I struggle out of bed at the sound of the last gong, which means I arrive late for the morning meeting. I was up really late catching up on some of my freelance work and updating the website. Yesterday was our big weekly meeting and I have committed myself to researching water contamination, water testing and water treatment and filter systems. I have a few phonecalls I will need to make so decide not to join most of the others who have decided that they will be going to visit a friend in hospital and then spend most of the day at a open day at a nearby eco farm. I agree to prepare the evening meal.

After the morning meeting I find myself queuing to use the toilet and decide its about time we built better toilet facilities, but I think that most mornings and soon forget. Passing the kitchen on the way back to the long house I grab a bunch of grapes and a couple of bananas for breakfast before continuing to the long house to use the phone. Somebody is already using the phone, which is not unusual with so many people sharing one phone line.

While I am waiting I look through the post and find I have been sent details of an insurance policy that would cover voluntary workers. I write it down on the agenda for next Wednesday's business meeting. I spend most of the morning calling people who might know about drinking water and I get prices for commercial water filtration systems. I also call the Centre for Alternative Technology and Intermediate Technology to find out about useful publications for building our own low-tech biological solution.

Shortly before midday I am fed up with being inside. I've taken a couple of calls from newspapers wanting to do stories about us, one from a family in Oakhampton who would like to visit us over the weekend, and been invited to do a stall at a green fair in a couple of weeks time. Grabbing more food from the kitchen and some tools from the toolshed I go to cut some ash to try to make some new handles for some of the wonderful old tools we bought at a boot sale a few weeks back.

I mess around on the shaving horse for a while and find I have managed to produce a functional handle for a long handled slasher but my attempts to make an axe handle are somewhat less successful. It starts to rain so I retire to the long house to read up on handle making again in Mike Abbot's bible on green woodworking. Time passes quickly and I realise that it's getting late. The others will probably be back soon so I brave the rain and start preparing a pasta dish in the kitchen. I know I'll get complaints but I decide to make my speciality, which involves lots of peanut butter and tomatoes.

My timing proves perfect because everyone arrives back just as the pasta is ready and those people who eat cooked food are soon tucking in while the others throw together salads. I listen to their accounts of the day and then show off the new handle and fill them in with the latest news about the water situation.

After a third helping of food I disappear before anyone mentions the washing up and spend a couple of hours trying to finish some computer work (that actually pays) for a human rights organisation in London. By the time I email the work off I am virtually falling asleep so I am pleased to be able to switch off and get in bed. I fall asleep listening to the patter of raindrops on the canvas roof of my woodland home.

Note: This is a fictional account. In real life I am never late to meetings, I don't avoid the washing up and prepare much more orginal and tasty meals.