7.00 am: I showered and ate breakfast at a sprint in order to secure time to orientate myself to the day’s agenda and peruse my inbox. (Over the last few days, I’d put pay to correspondence as soon as it landed. So there wasn’t much to consider.)

9.00 am: A routine dental appointment. Some old fillings are either crumbling at the edges or splitting down the middle. (Synecdoche.) They’ll be expensive to repair, of course. But, then again, I’ve recently had a surgical procedure that cost ‘nothing’, but which would have otherwise set me back thousands of pounds were it not for our wonderful NHS. I can’t complain, therefore. 9.30 am: A little Starbuckery for the purposes of emailing.

10.00 am: The first of two PhD Fine Art tutorials. In both cases, the students were pushing ahead into unchartered territory. This will require the acquisition of new skills, competences, and knowledge. The experience really should be normative at this level of study. And both my tutees are warming to it. ‘Live beyond the comfort zone!’. Carmen’s wall:

1.30 pm: Following a lunch on the trot, I made my way to the School for the annual undergraduate exhibition preparation talk, which Mr Garrett ably manages:

The occasion is a green light for the countdown to conclusion. The end of an era for some, and marker of transition between BA and MA study for others. So much has to be finalised from hereon in. My task was to amplify several principles and provide the ‘pep’ talk. Afterwards, the class completed their Module Evaluation Questionnaire for the Exhibition module. (A captive audience.) The afternoon ended with my talk to those third year students who’re considering proceeding to MA level. To my mind, the degree signals a commitment to professionalism. It will set them apart from the herd too. I’m very confident about the School’s Masters provision. The curriculum stretches the students in all directions, and provides as good a preparation for survival as artists in the outside world as they’re likely to receive.

3.30 pm: Homeward to update files and conclude admin for the day’s engagements.

7.00 pm: Resourcing: vocal synthesis and analogue/digital interfaces.