>Just when I need to be focusing on hard typing, real life intervenes again. Our ‘conservatory’ (lean to / utility space / shanty room) has started falling down. The builder has been to have a look and spread the gloom. The wall needs to be taken down (if it hasn’t fallen down by the time his diary clears), rebuilt and a new roof installed. This time we’re going for concrete foundations rather than sand and a prayer. How come your surveyor never picks this stuff up?

The job is going to cost about 1.5 radio plays or half a theatre play. It seems quite reasonable for the work involved, but we didn’t need this. We’d hoped to replace the whole lot with something decent in a few years time (2.5 theatre plays / 7.5 radio plays worth). No chance of that now.

It’s a pity this is distracting me from the work I need to do to pay for the bloody thing.

And it’s started raining, just as I’m about to set out to do some cycle coaching. I could spit.

In other (better) news… Natasha Trimpney of Interval Drinks has joined The Guardian‘s critics and bloggers debate.