JIM Knight leans across the railing and points across the sea to the Purbeck Hills.

"That's my constituency right there," he tells a slightly bemused Labour Party colleague. "Isn't it beautiful?"

I've been talking to the South Dorset MP for almost an hour and that's the third time he's proudly pointed out Purbeck to someone.

But who can blame him? He's so close to home and yet hasn't managed even a fleeting visit. Not even today, his son's 17th birthday.

"It happens every year," he says. "I think there's only been one year when it didn't clash with conference. Still, I don't expect he minds too much."

Even if he did, there's no way Jim could pop home for a slice of birthday cake. With Gordon Brown making education one of his top priorities, the schools minister has a packed diary of fringe meetings, media interviews and meet and greets to fulfil. And that's before he even gets near the main conference stage.

By Wednesday lunchtime, Jim has already notched up his ninth fringe meeting and has plenty more to come. He has expounded the virtues of teaching soft skills, debated whether pushy parents are jeopardising kids' futures and considered how best to narrow the attainment gap. And all in front of reporters waiting for a slip-up.

"Conference is an intense cauldron," he admits. "The days are long and you have to survive on only a few hours sleep. You can only sustain that for a few days."

Even in a rare hour off there's no respite from his mobile phone. There's a problem with a press release, a story in the Evening Standard needs checking and Radio Four wonder if he could do the PM programme.

Jim's happy to oblige but you sense he has grown just a little bit weary of being asked whether the Prime Minister will call an election.

"My stock answer is the same as everybody else's stock answer: I'm ready whenever he decides. But I think there are two sides to the argument. At one level we have got a mandate to run for a maximum of two-and-a-half years but equally the frenzy of reporting around it creates a level of uncertainty which it might be good to resolve by having an election.

Jim insists he's well prepared for a snap election but for now, he's not looking beyond a decent night's sleep.

"I'm going to lie in as long as I can before being kicked out by the hotel staff tomorrow," he says.

"Then I'm off home to get back to normality."