“I had always planned to make a large painting of the early spring, when the first leaves are at the bottom of the trees, and they seem to float in space in a wonderful way. But the arrival of spring can’t be done in one picture.” – David Hockney
It is beautiful by the Seine at this time of year.
The blossom is reaching its glorious peak and the trees are bud laden, providing a green haze to what we see from our windows. Chilly mornings have led to warm afternoons, and we have allowed ourselves to consider the coming of summer. It is no surprise that the Impressionists chose this spot to start painting in the open air, why would they go elsewhere?
In our Senior School assembly we celebrated the beauty of the written word, numerical elegance, and sporting elan. World Poetry is today, also the day of the Spring Equinox and we were treated to Mr. Brown extolling not only the virtue of A. E Houseman and others but also the delights of seeing a blossom laden bough from a classroom window. We send a team of poetry enthusiasts to take part in the Poetry by Heart competition this weekend and look forward to hearing the results of this fixture. We have, once more enjoyed notable success in the UKMT maths challenge with awards of all types being distributed to those who chose to face the fiendish questions that had been set. Our top performers found elegant solutions to the challenges faced and we were related to the question that you will find elsewhere in this newsletter; I wonder if you can find the solution to the problem of the numbered bricks? Sport played without driving rain and slate grey skies has the capacity to prove elegant. Bad weather does not spoil sport, but there is a joy in having the chance to play on pitches that are true and under azure skies. In assembly we paid tribute to our netballers who won top honours in the ISAA netball competition last week. This was the culmination of much hard work and is a success story of the very best kind. Last year we appeared to be relatively unsure of ourselves on court, now we are a powerful force providing a match for all comers. Congratulations to all of our netballers who brought home the silverware.
A walk past the Junior School leaves us in no doubt that beautiful weather is being enjoyed. Time out of doors is being enjoyed and there is a real sense of enjoyment in what can be seen around the campus. As we draw to the end of a busy term which has had its fair share of grey days it is good to hear the joyful learning of the juniors as they go about their daily timetable.
For many Val Joynes was the first face they encountered at the BSP. As registrar she provided wise counsel and good advice to many families negotiating a new life here in France. Always done with grace and good humour – Val was a pillar of our community. It is therefore with deep regret that I write of her recent death. Her life was celebrated today amid beautiful bright colours that she so enjoyed.
It is at times like this that we are wise to consider the beauty that is around us and appreciate its fleeting, sometimes transient presence.
Loveliest of trees, the cherry now
Is hung with bloom along the bough
– A.E Housman, A Shropshire Lad
Nicholas Hammond
Headmaster
