I have no doubt that the music department at St Paul’s must be a flourishing place. He was deeply impressed with what he had seen and heard, saying that the quality of the music was phenomenal and he has heard very many pupils of this age group play. He went on to describe CCCS as a “classy” place. We always feel that the quality of the music here is extraordinary, but it is wonderful to have that verified by someone from outside who knows exactly what they are talking about. He also addressed me directly, in front of the whole school, and said that he wanted me to know what a brilliant director of music we have at the School. How wonderful, again, to have something we all know verified externally! What a fitting start to a weekend which promises to be full of sunshine!

And talking of sunshine, I happily enjoyed a great deal of it on Monday afternoon when I watched the 1st XI take on MCS on Merton Field, in front of the new Pavilion. Having said that, as I walked out towards the pitches, I saw a brilliant flash of lightning fork from the sky, followed swiftly afterwards by a colossal explosion. As I neared the fields, I saw boys running at speed towards the Pavilion in which they took shelter. Though I was disappointed that boys were leaving the pitch just as I was arriving to watch, I was delighted that the Pavilion, on its very first day of use, was already proving its usefulness. It was then that I had a terrible thought. The Pavilion will be struck by a ferocious bolt of lightning and destroyed in front of my eyes on the very first day of its use. That would be the ultimate irony. Fortunately, the lightning chose to strike elsewhere and the Pavilion escaped untouched.

Shortly afterwards, the boys re-emerged onto the pitch, dry because of the shelter that the building had afforded them, and proceeded to play an exhilarating match, winning on the second to last ball. I understand that the team were also able to defeat Bruern Abbey on Wednesday, so things really are going from strength to strength. Barring a lightning strike or another act of God, we will open the Pavilion on Sports Day. Jonny Searle, MBE, one of Christ Church’s most well-known and successful sportsman has kindly agreed to perform the ceremony. For any of you understandably smarting at the annihilation of the Oxford Blue Boat by Cambridge on the Thames this year, Mr Searle took part in three boat races for Oxford, winning them all! On the last of these occasions he was President of the Oxford University Boat Club. He went on, though, to gain international fame by winning a gold medal at the Barcelona Olympics with his brother Greg. Please make sure the 14th June is in your diary.

It is always good to remember that children tend to notice much more than one realises. Earlier in the week, I had a short conversation with some pupils about butterflies. This morning, I was handed a beautiful drawing composed by one of the Pre-Prep children. On it are four purple butterflies all with arrows pointing towards a human figure beaming with excitement, his tie carefully tucked into his jacket. Clumps of brown hair fringe a gleaming yellow head while the figure has his arms outstretched in a moment of exquisite joy. I rather imagine that the vibrant yellow colour of the face is a mark of extreme excitement rather than of jaundice. On the other side of the painting, a message reads: “This is Mr Murray; he likes butterflies! He thinks lots about butterflies.” In the words of the great American playwright, Arthur Miller “He was fully known!” I’m sure you’ll be able to anticipate what I’ll be thinking about this weekend! Enjoy the sun and, of course, the butterflies, though given that I think about them a lot, I should warn you that most butterflies appear in the summer! Let me know if you see any!