Here is what happened yesterday.

6 am – Get up. Grumble, get dressed and catch the bus.

7am. – Swim 1500 metres.

8.20 – I am at my desk and getting papers ready for the 9.30am meeting.

9.30 – attend meeting, which goes on until 11am.

11.10 – head over to room where we are conducting our Orientation for our Postgraduate students. Discover to my delight that there is no laptop even though I asked for one.

11.12 Race across campus without trying to look like I’m racing.

11.20 Get laptop from office.

11.22 Race back to Orientation trying to breath deeply (“Calm blue ocean, calm blue ocean…”)

11.32 Orientation starts, with a slightly panting MC… (hair was perfect, though.)

12.30 All done, I take questions from the students afterwards.

1.10 I get my lunch bought for me by the President. I’m helping out at the Graduation Ceremony that afternoon from 4pm and the University buys you lunch if you do. I have a salad and salmon thingie that is sublime after my usual purgatorial lunchtime break, and pretty much just stare at lint for the hour.

2.00 Students visit in my office, seeking help on module choices and basic pastoral care.

3.00 I have 40 emails waiting for me. I take up chisel and start picking at them.

4.00 Already? I head over to the O’Reilly hall and find my gown upstairs, then set myself up along with my fellow helpers as stewards in the hall. We’re standing the whole time and the hall is warm to say the least. It is a lovely occasion, though, the families are so proud and the graduands are so happy. Getting to take part is an honour.

5.30 The academic procession starts and the ceremony proper takes place.

5.45 I and the rest of the stewards slide away. I make my way to the bus stop and low and behold the trusty No. 47 rolls right up. If I had missed it it meant no bus for an hour.

6.30  Home! I take off the work gear, get into mummy gear and go sit down.

7.00 I drop off like a granny on the couch. Just five minutes….

8.00 Wake up with a start. What the what? An hour? But laundry! Bins! Dinner!

8.15 Eat dinner with the altered consciousness that sleeping in the day will do to you. Little man is put to bed and I go to bed just a few minutes after. I’m white noise tired, and term hasn’t even started yet. Who knows what tomorrow will bring?