit despondent – reflecting on interview and wishing she hadn’t got me to talk so much about partners job and our children. It doesn’t feel right for some reason
11 – 12 can’t get focused – do a few emails and phone calls
12 – 3.55 eat biscuits and do big diagrams, notes, lists and charts about how I will approach my session at ‘Stock Exchange’ (a sort of crit/sharing session with other artists). Get a call from reporter about organizing photo – say I’ll ring her after school run – my diary is at home
3.57 realise the time, panic, throw everything in my bag, jump into car to get daughter from school club
4.30 get home, trip over all the shoes in the hall and find a note from a delivery company – parcel next door
4.32 – 4.50 carry 4 heavy boxes from next door. Neighbour brings one for me – apologise about trainers in hall and breakfast dishes all over kitchen (wince). Gossip with neighbours long enough to be polite
4.50 -5.05 cheese on toast for kids, open one of the boxes – hurrah – artists books are here and are ace
5.10 shout at kids to hurry up, chuck all horsey kit in car and dash out again, arrive at pony field (older daughter’s loan pony), attach head torch and discover water carrier has emptied most of water into my boot. Wring out some stuff in boot, shout at older daughter to get hay quicker, throw hay into horse field, back in car drive for 20 minutes, jaw clenched
5.35 arrive at riding school for younger daughter’s 5.30 lesson. Find pony, drag it into arena, apologise for lateness. Watch riding for 55mins. Keeping having minor anxiety attacks about people reading the newspaper article, reading my blog and discovering what I actually do in the name of art.
6.30 – 6.45untack pony, back in car, drive home for 20 minutes. Two messages from reporter – oops. One message from inlaws about Christmas present requests from kids. I pass the message on.
7.10pm discover freezer door was left open, everything frozen solid. Scrape out big chunks of ice. Mop up big puddle. Find something to bung in oven
8pm eat my beige oven dinner and field a range of questions from daughters about their social lives
8.30 – 8.45 clean kitchen and type this. Still got to put kids to bed, deal with some emails and see if I’ve got anything clean to wear for my 7.30 start tomorrow – creative agent school meeting. Knackered.
