Tuesday–Wednesday, September 3–4: I drifted in and out of the department, periodically, to oversee my tutees as they made professional decisions regarding the finalisation of their exhibition. Getting things absolutely right takes times, consideration, and consultation. Some students have observed a strict continuity with the work displayed at their first public outing; others have evolved significantly, to produce something that’s the same … but different.

I, in the meantime, returned to the website dedicated to The Biblical Record CD (which is presently in production). The first task was to begin making a transcript of the ‘lyrics’. The fragmentary, and, on occasion, parallelistic, nature of the spoken text represented a challenge in terms of providing a comprehensible written account. In the middle distance, admin ebbed and flowed across my desk. In the background, Tweets and BBC News bulletins necessarily distracted my attention. And why not? These are serious times; this is a significant moment in history. One cannot responsibly remain oblivious to the unfolding events and the consequences, one way or another, for us all.

Thursday, September 5: While struggling to get to sleep last night (discouraged by the howling wind and rattling casements), I reflected on my mid-term future. I’ll need to take a very deliberate steer as I venture into the next two years. 9.00 am: At the School, I cleared postgraduate admin, advised some of my tutees by email, dealt with a reference, and waited for my charge to turn up and finalise their hang. The shape of the show was now established. 12.00 pm: The waiting game continued.

After lunch, and into the evening, I returned to homebase to continue transcribing the texts from the CD tracks.

Meanwhile, politics proceeds – today – like a Shakespearean tragedy. At least people (and the younger generation, in particular) are engaged in the political debate. I, for one, have every sympathy with Parliament’s failed attempts to solve the unresolvable. Over the last few days, events in the Commons have brought out the best in the best, and vice versa. Wisdom and folly; grace and intemperateness; and honesty and duplicity have been evident in sharp relief.