Shattered now.

Our International Fayre day with a Library stall promoting our services and facilities to hordes of students from all over the world.

Most sensible colleagues volunteer to do 90 minutes or so, but I've somehow become the Library contact and end up helping out throughout. Exhausting, but great fun meeting folk from all over and getting the chance - as ever - to practice the odd phrase, word or even national anthem in the relevant language.

Interestingly a new colleague for whom this was a first was observing at one point and told me afterwards that she would again and again see tired, shell-shocked, confused looking students (they'd just arrived in the country the day before) trawling around the stalls and arrive in front of our Library table. I'd accost them, she said and try out a greeting, and their eyes would light up at just a fragment of home.

I'd not actually seen that, but she could see it was well worthwhile. I was just relieved they weren't irritated at the feebleness of my pronounciation or knowledge or something.