Iforgotmename, I saw a Kona Jake for sale in my local bike shop and that looked brilliant but I gather a Cyclocross bike isn't really what I need. I was very tempted though as it was on offer and a tasty looking beast at that!
The Jake would work fine for you.
It gives you the option to run wider tires and fenders and racks and you can use it for all sorts of riding (
including longer rides). It would a bike that you would not need to replace if you wanted to get more into cycling.