Getting Somewhere

This must be the comedown. Even when you know what it is it's not much fun.

It's all over. It took most of the day to pack up and return various belongings to various friends, having lived an itinerant lifestyle for a week. I'm deeply exhausted and deeply safisfied.

I had an overwhelmingly positive response to my piece, and had to turn lots of disappointed visitors away, who had heard from other Coastival-goers that the 'chamber-maid' was one of their highlights. I re-jigged the bookings to fit another 7 slots in on Sunday and still had to turn folk away.

So I'm thrilled with the response, although I am already refining the piece in my head, and feeling a bit niggly about the bits I wasn't 100% happy with. Some people are never satisfied.

Children are demanding to know what the schedule is for half term. Friend coming to stay tomorrow with two small children. I just want to sleep…

feel I should try to say something about the last few days. I feel like I am on waltzer 24hours a day, everything is streaming together, in a jerky, not-relaxing kind of way. Overall I am happy this morning, having had a couple of hours sleep and lots of good feedback about my work. lots of things have happened and I don't know where to start. got to get family up and out of the house so I can reset the hotel room and partner can ferry children to various activities, so in a rush at moment. I can't believe what people get up to when they have 20 minutes in a hotel room – they certainly don't treat it like a gallery.

hotel very hectic, staff not very helpful, churny tummy, lifts broken, non stop conversations and dashing around, sudden snow storm so I had to abandon car and sleep at a friends, then wear all her clothes on my opening day, tired, dry mouth, nerves, excitement, thrill, strange encounters. what will I do when it's all over.

Partner was upset that I criticised him in a recent post. My immediate response is simple – humf – it's easily avoided – just tidy up more… chunter, rumble etc.

But in the interests of balance I must also recognise that he has done a brilliant job of formatting all my films for ipods, provided lots of advice about projectors and leads (I love their names, and regret the fact that I have no need for a 'double ended female' or a 'splitter', which make me laugh like a pubescent schoolboy). He's also cooked some meals and shopped for some food.

Not that he should get special recognition for doing a few domestic chores I hasten to add.

I'm sure it was easier to be a feminist when the battle lines were more clearly drawn. I will ponder this today while I pack my case for my trip to scarb tonight.

Well I'm cracking on with things, despite having children at home for most of the week – snow induced school closures.

It just feels like the slog at the end of a marathon though, I'm not really enjoying it any more, just working my way through my daily list of tasks. Hopefully I'll get a nice high rush when it opens. I'm really tired and it's harder to do things properly. I've got ulcers in my mouth, headaches and other gripes and groans.

Oh – and mice in the food cupboard. nice. I hope they are just taking temporary refuge from the snow, as everyone tells me that humane traps don't work and I really don't want to kill them. On the other hand, I didn't want to be wiping tins and throwing away packets at 10 o'clock at night last night either, so they've got to go.

I've moved the food for now – haven't got time to deal with it any more. Right, off to orthodontist with oldest daughter now, then back to sewing pictures into pants. ah the glamour.