Barham Court

Barham Court, according to Wikipedia, was once the home of one of the knights who murdered Thomas Beckett in Canterbury cathedral in 1170 and kick-started the tourist industry in east Kent

I think that many of you know something of the work I do - if you don't I'm afraid that the next bit may not make sense.

I was honoured to attend another degree ceremony today. they are all special but this more so because the graduate's mother asked if she could say a few words. As a parent one of our worst nightmares must be that our child is committed to prison and she spoke candidly about the threats she used to make sure that her son made good use of his time away. He also spoke and talked about how he was a different man to the one who was sentenced many years ago. He talked about how he and his son - who was there - worked together and made agreements over each of them taking on the next tough bit together and that they would both set milestones about what they would achieve.

By dint of where they happen these events are small; today there were 5 OU people, a couple of other OU students and maybe a dozen staff. They are intimate - we all have to engage. Before and after the ceremony we mingle and chat and find out a little more about each other, or as much as we're prepared to reveal. I've never been to a cocktail party but I imagine they must be much the same.

As part of his speech the presiding officer used something our current VC says at degree ceremonies. It's an exhortation to our graduates to "Seize the day, be exceptional and make a difference". Days like today are a reminder that these are things we should all wake up thinking. And days like today are golden.

The image has nothing to do with the degree ceremony but that really is just how I roll..............