Some Fridays are relaxed. Some are fraught. I managed to make today exhausting and full of mileage, but not actually stressful. I'll be honest, I've started more promptly than I eventually got going today. However, the working day was fairly practical and useful.

I had a luncheon appointment across the county, so I went for that and made some useful decisions. It was pleasant and we did what we said we would. Then I spent the afternoon in another part of the county doing other things. Such is the mobility my job can sometimes demand, which makes what I said in defence of my driving licence, back in January in Rotherham, anything but a lie. Had I lost my licence then, I'd be getting it back around now, anyway.

At about 6, I headed to Manchester for a photo shooter for the poster for this year's show. I was lucky enough to have some telephone-based company for the journey, so it passed in something like the blink of an eye. I like chatting on the phone while driving. I have a hands-free kit, so I'm legal.

Arriving in Manchester, I was the subject of about 500 pictures, one of which would be used for the poster. As we were doing them, the song "On Days Like These" played on the computer in the "studio" - I say studio, it is a bedroom. It was all respectable, though, no "and now let's try it with your pants off, love" about it. Anyway, given that I'd, the previous evening, made a blog entry about the song "On days like these", which I think has been through my head a couple of times recently, it seemed quite appropriate.

After the photos there was an immediate late night drive back to Reading. Anyone up at that time of night must be keen. It's a ridiculous time of night to be up. I could feel myself flagging, and I'm used to such things. I ended up in the M&S simply food stocking up on supplies, just to put some energy back into my system. I'd been running on empty for way too long.

I slept deeply.