They’d been messing around with our office accommodation again. My temporary desk at the side of an enormous public room was the first port of call for any student enquiries.

The latest question to come my way was ridiculous. A young woman asked “How much do things cost?”

“That very much depends on what kind of “thing” you are talking about”, I replied. “A litre of milk is about £1 at the corner shop. You can probably get a kitten for no cost at all if it’s from an unwanted litter that’s about to be drowned”.