Yes, I got a prolongation - and in hindsight it’s easy to see that I needn’t have worried. They only refuse prolongation to people who have patently not done any work at all during the previous year, or to people who have already served studied at the PhD programme for longer than the years allocated to us. While I haven’t been the most productive student throughout the history of the university, I have taken courses and handed in pieces of writing. So that’s OK. Watch this space for renewed anguish in about a year.

A real cause for worry are the bombs in Istanbul. Not just because I know someone who lives there - thankfully she keeps us updated on what’s going on so we know she’s all right - but the way it starts to look more and more like retribution for the war in Iraq. And of course, retribution spawns retribution. And that is when it starts to get really scary.