The train is now drawing into Empoli, a rather non-descript looking place but one which is very close to the village of Vinci from which Leonardo came. There are reminders everywhere in Tuscany of its extraordinary cultural impact on the world. We are very much hoping to give the boys of the Worcester Choir a sense of this extraordinary history. During the course of the tour we will be singing in the hilltop town of Arezzo, in the English church in Florence and, most excitingly, in the Great Duomo of Santa Maria del Fiori, the Cathedral of St Mary of the Flowers. We have been given special access when the cathedral is closed to the public so we will have the place to ourselves. I suspect the acoustics will be ravishing. The boys in our choirs are so fortunate.

We had a very successful open morning. Over and over again I was told by parents who had come round that the boys who had done their tours were charming, thoughtful and gentlemanly. I really am very proud of our boys. I was particularly struck by the way in which they interacted with the many very young children who were attending with their parents. They played on the floor and took time to take an interest in them, I really want to publicly thank these boys for their help in making it such a successful day.

It was also a real pleasure to attend the Pre-Prep concert yesterday. What struck me was the panache of the performers who played with real energy and determination, despite, many of them, only having played the instruments which they handled so confidently, for a very short time. The concert ended with three songs; a song explaining the techniques of pancake making, including the excitement of tossing the finished article; the second, a song in Malay about a cockatoo and a grandmother with two teeth - I now know a few words of Malay though I’m not sure how useful they will be. The third song was about the behaviour of penguins. It’s always best when learning is so entertaining! Have a wonderful weekend and, as they say in these parts, “Ciao!”