Fringe Benefits

As a lecturer, I often have a supervision role towards students, who can include, for example, undergraduates working towards their final year project, or MSc students working on their dissertations, or graduate students working for research degrees. Usually afterwards they come and say thank you very much for your assistance, and then go off into the rest of their lives, contacting you only if they want a reference. Occasionally, they bring a little goodbye present to say thank you.

In the past, I have received a variety of gifts, including several ornaments, a picture frame and a bottle of wine. Today, a new one: cake. Very practical. Smells yummy, too. If you'll excuse me, I think I'm overdue some elevenses...