"School days, school days, the good ol' golden rule days!"

We here in Oxford are really putting that childhood song into practice this week. As all the Ole Miss Students descend upon Oxford for their first week, the calm of summer is replaced by fury and mayhem. The amount of cars seems to quickly double, in a town already pressed for parking spaces.

With new students unsure of how to navigate the Square and roundabouts, I've found myself feeling slightly road raged!

Reality hit that school was really starting back as we tried to get a seat at the bar on Friday night in City Grocery, our usual spot. As the music played louder and the crowd doubled, the security guards checked IDs more cautiously.

This week on campus the University launches what is called Welcome Week. It occurred to me that we Oxonians might just need a Welcome Week of our own. Although I am complaining a little, I have to admit the love-hate relationship between Oxonians and Ole Miss Students is nothing more than a Catch 22, for without them our little town might be just a sleepy stop off the beaten path.

The university helps to pump a certain vibrancy into this town that is rare in other small towns throughout Mississippi.

I know that even though the traffic is thicker, and the wait in my favourite restaurants is a little longer, the feeling that it is all happening again is irresistible.

It is why people choose to live in a university town. Activities abound, football season is on the horizon, bands fill the bars, and the town comes alive. The calm after the storm arrives in December. Isn't that half the fun of living in a town like Oxford?