Having spent five rainy days in Ibiza over Easter, with my two small kids suffering from cabin fever (for lack of things to do), it was little consolation to be told by Spanish friends that a rainy Easter normally means an even more glorious summer than normal. If that wasn't bad enough, I had to leave Amanda Jake and Phoebe a day early (on Friday 13th ). I had a gig in Prague in the Czech Republic.

The air connections weren't good, and I was routed via Madrid. On the first flight I sat next to a passenger who drank heavily throughout the one hour journey to the Spanish capital. We got talking and he told me that he had throat cancer and was heading to Madrid for a tracheotomy operation the following day. There was little I could do or say, other than offer words of sympathy and good luck. It must have been an incredibly frightening experience.

With two huge new terminals having opened a year ago at Madrid Barajas Airport, on the one hand you can't fail to be impressed by one of Europe's best airport structures. On the other, it's absolutely huge, and connecting between flights is like running (or walking) a half marathon.

I landed into Prague at 9pm, and met up with my manager Charlie who'd flown in from London around the same time alongside one of his other dj's, John Askew. We were playing at a 10,000 capacity event "Amazing City", with Paul Oakenfold, Eddie Halliwell and Daniel Davoli also on the bill. Because I had my Radio 1 show the following day Eddie agreed to swap set times, which was very much appreciated. Over the years my Saturday R1 show has forced me to pace myself on Fridays, which can only be a good thing. I grabbed two hours sleep in the hotel room before spinning at 2am in the Sparta Prague ice hockey stadium. The crowd was huge and I passed my camera to Charlie to snap away. It was only when I got home that I realised that most of his shots were out of focus. They're posted on the site, but aren't the best piccies in the 'Gallery' section by a long way.

Most of the dj's had their own dressing room/backstage area, but Paul Oakenfold's artist rider is clearly a lot more comprehensive than mine. The Jules rider consists of a bottle of vodka, some Diet Coke and a towel. Oakenfold's spread of food and beverages wouldn't have been out of place at a wedding - we could have eaten and drunk all week and still not finished. In fairness to Oaky, this is because his management predominantly handles bands, where extensive after-show riders are the norm, and he was more than generous with all that was on offer.

I stayed behind after my set for 40 minutes and talked to Oaky, who I only get see occasionally- he's lived in Los Angeles for over 5 years. In addition to dj'ing he's forged a very successful career as a movie score writer, with lots of well-known Hollywood blockbusters on his cv. On another matter, he was fully aware of the success and atmosphere of Judgement Sundays in Ibiza- his brother had been there quite a few times and come back with glowing reports.

I'd intended to record all the music for my Radio 1 show whilst in Ibiza, giving me the chance to attend the Arsenal v Bolton match on Saturday 14th. However, my recordable cd unit broke in Ibiza, meaning that I had to put all my mixes together at home in London, sacrificing the football, much to my fury. This was a big match, and my relief at Arsenal's victory was palpable. I try to avoid football results affecting my on air karma at Radio 1, but I would have been thrown into the gutter if Bolton won. Thankfully they didn't.

The night's dj'ing consisted of gigs in Swansea and Swindon, due west of London. The weekend following Easter is traditionally a bit down on numbers, with people physically and financially burned from the previous week's over indulgence. The Escape in Swansea was quieter than my last visit, but there were still plenty in attendance. I recorded both sets of the night, to give me a range of options for the 'April mix' which will be posted on the site shortly.

My second port of call was the Brunel Rooms in Swindon Wiltshire. It'll always be close to my heart, as it was one of the first venues to book me outside London. For the first five years my dj'ing was almost totally confined to the capital, and it was only after this point that the word spread around the UK and eventually internationally. As the name suggests, the Brunel Rooms have more than one room. A smaller bar-like club used for funky events, and a bigger Amphi arena. This is where I found myself on Saturday, for a Gatecrasher branded shindig. The place was busy and the crowd bouncy- I couldn't ask for much more.

I've also just been for the first time to Macedonia to spin, and that will be included in the next instalment….

More next week.