When I was little, about five or six, I was given a magnificent Lego castle - knights, battlements, towers, the lot. Everything a little yellow feudal lord could wish for. Mum and I spent the best part of an afternoon building it. But all was not well. The drawbridge didn't work properly. The cotton failed to run smoothly. I was not best pleased. So I smashed the castle to pieces, punishing it for its lack of perfection, and myself for my inability to build it properly.

This past week I've had the occasional similar wobble as I've tried to adapt to living in a new flat, coping with all the teething troubles that always come with an unfamiliar environment. With things being less than perfect instantly I've wanted to shout and scream and throw the whole thing on the floor and just generally have a tantrum. Ironic, really, because I really didn't want a new-build flat-pack apartment, but something with a little history, charm and interest - and along with those come problems.

My stress levels haven't been helped by the fact that in addition to working nights (sorry fact fans, NSB is on leave) I'd agreed to look after Joseph and Lizzie's cat, Shmita. She spent the first day hiding behind the sofa, the second hiding under my bed, but has just started exploring the rest of the flat. By the time I left for work this evening, she'd decided my bed was hers.

Ultimately my problem comes down to the fact that I want perfection, I want it now, and I want it forever - with as little effort as possible. And I find difficult the uncertainty and need for adjustment that comes with change. So I panic.

But in the last day or two, I've just started to see the possibility of everything coming together into a good home, as much of a reality as an aspiration.

Things may not be ideal after my first week in the biscuit, but they never will be unless I start acting less like a six-year-old and more like Shmita.

Everything will be good with time, patience, caution, contemplation and the knowledge that I can always hide under my bed if I need to.